Reflecting on my Coursework

Introduction
Every week, I have looked forward to interacting with my instructors and peers in the
various courses that I have undertaken in my Master’s program in Education (MAED). I am glad
to be coming to the end of that journey, this week being the sixth and last week of my program.
It has been phenomenal; I have learned a lot, been challenged, sharpened, and enlightened. I am
glad I joined a career in teaching. This paper provides a reflection of my coursework in the past
six months. O have achieved all the program learning outcomes, and these will shape the kind of
instructor that I will become in the near future. I am determined to continue with my education
journey because I believe that learning is a lifelong process.
PLO 1: Design a variety of strategies and experiences to elicit evidence of learner growth
and responsive instructional decisions (Ashford University).
I have ranked this PLO first because I feel it sets the pace for me as an instructor. The
PLO entails designing a variety of strategies and experiences o elicit evidence of learner growth
and responsive instructional decisions. Designing a variety of strategies helps ensure that the
individual needs of each learner are addressed. Every learner has at least a strategy that they are
comfortable with or are good at. Strategies, whether in instructing, assessing, or in terms of
engaging in activities within the learning environment, help students exercise autonomy. When
students take charge of the learning process, they are more likely to perform better. I am ye to
teach in a real classroom but plan on doing so very soon. I will design a variety of strategies, for
example, the use of performance tasks in assessments or use of direct instruction, collaborative
teaching, and independent learning during instruction, as this helps present information in

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various ways. Learning and assessment become interesting as overreliance on only one strategy
can make the process monotonous (Senthamarai, 2018).
PLO 2: Design appropriate, challenging, and diverse learning experiences informed by
contemporary, research-based theory and practice (Ashford University).
This PLO comes second on my ranking list because it relates closely with the program
learning outcome one. As an instructor, I have a role in designing appropriate diverse learning
experiences that are challenging enough to give learners a good learning experience. Through
differentiation, the learning tasks vary depending on the cognitive abilities of the learners. Thus,
as an instructor, I must ensure that the tasks I design as a teacher are embedded in contemporary
or 21-st century skills and informed by research-based theory and practice. I want to be an
instructor who makes a difference in the lives of the learners by providing content that meets the
cognitive abilities of each student and challenges them to be better. Ranking this outcome second
is important to my career because I want to base my instruction on research-based theory and
practice and make sure that it is relevant to the lives of the learners in the contemporary world.
PLO 3: Analyze research that generates positive social change along with evidence-based
practices and academic writing (Ashford University).
Positive social change can be accomplished through the application of research-based
strategies to improve support and learner satisfaction. In my future role as a classroom teacher,
this outcome will come in handy as I would like to generate social change by applying practices
whose effectiveness has been proven through research. Teaching is at its core a moral profession.
However, to remain on track as a teacher, it is important to remain up-to-date with research so as
to adopt research-based practices. I am not yet a classroom teacher, and I purpose to base my

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change agentry on evidence-based practices. Even as I aim at changing the attitudes of the
learners, I will do so using approaches whose effectiveness has been proven through research.
The importance of focusing on positive change and ensuring that strategies used are evidence-
based is that it ensures that there is relevance and the teacher is up-to-date in their practice.
PLO 4: Demonstrate innovative actions serving as advocates and change agents within
communities by engaging in continuous professional growth (Ashford University).
Once I start teaching, I will join professional learning communities. These will provide a
space where I will be able to interact with other professionals and enhance my practices. Bing, a
change agent, is a key function of an instructor. However, it is not enough just being a change
agent; the change must be positive and have a positive impact on the academic and personal
progress of the learners. Teachers use life-long learning to make improvements and adapt to
different work environments through inquiry-oriented ways (Van der Heijden et al., 2015).
Change agentry makes teachers come up with better strategies to accomplish goals within their
professional fields. Change is volatile; thus, being a change agent entails constantly seeking new
ideas and new ways of coping with and influencing desirable change among learners. In my
future classroom, I aim at not only delivering curriculum content but also being a change agent
and facilitate change towards the holistic development of all the learners.
PLO 5: Construct effective methods of collaboration, communication, and partnership with
colleagues, community, and stakeholders (Ashford University).
This PLO ranks at position five because it is important for my professional growth and
impacts me at both a personal and professional level. The other PLOs, however, have a higher
ranking because they impact my learners directly. Constructing effective methods of

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collaboration is key for professional development. As an instructor, especially in science
subjects, I will strive to identify, participate in and build networks at a national, regional as well
as local level. Doing so will be critical to my professional growth and advancement and will
enable me to collaborate with researchers, practitioners, and science experts to solve problems
and learn from the experiences of others. Such networks will be appropriate as my professional
development will have a positive impact on my practice and thus on the academic progress of my
learners. Further, cultivating partnerships is important as it will help me identify partners that
have resources, expertise, and motivation to support my professional practice. Besides, when
teachers work together, they are able to understand and implement changes in their practice and
instruction, and this is a powerful mechanism for implementing new standards in the field of
science (Stock, 2015).
PLO 6: Apply confidence, competence, and purpose around digital citizenship, consuming,
creating, and communicating information and ideas using technology (Ashford University).
Although this PLO ranks as position six, it is critical to the mastery and implementation
of other PLOs. This is because technology integration has become common in the 21 st -century
classroom. Instructors use technology tools to instruct, drive instruction, give an assessment,
monitor learner progress, enhance engagement in the classroom, and even some of the learning
activities that learners are engaging in involve the use of technology tools (Murati & Ceka,
2017). This PLO comes last because it explains briefly how I will implement and put in practice
the other PLOs. As an instructor, I purpose to make use of technology to create and communicate
ideas. Technology tools and gadgets will be used by all learners, and those that need help will be
aided on how to use assistive technology. Technology use is key in preparing students for the 21 st
market society, where technology has been integrated into almost all spheres. Thus, applying

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confidence, competence, and purpose around the use of technology tools and consumption of
digital content will ensure that students also become confident and competent in the use and
application of technology.
Challenges and Solutions
I created my Folio during my undergraduate studies. Since then, I have been updating
some of my assignments from time to time. However, after enrolling for my Master’s program in
Education (MAED), I have religiously updated my Folio, partly because it was a requirement
and also because I knew it would help me showcase my academic progress and qualifications to
future employers. Folio has helped me have a record of my work, especially at the postgraduate
level. It is easy to see what I have learned and the progress that I have made so far. The only
challenge with the development of Folio that I have experienced is in regard to the week six
assignment. The instructions require that we make the Folio professionally appealing, use
technology in an ethical manner and make it visually appealing. I have struggled with
implementing this requirement because I could not tell what exactly was needed in regard to
making the Folio visually appealing. Since it is for use by my future employers, if I add too
many decorations, I felt that they would overshadow the academic records and progress that the
Folio is supposed to be showcasing in the first place. I found striking a balance quite a challenge.
In redesigning the lesson plans, I encountered various challenges. First of all, I found the
instructions hard to understand. I could not decipher what exactly was expected of me, especially
in week one. However, I referred to the example provided to us by Dr. Friedman. I also relied on
feedback that I received in the assignments and continued to make changes based on the
instructor’s feedback. The development and redesigning of the lesson plans became easier over
time. I also read and conducted research from the course texts, and I was able to complete the

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assignments and meet set expectations. Overall, I am excited to have come to the end of my
Master’s program.

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References

Ashford University. (n.d.).  EDU696 Announcements [Access Restricted].  Retrieved April 1,
2019 from https://ashford.instructure.com/courses/45246/discussion_topics/1266357
Murati, R., & Ceka, A. (2017). The use of technology in educational teaching. Journal of
Education and Practice, 8(6), 197-199.
Senthamarai, S. (2018). Interactive teaching strategies. Journal of Applied and Advanced
Research, 3(1), S36-S38.
Stock, A. (2015). Guide to Implementing the Next Generation Science Standards. Science
Scope, 39(2), 84.
Van der Heijden, H. R. M. A., Geldens, J. J., Beijaard, D., & Popeijus, H. L. (2015).
Characteristics of teachers as change agents. Teachers and Teaching, 21(6), 681-699.