Sloan Tackett
Educator
CEP 802A
Fall 2012
Inquiry in Special Education
Instructor: Dr. Claudia Pagliaro
Some of the research and inquiry that has been completed regarding special education was addressed during this course, specifically in the area of mathematics. We discussed the best teaching strategies to use while witnessing examples of these types of lessons done by Dr. Pagliaro. I also was able to create and implement different mini-lessons to perform with my own students based on their individual needs. An example of a lesson I performed was focused on adding fractions. I used what I learned in this course to create an engaging and differentiated lesson.
Transcript
CEP 801A
Spring 2013
Consultation in Special Education
Instructor: Erin Hamilton
This course focused on the importance of collaboration- both with other teachers within the school and with the parents of my students. Each week guest speakers, including special education teachers and parents of students with special needs, shared their viewpoints within the field and drove home the importance of collaborating and communicating clearly. This course also allowed me to work closely with a group of classmates to present a sample collaboration lesson to the whole class. I have bettered my communication with students' parents due to this course. I now know what works the best and what parents want from their child's teacher.
CEP 804A
Spring 2013
Literacy Instruction for Mild Disabilties
Instructor: Dr. Troy Mariage
Differing elements of literacy were addressed in this course. We specifically focused on the teaching of students in special education. Numerous practical teaching strategies were provided, which I later used to plan and teach an informational writing lesson. I was able to use the information and strategies I had learned throughout the semester in this course to teach high school students new ways to write informational texts. For this project, they researched a career they were interested in and then wrote a resume that would apply to that job.
TE 850
Fall 2014
Critical Reading for children and adolescents
Instructor: Jon Wargo
Modern children's literature texts were used in this class to learn more about various themes that can be found throughout this genre. I read and reflected on texts such as Monster, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Hunger Games, and Maus: A Survivor's Tale. This class made me think deeply about complex themes found in children's literature and how these books can be used effectively in the classroom. In response to seeing the power of children's literature in the classroom, I created a Donor's Choose project for student copies of Maus: A Survivor's Tale. My students were able to interact with a difficult topic in a mature way.
TE 842
Fall 2014
Elementary Reading Assessments and instruction
Instructor: Marliese Peltier​
This course focused on various reading assessments and evidence-based instruction at the elementary level. We dove into the elements of the modified cognitive model throughout the semester and I began to use the strategies I was learning in my classroom to better my reading instruction. I was also able to collaborate with a team of other students as part of this course, allowing me to review two separate case studies. From this additional practice interacting with reading assessments, I was able to gain a much deeper understanding of the different elements of assessments and how I can use the information to better my instruction.
ED 800
Fall 2015
Educational inquiry
Instructor: Steven Weiland
This course allowed me to step away from learning specifically how to be a teacher and instead provided me the opportunity to reflect on the field as a whole. During this semester, I learned more about members of the educational community and the impact educational inquiry has had. While we wrote multiple essays throughout the semester reflecting on what we had learned, in the end I chose Vivan Pauley to reflect on deeply. I used this information to write an essay about the narrative inquiry she was so famous for and how this type of understanding can be used in the classroom to further the understanding of learning.
TE 846
Fall 2015
ACCOMMODATING DIFFERENCES IN LITERACY LEARNERS
Instructor: Dongbo Zhang
This course provided me with valuable information regarding how to effectively differentiate within the classroom. This is incredibly important within the special education classroom because each of my students have such differing needs. Later in the course I created two separate reading lessons using this information to address the individual needs of my students. I then reflected on how each lesson went and what I could change in the future to accommodate for my students. Through this process, I was able to learn new and innovative ways to accommodate for my students.
TE 848
SPRING 2016
WRITING ASSESSMENTS AND INSTRUCTION
Instructor: Janine Certo
Writing was the focus of this course. Throughout the semester I learned practical strategies to teach various writing skills to my students as well as participated in writing of my own. We were encouraged to be creative ourselves and in the end I wrote a personal narrative as well as a children's literature book review. This course also allowed us the opportunity to plan and teach a writing unit within our own classrooms. I planned and then taught a nonfiction unit to the 2nd graders I serve- the final product being an informational brochure that they were very proud of.
CEP 832
SPRING 2016
EDUCATING STUDENTS WITH CHALLENGING BEHAVIORS
Instructor: Dr. Evelyn Oka
This course focused on teaching students with challenging behaviors. A large majority of the class instructed me about specific difficult behaviors and provided practical teaching methods to use with these students. During this course I also was able to create my own behavior plan for a student I was currently working with. After doing multiple observations of the student in his classroom, I created a plan that would address his negative behaviors. Throughout the class I worked with other students to reflect on the information we were learning as well as get feedback about my student behavior project.
ED 870
SUMMER 2016
CAPSTONE IN EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY
Instructor: Dr. Matthew Koehler
Through this course, I was able to consolidate the information I had learned during my time in the Michigan State University Master of Arts in Education (MAED) program. I created this online portfolio to display what I have learned during this time. Collaboratation with other students and my professors was a key theme of this course so that I could create a professional and well-developed portfolio. I also wrote three different essays reflecting on my past, present, and future goals as a teacher.