Analytical Personal and Professional Update
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This academic year, I have been working diligently to gain experiences that I did not have at the time of my first portfolio meeting. In this essay I explained how I have been engaged in my professional community, how I addressed the gaps in portfolio 1, explained how those experiences related to coursework, provided information on my research activities, and how my teaching experiences have shaped my intellectual as well as professional goals.
Ways in Which I Have Engaged in my Professional Community
In this section, I discuss how I have been engaged in my professional community by providing information regarding my experiences on some of the conferences that I attended.
As part of my course requirements for ECED 801 and ECED 803, I attended the American Educational Research Association (AERA) conference on Saturday in April 9th, 2016 in Washington D. C. This conference enabled me to network with others in the field of education. To be specific, I attended three paper sessions (two on Saturday April 9th, 2016 and one on Monday April 11th 2016). The main focus for the first paper session on Saturday April 9th, 2016 was on developing pre-service teacher understanding of diversity. The second paper session was on developing pre-service teachers’ identities to support English language learners. The third paper session was on Monday April 11th, 2016. The focus of this paper was on preparing pre-service teachers for literacy teaching and learning.
I also attended a poster session on Monday April 11th 2016. The title of the poster session was on the impact of professional development on teachers' self-efficacy regarding writing and writing instruction. I enjoyed the poster session very much. It was a very informal way of presenting information. It was a great experience talking to the presenters during the poster session, and the presenter even suggested that I joined the international special interest group at AERA. It was evident that the presenters were knowledgeable about the subject matter pertaining to their areas of interest.
I also went to see the exhibits and was amazed by the number of books on display. There were a wide range of books that focused on early childhood education, and educational leadership, books on prominent individuals like Vygotsky and Dewey. I also had the opportunity to go to the journal talks. It was a very informal way of introducing researchers to different journals. Unfortunately there was no one available to provide information on the Journal of Early Childhood Education but I had the opportunity to get information on other journals such as the Journal of Higher Education. This process helped me get an idea on what the journals entailed and the requirements pertaining to each journal.
On October 20th 2016, I attended the Brown Lecture. Marta Tienda (Princeton University) delivered the 2016 Brown Lecture in Education Research on October 20 at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C. The lecture was on Public Education and the Social Contract: Restoring the Promise in an Age of Diversity and Division. I enjoyed this lecture very much and thought that the presenter did a great job focusing on the achievement gap and the need to rewrite the social contract so that education is a fundamental right and uniform across states.
During my first portfolio meeting, my committee members provided me with feedback and wanted me to publish articles and present at conferences. To this effect I submitted a proposal to the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers (ALER). My proposal focused on the Perceptions of Early Childhood Educators about Teaching Reading to Students With Autism who are English Language Learners. I presented at a poster session at the ALER conference in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on November 4th 2016. I found this to be a very good experience for me. I realized that compared to other conferences, the number of people who attended the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers (ALER) was not as much and so it was easier networking with others and meeting other members for the first time. I also appreciated the fact that some of the members who came to me and talked to me about my study provided feedback as well as recommendations. This was very valuable to me, and I incorporated some of the suggestions made in my manuscript. On December 1st, 2016, I attended the Literacy Research Association (LRA) conference in Nashville, Tennessee. This was a good experience for me because I was able to attend a paper presentation as well as a roundtable discussion. It was quite interesting to listen to others present their research. One of the presentations was on Humor and Language Play: Multimodal Literacy Practices and Student Learning. I especially liked this presentation because the presenters conducted research on how children can learn literacy skills in a playful way. As part of the presentation, we were given toys and we had to come up with the narrative associated with the toy. Some of the toys were hacked in that the toys were modified to look slightly different. At some point we were also given cameras to take pictures and come up with a narrative regarding the pictures that we had taken. This was really fun since we were actively involved in the project.
On December 9th 2016, I also attended a PhD colloquium. Professor Yoshikawa’s presentation provided insight into the critical needs and opportunities associated with the availability of early education programs in both the United States and globally among nations with varying levels of income and educational attainment. I thought that Professor Yoshikawa’s presentation was quite interesting because his research did not only focus on early childhood education programs in the United States of America but on early childhood education programs in Chili, Columbia, and in other parts of the world. This presentation was a great experience because it gave me the opportunity to compare not just the similarities but also on the differences between early childhood education programs in the United States of America and other parts of the world.
Addressing the Gaps in Portfolio 1
During my first portfolio, I mentioned that even though special education is my secondary emphasis in terms of area of specialization, I had no background in special education. My academic experience in the field of special education was very limited, because the special education courses that I took during the Fall 2015 semester and the Spring 2016 semester focused more on research in special education and not on students with disabilities. I had expressed an interest in learning more about students with disabilities in the field of special education. I mentioned that I would like to know more about the different types of disabilities in the field of special education. To this effect, I read articles that focused on students with disabilities. During summer 2016 semester, I sat in on one of the special education classes. This class (EDSE 501 class) was a class that focused on introduction to special education and so I was able to expand my knowledge in this area.
I know that during my portfolio 1 presentation, I received feedback regarding following the American Psychological Association (APA) style of writing. To this effect, I bought the APA manual and began to read extensively. In one of my classes, the instructor also provided feedback and comments on my writing style, pointing out the APA requirements. I also made weekly appointments at the writing center and had extensive discussions with the personnel at the writing center about the APA style and I received feedback on some of the assignments that I was working on. With time, I noticed a huge difference in my writing, and I began to feel comfortable citing references and so forth.
During my portfolio 1 presentation, my committee members felt that I had to integrate my research interests. I told my committee members that I was interested in conducting research that focuses on developing emergent literacy skills of English language learners in pre-kindergarten to third grade (which is early childhood). I also informed my committee members that I was interested in conducting research that focuses on young children with disabilities. My committee members encouraged me to integrate my research interests and focus on all these areas when conducting my assignments. Since portfolio 1, I have thought deeply about my research interests and I realized that I did not just want to focus on English language learners but rather conduct research that focuses on young children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. This sort of broadened my research interest a bit. Rather than focus only on English language learners, I will just focus on diverse young learners. To this end, most of my assignments I write are now integrated in relation to my research interests.
Coursework
My very first class was on EDUC 800 Ways of Knowing. This course provided different perspectives on how individuals come to acquire knowledge. As an educator, I am aware that individuals learn differently. I know that not all individuals learn in the same way. Thus the need for teachers to capitalize on student’s strength and to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of individual students is very key if we want students to be successful. This class laid the foundation, and was an eye opener for me, especially since I come from a different cultural background. It was interesting because my past experiences in the way I acquired knowledge was very different in that I came from a society in which students were expected to accept whatever information that was given to us by the instructors in the institutions of higher education in my society. After taking this class, I realized that it is important to be reflective and to critically think and analyze information and to even contribute ideas since this is what is expected in other cultures. This really was very helpful because now I could apply some of the techniques learned in my Ways of Knowing class in my other classes.
I also took ECED 804 during the Spring 2015 semester which focused on Family Research and Practice in Early Childhood Education. This class was very beneficial because the focus of this class was on working with immigrant families and students from different socio economic backgrounds. Most of the discussions that we had focused on working with families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Emphasis was placed on teachers, educators, and administrators engaging and involving immigrant families in the education of their children and in teachers being knowledgeable about how to teach students from different cultural backgrounds and incorporating cultural practices in their instruction.
During the Fall 2015 semester, I took ECED 702 which focused on writing, cognition, language and literacy of young children. I think that this class really provided the foundations on young children writing process and this class was important to me because I am interested in conducting research on young children's literacy development. ECED 702 was not the only class that I took that was on literacy. During the Spring 2017 semester, I took EDRD 830 (Theory, Research and Practice in Literacy: Birth through Middle Childhood) and EDUC 897. With EDRD 830. We talked about phonological awareness and the theoretical perspectives on how children develop phonological awareness. We also discussed print knowledge and emergent literacy skills. We tried to differentiate between emergent literacy skills and early literacy. I really appreciated the fact that I took this class because my dissertation is on developing emergent literacy skills such as phonological awareness, print referencing and vocabulary during shared storybook reading and so taking this course was a great way to read more articles about print awareness and expand my knowledge base on these areas. During Spring 2017, I also took EDUC 897, which is an independent study. By taking EDUC 897, I begun to read extensively and begin to gather articles pertaining to my topic. I also created a literature table which was a great way of organizing the contents of the articles that I found and that related to the articles that we read about in EDRD 830.
I also took a class in ECED 803 Teacher Preparation and Professional Development. This is a class in my area of specialization, which is early childhood education. This class focuses on the importance of preparing teachers to be effective in the classroom. I know that as an educator it is very important that teachers are knowledgeable about the best practices and strategies used in teaching students in their classrooms. The importance of professional development cannot be over emphasized. Teachers need to be trained in classroom management and in other areas if they are to be effective in the classrooms. It is through professional development that teachers acquire new knowledge and learn from each other with the hope that they will implement what have learned in their classroom. Upon completion of this course, I will be able to apply some of the strategies learned in this class in the future.
For example, as part of the requirements for ECED 803 class, I observed an undergraduate class for my teaching analysis assignment. I learned a lot of strategies from Dr. Vesely who taught this class. Dr. Vesely teaches ECED 504 which focuses on engaging families of diverse young learners. To be precise, this course focuses on the strategies for developing culturally appropriate family professional partnerships to benefit children, including children from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds and children with special needs. The course also explores theories and research supporting a family centered approach, including family and professional rights and responsibilities, especially in the special education process (ECED 504 Spring 2016 Syllabus). One strategy that I learned that I applied when teaching EDUC 302 was to always reflect upon the lesson after teaching that lesson. For example, if I realize that some of the students did not understand the lesson, I had to find a way of re-teaching some of the topics that I felt students did not understand and make the students interact more in small group discussions as much as possible.
During Spring 2016 semester, I enrolled in three classes: ECED 801 (which focuses on current research and trends in early childhood education), ECED 803 (which focuses on teacher preparation and professional development), and EDSE 842 (which focuses on application of research methodology in special education). ECED 801 is a course that focuses on the current research and trends in early childhood education. It is worth knowing that this class focuses on issues in early childhood education including investing in childcare and gaining access to childcare. I also learned about the importance of family involvement and engaging families from different cultural backgrounds in the education of their children. These are the same things that we covered in ECED 804. By taking this course I gained a lot because I was able to explore other topics in early childhood education and also review literature in my area of interest (storybook reading intervention). I am interested in conducting research that focuses on developing emergent literacy skills (such as phonological awareness, print awareness, and vocabulary) using storybook reading intervention. I was able to gather a lot of material in this area because one of my assignments focused on synthesizing research and talking about the convergence evidence pertaining to my research area. I realized that there is not much research that have been conducted on storybook reading intervention with students with disabilities and that future research must focus on this area.
By taking ECED 801, I was able to make connections with other courses (EDRD 830 and EDUC 897). Based on my assignments in my ECED 801 class, I knew exactly what I wanted to do for my dissertation and it seemed to me that I finally decided what I wanted my topic to be for my dissertation in my ECED 801 class. I was excited to take EDRD 830 class because the dissertation topic aligned very well with the topics that we discussed in EDRD 830 class and by taking EDUC 897 (independent study), I was able to see the big picture in terms of working on my literature review.
The second course ECED 803 focused on teacher preparation and professional development. This course is a required course and I found the information presented in this course to be very valuable in preparing me as a teacher educator to support preservice teachers in order to be able to teach students in school. I also took EDSE 842 which is a special education course that focused on applying research methodology in special education. This particular course is research based and so emphasis was placed on qualitative research, single-subject research, group research design, quantitative research, evidenced based practices and quality indications. I benefited from this class because some of the topics that we talked about were things that I had been exposed to previously in my other research classes (EDRS 810, EDRS 812 and EDSE 841). In addition to this, I believe that the information that I learned will be very important especially when it comes to writing the methods section of the papers I plan to publish.
In the Fall 2016, I took a class on grant writing (EDSE 885), Quantitative Methods in Educational Research (EDRS 811) and also did my internship in education with Dr. La Croix (EDUC 994). EDSE 885 focuses on identification of funding sources, description of grant components, and development of grant budgets. It included independent writing of an entire small grant, a significant portion of a large grant, and participation in grant peer-review process.
After completion of EDSE 885, I was able to identify and describe purposes of grants, identify and explore sources for grants, develop a short-term and long-term research agenda, describe similarities and differences between and among grants, and contrast grants to contracts and analyze grants’ evaluation criteria, then describe how to develop (i.e., write) grants based on the criteria. It became evident that if I wanted to pursue a career conducting research, it is important for me to be able to write a grant proposal and get it funded. This course was therefore very crucial and important for me to take since it provided me with the resources that I needed in writing grants.
During spring 2015 semester, the first research course that I took was EDRS 810 (Problems and Methods in Educational Research). This course is an introductory course to research methods. In this class, I learned about qualitative research method, quantitative research method and mixed method approach. I learned about different types of sampling techniques used to conduct both qualitative and quantitative research. As part of the requirements for this course, I had to write a qualitative proposal as well as a quantitative proposal. By taking this class, I learned how to write a proposal and what it actually entails. I also got the opportunity to actually take a look at an actual dissertation and this gave me an idea of what an actual dissertation looks like. In taking this course, we discussed the different sampling techniques used to conduct not only qualitative research but also quantitative research as well. For qualitative research, we studied different kinds of qualitative research methods such as case study method, phenomenological research and grounded theory. I was also introduced to different ways of collecting data (observation, questionnaires, surveys, interviews and field notes) for not just qualitative research but quantitative research as well. For quantitative research methodology, we talked about how to analyze data and the different statistical methods (t-test, ANOVA) used in analyzing data.
To add to this, during the Fall 2015 semester, I took another research class EDRS 812 Qualitative Methods in Educational Research. By taking this course, the research methods studied during EDRS 810 (Problems and Methods in Educational Research), pertaining to qualitative research such as the use of interviews, questionnaires, observations and surveys were major themes that both courses had in common. Therefore by taking EDRS 812, Qualitative Methods in Educational Research, some of the methods already introduced in our introductory research class were reinforced and students got the opportunity of actually going into the field and using the methods studied to collect data. My EDRS 810 (Problems and methods in Educational Research) class was the most important class I took because this course laid the foundation in terms of what research is all about. After taking a class on EDRS 812 (Qualitative Methods in Educational Research) during the fall 2015 semester, it was amazing experience because we kept revisiting research methods and other concepts that I had learned in my EDRS 810 class and this was refreshing because we were able to actually implement some of the research methods that we learned in these two classes and apply it in the field by conducting a research project, interviewing actual participants and observing teacher participants teach students in the classroom. One thing that I learned in EDRS 812 was to collect data, transcribe and analyze the data that we collected.
Even though my second emphasis is in special education, majority of the special education courses that I am currently taking are research based. During the Fall 2015 semester, I took a course in special education (EDSE 841), that focused on Intervention Research in Special Education. This was an extension of EDRS 810 because this course dwelt on quantitative methods. The focus for this course was on single subject research, quasi experimental research and group research designs. I actually got the opportunity to conduct a meta-analysis and to code various studies that employed group research designs. Creating literature tables based on the articles that we read was a very good way of organizing vital information.
During the Spring 2016, I took another class in special education (EDSE 842) and this class also built on my previous research courses (EDRS 810 and EDRS 812). I learned about qualitative research and the different types of qualitative research, survey research and single subject research. In the special education classes, emphasis was also placed on the quality indicators that researchers need to adhere to when conducting research. It has definitely been an interesting experience. Some of the methods that we learned in EDRS 810 and EDRS 812 are the same methods we learned about in class and so it seems to me that we revisited some of the concepts previously learned. It was a good way to reinforce some of the skills, strategies and techniques that we had learned in previous research classes.
In the Fall of 2016, I took EDRS 811. The purpose of taking EDRS 811 was to develop my understanding of statistical ideas and procedures required for conducting statistical analyses and applications of quantitative methods in the practice of educational research. The course reinforced and build upon concepts and skills acquired in previous research classes. I was able to learn through a combination of reading assignments, hands-on experience in using a computer program for data analysis, and application activities. I was able to identify and report on quantitative methods used in published research (i.e., journal articles), to analyze data using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), and to provide written report of methodology and results. I was able to understand the logic of hypothesis testing and statistical power, demonstrate a conceptual understanding of the following statistical techniques: one-way, two-way, and three-way ANOVA, part and partial correlation, ANCOVA, and simple and multiple regression, select and justify an appropriate test statistic for a particular hypothesis, develop SPSS computer skills necessary for conducting statistical analyses, write-up reports of statistical analyses using correct APA format and read, understand, and interpret results of all analyses covered in the course.
EDRD 830 explored emergent through intermediate literacy. I was able to summarize, synthesize and compare specific psychological and linguistic influences on literacy acquisition and development in early, middle, and later childhood. I especially liked taking this course because the content of this course aligned very well with my dissertation topic and I know that this was very beneficial because I read information that could be potentially helpful to me as I write the literature review section of my dissertation.
EDSE 845 provides an in-depth study, analysis, and discussion of personnel preparation programs in special education including: scope and sequence of teacher preparation programs as they align with state and national teacher licensure standards, bodies of accreditation, syllabi development, delivery models, and frameworks for curriculum design; teacher evaluation; and how policies, research, and issues of accountability can transform teacher preparation programs. Upon completion of this course, I was able to discuss and describe various issues impacting teacher preparation programs, analyze program data and critique research and methodologies in the context of teacher preparation, demonstrate how to design an original syllabus within an existing framework, and describe and critique various delivery models of instruction including technological advances.
Making Connections among Courses
I have taken three research courses (EDRS 810, EDRS 811, and EDRS 812). EDRS 810 was the first research course that I took during the Spring 2015 semester. EDRS 811 focused on quantitative methods in education research and EDRS 812 was on qualitative methods in educational research. I also took EDSE 841 and EDSE 842. Both EDSE 841 and EDSE 842 are special education courses but these two courses were research based and so there were a lot of things that we reviewed as a result of studying EDRS 810, EDRS 811, and EDRS 812. Taking all these five research courses have been helpful especially when I have to write my methods section of my proposals. For example I recently had to write a proposal to present at a conference. The study that I conducted was qualitative in nature and so I had to interview participants and I found that having taken EDRS 812 was very helpful since we had to conduct interviews as part of the course requirements. Even though EDRS 812 was a qualitative class, I also learned about qualitative methods in EDRS 810 and so most of the research classes that I have taken, I keep learning research methodology all over again which reinforces what I have learned.
Teaching Experience
I gained teaching experience at George Mason University by completing a teaching internship by taking EDUC 994 which is an advanced internship course. I worked with Dr. La Croix during the Fall 2016 semester to co-teach a course, EDUC 302 which focuses on examining human development through life span with special emphasis on cognitive, language, physical, social, and emotional development of children. This course also emphasizes contemporary theories of human development and their relevance to educational practice. By the end of my internship, I was able to develop effective teaching skills and strategies that reflect engagement, develop my own teaching philosophy and style, plan and implement lessons and assess students learning. As part of my duties during my internship I prepared for class by planning lessons, conducting assessments, implementing lessons (by actually teaching) on a weekly basis and using blackboard effectively.
In Spring 2017, I obtained a position as an independent Graduate Lecturer for the undergraduate course EDUC 302 offered by the Early Childhood program. I began preparing for the course two weeks before the semester by revising the syllabus, reading the textbook, and preparing the power points. During the previous semester (Fall 2016) I did my internship in education. I co-taught EDUC 302 with Dr. Lacroix. This experience of co-teaching an undergraduate course prepared me for teaching EDUC 302 on my own. As part of my internship, I had to create power point presentation for each chapter. Creating these power points were helpful in that I got the opportunity to become familiar with the content and text for each chapter since I had to read each chapter prior to class. I also looked for questions from the quiz bank and selected questions for quizzes that students would complete as part of their assessments. I graded these quizzes and so I sort of knew which questions were difficult for students to respond to and the questions that were much easier for them to answer. This was very helpful because I could either use the same questions when teaching this course or I could change the questions if I wanted to. I also realize at the end of the Fall 2016 semester, the instructor had a lot of papers to grade. This was because the schedule that we used had students submitting their assignments as the semester got to an end. As a result, I had to change the class schedule for Spring 2017 a little bit, making sure that students submitted their assignments earlier on in the semester. After taking ECED 803, I became evident that there is the need to plan for lessons or lectures. I had to apply some of the concepts I had learned from my ECED 803 class to plan my lessons prior to teaching.
Research Experience
In Fall 2016, I gained a graduate research assistant position at the Department of Educational Leadership at the College of Education and Human Development at George Mason University. I worked with Dr. Farnoosh Shahrokhi, whose research focused on Teacher Exchange Programs. My responsibilities included searching for research articles on teacher exchange programs, creating a reference list and editing manuscripts. Being a graduate research assistant helped me gain research skills that I will definitely use in the future as a faculty member. I learned how to look up articles, create a reference list using the correct APA format, and edit a manuscript. It is interesting because I recently had to edit my own manuscript for publication and it was easier going through this process since I had already had prior experience in editing manuscripts with Dr. Shahrokhi.
Professional and Intellectual Goals
I mentioned during my portfolio one presentation that I had numerous goals. One of my goals is to prepare preschool teachers and early childhood educators in developing countries by providing these professionals with professional development opportunities. ECED 803 is a required course in early childhood education program and focuses on teacher preparation and professional development. By taking this course, I was able to meet the requirements for my program and I will be able to apply some of the strategies and concepts learned in this course after I complete my program. EDSE 845 Personnel Preparation in Special Education, a course I am currently taking, is a course that focuses on the skills, knowledge, and techniques that can be applied when instructing students at the college level. I know that I can apply some of the information learned in this course after I graduate from George Mason because I will be able to go back to my country and prepare early childhood educators on how to effectively teach students.
Both ECED 803 and EDSE 845 laid the foundation for me prior to doing my internship in education. For example, during my internship, I had to write a reflection each week. For each reflection, I had to use The How People Learn Framework (Darling Hammond & Bransford, 2005) which was one of the concepts I learned whilst taking ECED 803. This framework has four important components: Knowledge-Centeredness, Learner-Centeredness, Community- Centeredness, and Assessment-Centeredness. My reflection was based on the instructional strategies that I observed during classes however I had to provide a reflection based on each of the 4 components.
Secondly, it is my goal to set up a preschool or an early childhood center in my home country. In order to achieve this goal, I made sure that all my educational experiences focused on curriculum and instruction in early childhood education, elementary education as well as having some educational experience in school administration and supervision. But ultimately, my professional goal is to obtain a faculty position in early childhood education. Even though I have other professional goals, I will like to focus more on this goal of obtaining a faculty position after I complete my program because as a PhD student, I am being prepared for this position.
In terms of my intellectual goals, my research interest focuses on developing emergent literacy skills such as phonological awareness, print awareness, and vocabulary using storybook reading intervention in young learners from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds who may have special needs and may be at risk for reading difficulties. Focusing on this as my intellectual goal has been a priority for me especially during my years as a kindergarten teacher in a public school system in Maryland. I realized that my strength was in literacy and reading and always taught my kindergarten students how to read using sight words and vocabulary from text or storybooks. Ever since, I have wanted to conduct research focusing on students from different cultural backgrounds who may struggle in learning how to read.