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=07.751 Interpreting Educational Research = Winter 2009 Cara Ellingson When I look back through my notes, I'm really glad I took this class at the beginning of my journey. It gave me a great start to understanding the basics of educational research. It helped me decipher sections of articles such as abstract, literature review, purpose, and method/procedures, as well as types of research, and research terms, such as validity, norm- or criterion-referenced, stratified random sampling, and so on. I appreciated that we could choose topics of our own to research, although because I was so fresh and new to graduate work, I had a tough time narrowing down my focus. After now completing my graduate work, I find that I'm always finding interesting topics that I'd love to read more about. I wish I would have looked back at these notes at an earlier time throughout my courses. They are a great refresher on all this "research stuff". When I look back to my notes, the section that stands out the most to me is the analogy of different educational theories to a baseball umpire:
 * Constructivism - "I call 'em like I see 'em."
 * Positivism - "I call it like it is."
 * Interpretism - "It is what I call it."

We had weekly activities that needed to be done, but because I don't have much recorded on them, I'm finding it difficult to remember them. I do remember that we met a couple of times in The Pas throughout the class, and the discussions and activities were part of these weekly activities. We spent time creating and maintaining an account in RefWorks, a database to keep track of all journals collected for research. I only used RefWorks for this class, but looking back at all the journal articles I've used for research over the last five years, I wish I would have kept up with it. While using RefWorks, we spent time learning keys to effective searching. I wish I could have revisited this in later classes, as I found I spent several hours combing databases and the internet for journal articles. Some refreshers and extra tips would probably have made this process more efficient.

Course Outline

First set of Annotated Bibliographies Second set of Annotated Bibliographies

Final Paper - Fostering Success in Aboriginal Students: Integrating Aboriginal Content and Perspectives = = Final Grade: A+

=07.752 Overview of Educational Issues =

Spring 2009 <span style="color: #00aeff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Dr. Heather Hunter

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">I must admit that I don't remember a whole lot about this class. When I looked back at assignments, I remember working on my issue paper and applied research proposal, but even after looking back through my notes, I don't remember much of our face-to-face meetings in The Pas.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Course Outline

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Reviews and Responses <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Article: Encouraging Self-Regulated Learning through Electronic Portfolios <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Response: Assessment for Teaching and Learning

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Journal Article Response: Equity in Education <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Journal Article Response: The Context of Schooling in a Democracy

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Issue Paper: Fostering Motivation in Aboriginal Students: Connecting Students and Schools <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Issue Paper Feedback

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Applied Research Proposal <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Powerpoint Presentation <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Student Demographic Information and Parental Consent Form <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Interview Schedule

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> When I look back and read my issue paper and research proposal, I wish I would have done so sooner. I went on in other classes to research very similar topics, and I have to admit that by that time I had completely forgotten that I had even done this research. I really wish that I would have done more to connect my classes and research together throughout my program. After reading my applied research proposal, I quickly remembered the assignment. Thinking back to it, it is one that I would have liked to carry out.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Assignment Marks and Final Grades

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Final Grade: A-

=<span style="color: #5f07b2; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left;">07.780 Graduate Scholarly Writing = <span style="color: #5f07b2; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left;">Fall 2009 Term 1 <span style="color: #5f07b2; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left;">Dr. Marion Terry <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Before I even started this class, I was a little worried. A friend had just finished it, and warned me of the heavy writing, and how precise and exact it had to be. In the end, this class did end up being my lowest mark, but I appreciated what I learned. Again, I am glad that I took this course in the first year of my program, because it really taught me the details behind scholarly writing. In talking to others that are in graduate classes, I've found that you are either a student who likes to pay attention to details, wants to be given a list of rules to follow for writing, and likes to be told step-by-step what your writing should look like. Or, you want to be free in your writing, and don't want to be bogged down with missing a period or a comma in a certain place. I've discovered that I do like to be given details and instructions, when it is needed. I want to know exact expectations, without having any guesswork, especially when it comes to something like scholarly writing. Tell me what to do, and I'll do it. On the other hand, I do appreciate assignments that allow for flexibility and don't follow hard-fast rules.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">After taking a couple of classes with a face-to-face component, I found I was missing that in this class. I think I would have connected more to Dr. Terry and the content if I the chance to meet her or teleconference with her in weekly classes.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">I also found it a little difficult to narrow down my focus for topics for my papers. At the time, I was still enrolled in the curriculum and instruction strand of the program, so administration wasn't on my mind at all. I was interested in math and technology instruction, but I also wanted to tie any research into what was currently going on in my school. It has been such a great thing for me to look back at my old assignments, because I can't believe how easily I have forgotten what I have done.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Course Outline

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Annotated Bibliography - ICT Teacher Training <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Annotated Bibliography Comments and Feedback <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Annotated Bibliography Final Mark <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">I am so happy that I kept the comments and feedback from the first draft of my annotated bibliographies - it is helping me write the ones needed for this! It is also great to receive feedback before completing an assignment - it sure helps me as a teacher see the importance of it. I know it is a very time-consuming process for teachers, but so, so important to learning. I have a friend who is a high school English teacher, and she spends so much time delivering feedback to her students, which creates high expectations for quality. So much so, that her students are constantly asking her for it, and she has made the feedback more important than the mark at the end. She needs to "take her show on the road" and share her success stories with other teachers!

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Journal Article Critique - Longitudinal Study of Technology Training to Prepare Future Teachers <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Journal Article Critique Final Mark

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Funding Proposal - Creighton Community School Character Education Physical Environment Upgrade

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Final Paper - Exploring the Relationship Between School Design and Social Climate

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Final Grade: B+

=<span style="color: #e7310b; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left;">07.750 Graduate Summative Seminar = <span style="color: #e7310b; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left;">Summer Session 2013 Term 2 <span style="color: #e7310b; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left;">Dr. Jacqueline Kirk <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!!! I've appreciated the format of this course. I enrolled a little late, and I'm grateful I was given permission to join. I was worried about the amount of work, especially because I was also enrolled in another course, but Dr. Kirk put me at ease right away. It has also been great to have the same professor a couple of different times throughout my program. Especially being a distance student, I felt that there was already a connection and relationship built, so I didn't just feel like a name on paper. I have enjoyed the reflective nature of this course. I was worried at first with the flexibility, but I have come to appreciate that I am given the opportunity to take charge of my learning - to make it as meaningful to me as possible.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Course Outline

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Six-Word Story <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The quote I used in this slide pretty much sums up the root of what I believe success is built on. After 10 years of teaching, a year and a half of that in administration, while raising two young children, and completing a Master's degree, I've learned that people remember how you made them feel when they were around you, and vice versa. If we lose sight of this, then we will be fighting a losing battle. This has made me shift my original focus of wanting to become an "instructional specialist" in mathematics, to want to be a leader who inspires the best in others; to shift from teaching content, to teaching people.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Quotations from Emergent Wisdom <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">I enjoyed choosing quotes from this article, and found it a little difficult to narrow it down to only eight of them to use for the powerpoint. I have thousands of pictures, so to help narrow down which quotes to use, I went through the pictures and found quotes that evoked meaning in the pictures. I joined this course a little late, so I didn't get the chance to describe my favorite slide with the group, but my favorite slide is the first one - I've always loved that picture, and I feel the quote fits it perfectly.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Connecting Emergent Wisdom to My Life

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Proposal For Change -The Implementation of Student-Led Conferences at Esterhazy High School <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">It took me a while to find a focus for this final assignment. At first I wanted to focus my proposal on issues in Aboriginal education, since I have done quite extensive research on the topic throughout the past few years. I was having a very tough time finding a fit for this topic within my current school and division - everything is still new to me, and I'm trying to find my place. In around April, I volunteered to sit on a committee of teachers that were going to look into implementing student-led conferences at our school. Our committee met a few times, and seemed to be floundering a little with how we wanted to approach this change. I didn't think of it at first, but after brainstorming the topic of my paper with a colleague, it quickly became apparent to me that my focus should be student-led conferences. I'm so happy that my final assignment is one that will be extremely useful and practical for my job.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Summative Presentation: Student-Led Conferences

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Below are links to annotated bibliographies for articles/chapters that I found particularly interesting and helpful from this class:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Formative Assessment and Self-Regulated Learning: A Model and Seven Principles of Good Feedback Practice. Journal article by D. J. Nicol and D. Macfarlane-Dick. (2007)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Implementing Student-Led Conferences in Your School. A PowerPoint presentation by P. Kinney
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Rethinking Parent Conferences. Journal article by S. Black. (2005)