Three years and nine months. Two states, two countries, five jobs in one very busy career, and one class at a time. Look at the picture taken a few months before starting the program that has been on my profile since beginning my Master of Arts in Education journey. My youngest child was only about a year old. Now she is five – in pre-school and a bigger handful than my other three children combined.
Truth be told, this journey was one that I was, both, eager to start and dreading. The Air Force has an unwritten requirement for its officer corps to obtain a master’s degree as soon as possible. I fought off the requirement for as long as I could, citing the unwritten-ness of it, but I knew that I would eventually have to yield even though my dance card already felt full with all the kids' soccer games and gymnastics classes going on.
But eventually a familiar feeling hit me – I began to feel the need to exercise my brain more than I had been. The time felt right, or more accurately… less wrong, to begin. My career had hit a semi-quiet point and I finally found a program that interested me – the Master of Arts in Education program at Michigan State University.
While I finally built up the drive to begin the program, I knew it was going to be a challenge for I have always had a slightly antagonistic relationship with formal education. I truly love learning new things. Finding a new topic that ignites the spark of discovery, voraciously pursuing it, becoming better at it – I can think of few better feelings. But I really despise being told what to learn. Junior high and high school were a terrible grind and college became increasingly annoying as my transcripts became littered with “required” classes that I avoided as much as possible.
I also really love to read. I have many joyous childhood memories of trips to the Stanislaus County Library with my grandmother. It seemed so big with so many different nooks and crannies filled with subjects available to discover. But discovery is key for me. While I have been introduced to some interesting reads through school, on the whole, I hate being told what to read since it severely diminishes the time I have available to read what I want.
Now I know what you are probably thinking right now – “dude, you are such a downer; it sounds like you probably hated it here.”
Incorrect! Okay, maybe there are many times a week I feel like K.C. Green’s “This is fine” dog, but I cannot imagine how different things would be if I had not attempted this program.
The first class that I really enjoyed was the second one I took, ED 800, Concepts of Educational Inquiry. This class, which is the foundational course in the MAEd program, explored a wide variety of ideals regarding education. While those who have been through a teacher preparation program may view it as a bit of a rehash, as somebody who had not taken any classes about the subject of education, I found it eye-opening. From unit one, comparing and contrasting the progressive views with the traditional views on education, I began learning not just about education, but about myself. All of a sudden I had a reason for my aforementioned antagonistic relationship with formal education. While I always considered myself as believing in what I learned was the traditional view of education (for example, the importance of a base curriculum that everybody should know), in practice, I found out that I lean much more towards the progressive view (for example, the importance of education through self-discovery).
This knowledge has been invaluable beyond myself though, such as in dealing with my own children’s education as it has allowed me to tailor my approaches for assisting my children with homework and school projects. Two of my children have zero problems working through the routine worksheets that are often sent as homework and are more than content to consider that the extent of their educational needs. The other two hate such worksheets to the point of open revolt, preferring to learn on their own; I often find them playing educational games or randomly reading about or watching shows about random topics. This knowledge extends beyond the classroom and the dinner table also; it has been very helpful for working with the children I coach for soccer. Some kids want to learn the steps to play the game, do the drills, and then put it all together. Others want to just dive into the game and will perfect the broken down pieces when the need arises. Knowing this, I can devise practice activities that each will find helpful and engaging. Learning this fundamental educational difference has made me much more effective in these areas.
Another unit in ED 800 focused on “participant observation” or, in other words, learning through the experiences of life, from your own all the way up to the scale of observing other cultures. As somebody who has traveled extensively, both nationally and internationally, I wholeheartedly agree with the idea that a form of education can be obtained this way. This was another internal feeling that I was able to expound upon with the lessons I learned through this class. I have put such lessons to work with my family, for example, allowing my children to help plan family trips in order to let them choose ways to learn about the places we go. Also, at work, having ensured my teams had ample time to interact with locals from other cultures when working in foreign countries. A final subject from ED 800 which affected me was my introduction to the topic of teacher research, which was the subject of the next course that I considered impactful.
While ED 800 introduced me to the concept of teacher research, it was not until I took TE 861C, Action Research in K-12 Science and Mathematics Classrooms, that I began to understand how impactful the idea could be. Action research (synonymous with teacher research) is research undertaken by everyday practitioners (such as teachers) outside the realms of traditional academic research. Two of the biggest problems with traditional academic research are its language, which is often dense and technical, and its relevance – how does it relate to my situation? The concept of action research looks to fill the gap between short, personal, one-off observations and long-term, broad, traditional academic research. This idea is important because it can yield current and highly relevant results to a problem or theory that affects a local contingent of practitioners.
While I have not written up any full scale action research papers outside of the class, I have used a few of the ideas that were presented, such as the organizational concepts and data gathering methods, in order to help bolster an argument in a few circumstances. One such instance was when I used the concept to advocate for a sizable change in how my previous unit’s duty shifts were scheduled. By researching the effects of working during certain times and for certain lengths, I was able to successfully change our shift schedule to one that the workforce later felt was more effective and left them less faded. I have also used these concepts with a local youth sports league in an effort to have a few ineffective, inefficient, or potentially conflict-inducing policies revised (with varying degrees of success).
But while action research was framed mostly as teacher research, its application can also extend to the arena of coaching. From my Kinesiology classes, and backed up by my personal experience, coach education is always a hot topic, but academic research in this area suffers from the same problems previously mentioned. Again, action research can be a way to fill the gap and provide important knowledge to coaches without having to sift through mounds of scientific journals. I have also used some basic concepts of action research in this forum as well, for instance, in how my older teams typically warm up (in order to aid injury prevention) and in how my younger teams are taught about offsides (and how to use it to our advantage). I believe these small steps have helped me become a better coach by giving me the data to back up certain decisions, adjust others, and effectively communicate the reasoning behind them to sometimes-skeptical parents.
The notion of action research was only half of what interested me in TE 861C though. The other half was the subject of the action research proposal that I put together in the class – the idea of flipping the classroom. I first encountered this idea briefly in my first MAEd course and then, again, briefly in ED 800. But it was not until researching the idea in depth for TE 861C that I became fully aware of how big of a game changer it could be.
The idea of flipping the classroom is the single, most interesting, educational concept that I came across during my MAEd program. Unfortunately, it is also the idea that I am least able to put into practice, as I have no teaching capacity to do so. I believe in the power of strict standards to bring out the best efforts in others and flipping the classroom increases the responsibility of students in such a way. Combined with the idea’s emphasis on the importance of collaborative efforts in building understanding and the teacher’s transformation from rote lecturer to intellectual guide, I believe that this concept might help increase education’s overall effectiveness. While it does not impact my actions now, it is one of the few ideas that I will likely continue to check in on until I become a teacher.
The final course that influenced me greatly was KIN 855, Psychosocial Bases of Coaching. As a youth soccer coach who would like to continue expanding my involvement in the sport, I enjoyed each of my Kinesiology courses, but this one produced the greatest amount of introspection and application to the rest of my life. I have used the theories of motivation and goal setting extensively in my interactions with subordinates at work in order to help develop them into more capable and driven Airmen and to help increase the productivity of our unit. The importance of coaching education, mentioned previously, along with theories regarding how coaches gain proficiency has helped me lay the groundwork from which to build my continuing education in this area.
Most importantly, though, is the knowledge regarding communication. One project forced me to analyze my communication behaviors with one of my teams; the results were startling. I have always been an intense coach, but never mean or overtly angry with my players; it is something that I have always made a concerted effort to keep perspective on, especially with my young teams. The theories regarding coaching communication, however, showed that certain aspects of my verbal and non-verbal communication could easily be construed as mean and angry and, hence, negatively affect my players. I realized that something that I had worked so hard to tame had only been done so half way. While important for interactions of all sorts, this was especially important to watch with my young teams as children can easily become discouraged and decide to quit a sport due to their interaction with a coach – definitely not my desired outcome. I never want to be the reason a child ends up potentially disliking soccer.
Three years and nine months. It is obvious that much has changed during my time in the MAEd program at Michigan State University although not all the changes are as easy to see. I am very thankful to have been a part of this program; I have learned so much about education, coaching, and leadership. But at the same time, it is definitely time to move on. I am still left with many questions; so many things have become clearer and yet so many things have simultaneously gone hazy. For now, though, it’s back to work and I’ve never been so happy to do so.
Truth be told, this journey was one that I was, both, eager to start and dreading. The Air Force has an unwritten requirement for its officer corps to obtain a master’s degree as soon as possible. I fought off the requirement for as long as I could, citing the unwritten-ness of it, but I knew that I would eventually have to yield even though my dance card already felt full with all the kids' soccer games and gymnastics classes going on.
But eventually a familiar feeling hit me – I began to feel the need to exercise my brain more than I had been. The time felt right, or more accurately… less wrong, to begin. My career had hit a semi-quiet point and I finally found a program that interested me – the Master of Arts in Education program at Michigan State University.
While I finally built up the drive to begin the program, I knew it was going to be a challenge for I have always had a slightly antagonistic relationship with formal education. I truly love learning new things. Finding a new topic that ignites the spark of discovery, voraciously pursuing it, becoming better at it – I can think of few better feelings. But I really despise being told what to learn. Junior high and high school were a terrible grind and college became increasingly annoying as my transcripts became littered with “required” classes that I avoided as much as possible.
I also really love to read. I have many joyous childhood memories of trips to the Stanislaus County Library with my grandmother. It seemed so big with so many different nooks and crannies filled with subjects available to discover. But discovery is key for me. While I have been introduced to some interesting reads through school, on the whole, I hate being told what to read since it severely diminishes the time I have available to read what I want.
Now I know what you are probably thinking right now – “dude, you are such a downer; it sounds like you probably hated it here.”
Incorrect! Okay, maybe there are many times a week I feel like K.C. Green’s “This is fine” dog, but I cannot imagine how different things would be if I had not attempted this program.
The first class that I really enjoyed was the second one I took, ED 800, Concepts of Educational Inquiry. This class, which is the foundational course in the MAEd program, explored a wide variety of ideals regarding education. While those who have been through a teacher preparation program may view it as a bit of a rehash, as somebody who had not taken any classes about the subject of education, I found it eye-opening. From unit one, comparing and contrasting the progressive views with the traditional views on education, I began learning not just about education, but about myself. All of a sudden I had a reason for my aforementioned antagonistic relationship with formal education. While I always considered myself as believing in what I learned was the traditional view of education (for example, the importance of a base curriculum that everybody should know), in practice, I found out that I lean much more towards the progressive view (for example, the importance of education through self-discovery).
This knowledge has been invaluable beyond myself though, such as in dealing with my own children’s education as it has allowed me to tailor my approaches for assisting my children with homework and school projects. Two of my children have zero problems working through the routine worksheets that are often sent as homework and are more than content to consider that the extent of their educational needs. The other two hate such worksheets to the point of open revolt, preferring to learn on their own; I often find them playing educational games or randomly reading about or watching shows about random topics. This knowledge extends beyond the classroom and the dinner table also; it has been very helpful for working with the children I coach for soccer. Some kids want to learn the steps to play the game, do the drills, and then put it all together. Others want to just dive into the game and will perfect the broken down pieces when the need arises. Knowing this, I can devise practice activities that each will find helpful and engaging. Learning this fundamental educational difference has made me much more effective in these areas.
Another unit in ED 800 focused on “participant observation” or, in other words, learning through the experiences of life, from your own all the way up to the scale of observing other cultures. As somebody who has traveled extensively, both nationally and internationally, I wholeheartedly agree with the idea that a form of education can be obtained this way. This was another internal feeling that I was able to expound upon with the lessons I learned through this class. I have put such lessons to work with my family, for example, allowing my children to help plan family trips in order to let them choose ways to learn about the places we go. Also, at work, having ensured my teams had ample time to interact with locals from other cultures when working in foreign countries. A final subject from ED 800 which affected me was my introduction to the topic of teacher research, which was the subject of the next course that I considered impactful.
While ED 800 introduced me to the concept of teacher research, it was not until I took TE 861C, Action Research in K-12 Science and Mathematics Classrooms, that I began to understand how impactful the idea could be. Action research (synonymous with teacher research) is research undertaken by everyday practitioners (such as teachers) outside the realms of traditional academic research. Two of the biggest problems with traditional academic research are its language, which is often dense and technical, and its relevance – how does it relate to my situation? The concept of action research looks to fill the gap between short, personal, one-off observations and long-term, broad, traditional academic research. This idea is important because it can yield current and highly relevant results to a problem or theory that affects a local contingent of practitioners.
While I have not written up any full scale action research papers outside of the class, I have used a few of the ideas that were presented, such as the organizational concepts and data gathering methods, in order to help bolster an argument in a few circumstances. One such instance was when I used the concept to advocate for a sizable change in how my previous unit’s duty shifts were scheduled. By researching the effects of working during certain times and for certain lengths, I was able to successfully change our shift schedule to one that the workforce later felt was more effective and left them less faded. I have also used these concepts with a local youth sports league in an effort to have a few ineffective, inefficient, or potentially conflict-inducing policies revised (with varying degrees of success).
But while action research was framed mostly as teacher research, its application can also extend to the arena of coaching. From my Kinesiology classes, and backed up by my personal experience, coach education is always a hot topic, but academic research in this area suffers from the same problems previously mentioned. Again, action research can be a way to fill the gap and provide important knowledge to coaches without having to sift through mounds of scientific journals. I have also used some basic concepts of action research in this forum as well, for instance, in how my older teams typically warm up (in order to aid injury prevention) and in how my younger teams are taught about offsides (and how to use it to our advantage). I believe these small steps have helped me become a better coach by giving me the data to back up certain decisions, adjust others, and effectively communicate the reasoning behind them to sometimes-skeptical parents.
The notion of action research was only half of what interested me in TE 861C though. The other half was the subject of the action research proposal that I put together in the class – the idea of flipping the classroom. I first encountered this idea briefly in my first MAEd course and then, again, briefly in ED 800. But it was not until researching the idea in depth for TE 861C that I became fully aware of how big of a game changer it could be.
The idea of flipping the classroom is the single, most interesting, educational concept that I came across during my MAEd program. Unfortunately, it is also the idea that I am least able to put into practice, as I have no teaching capacity to do so. I believe in the power of strict standards to bring out the best efforts in others and flipping the classroom increases the responsibility of students in such a way. Combined with the idea’s emphasis on the importance of collaborative efforts in building understanding and the teacher’s transformation from rote lecturer to intellectual guide, I believe that this concept might help increase education’s overall effectiveness. While it does not impact my actions now, it is one of the few ideas that I will likely continue to check in on until I become a teacher.
The final course that influenced me greatly was KIN 855, Psychosocial Bases of Coaching. As a youth soccer coach who would like to continue expanding my involvement in the sport, I enjoyed each of my Kinesiology courses, but this one produced the greatest amount of introspection and application to the rest of my life. I have used the theories of motivation and goal setting extensively in my interactions with subordinates at work in order to help develop them into more capable and driven Airmen and to help increase the productivity of our unit. The importance of coaching education, mentioned previously, along with theories regarding how coaches gain proficiency has helped me lay the groundwork from which to build my continuing education in this area.
Most importantly, though, is the knowledge regarding communication. One project forced me to analyze my communication behaviors with one of my teams; the results were startling. I have always been an intense coach, but never mean or overtly angry with my players; it is something that I have always made a concerted effort to keep perspective on, especially with my young teams. The theories regarding coaching communication, however, showed that certain aspects of my verbal and non-verbal communication could easily be construed as mean and angry and, hence, negatively affect my players. I realized that something that I had worked so hard to tame had only been done so half way. While important for interactions of all sorts, this was especially important to watch with my young teams as children can easily become discouraged and decide to quit a sport due to their interaction with a coach – definitely not my desired outcome. I never want to be the reason a child ends up potentially disliking soccer.
Three years and nine months. It is obvious that much has changed during my time in the MAEd program at Michigan State University although not all the changes are as easy to see. I am very thankful to have been a part of this program; I have learned so much about education, coaching, and leadership. But at the same time, it is definitely time to move on. I am still left with many questions; so many things have become clearer and yet so many things have simultaneously gone hazy. For now, though, it’s back to work and I’ve never been so happy to do so.