From Goal to Reality: How Pursuing my MAED Changed my Outlook on Teaching and Learning By: Onnalee Gibson
There is no better journey in education than that which is learned through self-reflection, not only as a student but especially as a teacher. Pedagogy established through classroom level teacher research and purposeful observation allows for insight that even the most explanatory research-based text cannot provide. When I first applied to Michigan State University’s Master’s in Education program officially in March of 2011, I had high hopes for becoming a “better teacher”—yet I had not truly considered the magnitude of how being a student the field would play into such aspirations. It was my intention to acquire additional teaching tools necessary for me to enhance my social studies curriculum, especially in the area of technology. While I feel that this goal was both worthwhile and achieved, it pales in comparison to the experiences I have actually had during the past year that increased my understanding of not only my career and students but, above all, the educator I have truly become.
I now appreciate that one the most important aspects of true learning is that of personal inquiry, where self-reflection is tantamount and experiences are an indispensable chance to learn along the way. It is within this form of learning that that one’s considerations and actions precede significant understanding. But actions alone are not sufficient in the learning process; it requires deeper reflections in both inner and outer spheres to make those experiences meaningful. Effective modes of inquiry demand that learners consider their experiences in relation to all factors such as culture, individual circumstances, particular approaches, and emotions. It is this consistent utilization of personal inquiry that lends itself to numerous, and likely more accurate, perspectives. Within the education community, such uninhibited self-reflection is essential. Becoming a better teacher is not about harboring the tools of the trade, but in remaining an effective learner. Merely being proficient in content knowledge, or even child development, is not enough to stimulate the profound learning teachers seek to provide their students. In fact, it is the willingness to work with students, to learn from them, and to allow them to aid in the crafting of curriculum that best serves the educational needs of both teacher and student.
Considering learning as an inherently one-way process, where an adult bestows information to children that actively choose to either absorb or resist it, is inadequate. Ultimately, learning is a two-way street in which children can, and often do, teach adults. It is important to note that experience-learning is most effective when the inquirer is open to the various mediums that generate learning situations. Adults that dismiss, or forget, the importance of child contribution to knowledge have allowed a degenerated world view to dominate. But this reversal of education occurs more often than we realize. By actively incorporating the views, curiosity, and perspectives of children into one’s inquiry process, wider more accurate perspectives are truly developed. Without this, educators are prone to having access to only one way of seeing.
Throughout my experiences in the MAED program, I have learned valuable ways of promoting the self-reflection needed within my own practice and am hoping that I can somehow teach my students to do the same. What good is the knowledge one attains without the means to apply it long after a course has ended? It was my goal to become a better teacher—but I believe that my MAED improved me as a learner, advancing my career and goals for the future.