Reflections on the M Ed course
Portfolio Assignment
Unit 7
Department of Education, University of the People
EDUC 5910-01: Applied Professional Enquiry
Dr. Dan McCollum
October 24, 2024
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Reflections on the course
In this reflective assignment, I look back at the years from 2022-2024 as the M. Ed program
comes to a close. In particular, I highlight the changes I have seen in myself as an individual
as I slowly started to integrate theory into practice. I will divide this into two parts with the
first part revolving around the courses and the second part looking at things from a futuristic
perspective. Started out with Learning theories, I learnt about how different learners engage
with subject matter and what could be done to improve upon learning strategies. Learning
must produce change in behaviour and this course had a transformative effect on me. Then
the focus was on creating positive classroom environments where I was exposed to different
strategies like culturally responsive teaching and differentiated instruction. Although both of
these strategies were relatively easy in theory, implementation was a different ball game
altogether. I resorted to visual descriptors, YouTube Videos, handouts, written and text
content and introducing ideas via constructivism, a philosophy I identify with. In particular,
along the way, I encountered different types of learners and wherever possible, made use of
the Vygotsyian ZPD in conjunction with Deweyan ideologies of progressive education to
make progress and turnaround learner outcomes. Math and CS are subjects that yield readily
to constructivism ideas so that complex ideas can be built from essentially simple ones.
Discipline is something that I as an instructor always am concerned with and therefore this
course introduced me to various discipline models and grew in discernment as to which
model to go in for in what situation. Tackling adolescent learners in the classroom with
problems in behaviour, learning and other complex issues pertaining to gender and sexuality
was not easy for me to grasp but with constant help from the instructor I built on my
knowledge in a progressive way. The importance of structured evaluations in the form of
formative and summative assessments is something that my experience as an IB Teacher
taught me and I took the opportunity to align my experience with the M Ed course.
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Discussions, constructive feedback all helped me to become a better educator with time.
There was one area that I felt lacking in and that was the APA citation zone and I slowly paid
attention to detail ironing out any issues here as well.
Perspectives for the future
I now provide some perspectives for the future. Technology will continue to develop at an
alarming pace in the future. Through the M Ed course, I was exposed to different
collaborative technologies and the future of work will no doubt be collaborative. The Group
work gave me the opportunity to meet and work with incredible people in different parts of
the globe and exposed me to different viewpoints and perspectives. There were times when
each of us team members had to stretch, step up and contribute a whole lot more. This
attitude will serve me well in the future as well as I realise that role clarity in the future will
take on multiple forms. This was a breeding ground for that. Tomorrow’s workplace will be
global and with better connectivity, the world as we know will shrink even further from a
communication standpoint. Adaptability and evolution must be second nature to the
professional of tomorrow and this course has moulded me towards these possibilities. The
Internet has transformed the educational landscape and therefore one must make use of
digital libraries and resources for optimal productive outcomes. Again, the M Ed course has
taken me a step closer towards this endeavour. The M Ed course sharpened my ability to
quickly absorb content some of it being quite complex and give my own perspective and
opinion on it. It taught me to opine on diverse matters and support my arguments with valid
data. This is something that I hold dear and will bring forth in all my future endeavours
teaching or otherwise. As mentioned, I am a progressive constructivist at heart and will
continue to develop as one. The course has been instrumental in shaping my thought process
as I want to make a difference in the lives of learners helping them to improve and shape their
cognitive levels. I take this opportunity to thank each and every instructor for their
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constructive feedback, approaches and outlook. By incorporating all of these in my writings, I
have become a better individual and educator. In my future teaching practice, I hope to
implement these ideas and theories to cater to the unique needs of every individual learner for
positive cognitive outcomes.
