07:752 Overview of Educational Issues

Course Description:

The main purpose of this course is to engage students in discussion of the important issues facing the educational system; public, private and band-operated schools.  The course is designed to facilitate the study of educational issues, and to think and to make inferences from a combination of premises and perspectives regardless of political correctness, personal perspective or personal advantage.  General topics for study will include the following: educational perspectives (historical, philosophical, sociological), federal and provincial government policies and practices, curriculum as a field of study, teacher professionalism, globalization, and educational reform.

Instructor: Dr. Marion Terry

Fall 2017

Reflection:

This was my first course taken while officially registered as a Master of Education student.  It was also my first course taken through Brandon University, my first on-line course, my first time using both Moodle and Zoom.  Oh, and I was also just entering my second year as a single administrator.  Needless to say, my stress level was HIGH! 

I must say that having Marion Terry as my first professor was a gift.  Although reading through her syllabus seemed daunting at first, I quickly came to realize that if you read her notes well, the Zoom classes were a breeze.  Her syllabus even included a resource on how to write a research-based essay - something that I greatly appreciated as writing was not something that I had ever considered a strength.  (I was more of a "math" person).  Marion had very high expectations for her students, however, she provided us with all the tools that we needed in order to be successful.  This knowledge did not make the course “easy” by any stretch of the imagination, but you knew what the expectations were. 

As a mature student, I had many, MANY, questions that fell outside of our Zoom hours, usually on the weekends when I would come into school so that I could work without interruptions.  Marion responded promptly to each question, ensuring that I understood her response.  

In addition to learning how to complete an annotated bibliography, I learned that graduate level writing was a notch above post-baccalaureate writing.  WOW, I did not how much I did not know!  I was thankful for the grammar book that was a recommended purchase. I have referred to it many times throughout my course work and even when editing report cards!

I was also appreciative of Marion's offer to allow us to submit our drafts for feedback - say what!?  I was stunned to learn that not everyone took advantage of this option.  Although I always submitted what I thought was a perfectly-edited draft, Marion was always able to find the most minute errors - which is not a criticism, but a fact. Although I purchased an APA manual, as recommended, I must say that Marion's resource sheets were much more user friendly and provided all of the information that I needed.

I was pleased to know that we could choose our own topic for research for this course.  At the time of this course, as a new administrator and new to working with elementary students, I was surprised at the level of absenteeism seen at this early age.  This topic interested me greatly as I wanted to support students and families as best I could.  While researching articles, I was fortunate to become acquainted with the intervention program Be@School because it provided me with insight into the factors that contribute to absenteeism in the early grades. 

It is easy to understand why this course is a required course for all students in the Master of Education program.  It certainly provided me with the foundational skills I needed in order to navigate my way through my next 10 courses.  

07:752 Chosen Assignment: Final Paper

I chose this final assignment not only because chronic absenteeism is very relevant to me as an early years administrator, but also because Marion had considered it to be of acceptable quality to be submitted for inclusion in the BU Journal.  Although I did not take the time to complete the additional tasks that were required for it to be included in the journal, I was honoured to be asked to submit it.  The ability to choose my own topic to research during this course motivated me to learn how to more efficiently navigate EBSCOhost.  Just thinking of the countless hours spent searching for articles makes my head spin.