M.Ed. Capstone Portfolio

This Capstone portfolio includes artifacts and narratives illustrating pivotal learning moments throughout the course of my Master of Education experience at Wilfrid Laurier University. It is not the individual artifacts, the products, which best describe my experience, but the iterative process, the journey, which ties these artifacts together. Each narrative highlights a significant journey and connects key artifacts with program goals. Themes of leadership, learning theories, technology integration, and research are explored by linking theory with practice.


Introduction
“It is good to have an end to journey towards but it is the journey that matters in the end”. As the culmination of my Master of Education experiences draw near, this quotation by Ursula LeGuin encapsulates my thinking. It speaks to the importance of reflecting on the paths we have taken, and those that lie ahead, instead of solely on our destination. My journey connecting theory and practice has sparked many new insights which have often lead to new wonderings. The true gift of reflection is not in looking back, but using our understandings to move forward, often beyond where we originally imagined. The learning I have experienced throughout the past three years has been dynamic and iterative in nature. My learning intricately connects with the learning of my students, with one inquiry often leading to another. A common thread interweaving throughout my artifacts and narratives is that of journeys. This includes my journey as a researcher and lead learner, recognizing and celebrating the journey of students, as well as documenting my journey as an educator for the purpose of dissemination and personal growth. As I began collecting artifacts and linking these to program goals, I became cognizant of how iterative my journey has been. It is not any one product, but the progression and collection of artifacts that is central.

To view each narrative, click on the images below. 









Master Class Reflection: Rethinking Assessment

Conclusion

At the commencement of my Master of Education experience, I read The Reader, the Text, the Poem (1994) by Louise Rosenblatt. Consequently, I based much of my personal theoretical framework on her works at this time. Rosenblatt speaks of the transactions readers have with texts and how the lived experiences of each reader shapes the transaction. Individuals must take an aesthetic stance when reading, allowing for perceptions and understandings to transact with the text. “Only if the reader turns his attention inward to his experience of “the journey itself,” will a poem happen” (Rosenblatt, 1994, p. 28). The same is true for learning and life. It is only when we reflect upon our experiences and embrace the transactions that challenge our perceptions that we can come to new understanding and thinking. As I stated in my personal theoretical framework for EU501, “The conclusion of one transaction may be the starting point of another”. These original frameworks serve as an artifact for the beginning of my journey. In this way it brings great meaning to return to these original frameworks, to elicit feelings about my personal growth, reflect upon my learning, and also look forward to all that is possible. Learning is never static.

References (please click)

Acknowledgements (please click)

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