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EDUC 800	EDRS 810	EDIT 771	EDEP 551	EDCD 603	EDUC 994	EDUC 998
EDUC 802	EDRS 811	EDSE 841	EDSE 797a	EDCD 604		EDUC 999
EDUC 805	EDRS 812	EDSE 842	EDSE 797b	EDCD 610
	EDRS 797	EDSE 843		EDCD/SE 797

EDUC 800 Ways of Knowing Dr. Anatasia Samaras Fall 2008

My experience taking EDUC 800, Ways of Knowing, under the master craftsmanship of Dr. Anastasia Samaras, was indeed a life changing experience.  As  I indicated in my final reflection paper, though my personal way of knowing has not necessarily changed, what has been significantly altered is that my reflective capabilities have become more fully integrated into all aspects of my personhood; they no longer solely rest in my intellectual self.  I now know experientially that the path to self discovery, and ultimately to rediscovery and transformation, can be best accomplished by entering into a sculpting process through which roadblocks are removed.  As referenced in my final paper, this can be accomplished by entering into a universal – personal dialectic with self and others so that ultimately our mirrors’ reflections are brought into focus. The  activities which facilitated this process in this class were classified as: (a) Knowing through Artifacts, (b) Knowing through Descriptive Writing, (c) Knowing through Role Playing, (d) Knowing through Collaboration, (e) Knowing through Journaling, and (f) Knowing through Research. The artifact exercise taught me why having to choose an alternative medium to express something that has personal significance will also facilitate a greater conscious depth of self-awareness than was present previously.  One must vacillate from personal to universal back to personal until the correct symbol is chosen.  This progression also occurs when one interprets the symbols that others have chosen.  Through the collaborative descriptive writing exercise I learned why I am a natural networker: I actually view the world from that perspective. One of our group shared that I was the only person who described the bush solely from its relationship to everything around it. The role playing exercise taught me that not only can I sometimes best learn by looking through the lens of reality that most irritates me, but that as blind men we benefit from many interpretations.  The collaborative exercise clarified for me, for the first time, that I indeed face reality from the perspective of a constructivist.   I always knew that I was a creative problem solver, but it took all aspects of this assignment to clarify this paradigm viewpoint to myself with intensity.  Through Journal Exercise 5, I became aware that specifically as a special educator I will need to learn how to better remove scaffolding when it has served its purpose.  Finally, through my research paper on apprenticeship, I realized that not only did I become further convicted that apprenticeship as a way of knowing was a wonderful method of training, for those facing challenges as well as those who do not, but I also recognized that this is the way that I, myself, would prefer to learn. As a constructivist, I will use the rest of this doctoral program to avail myself of the best available tools and collaborators which can facilitate discovery of new solutions to the problem facing the marginalized developmentally disabled population.  Since I learn best by apprenticeship, I will seek out those who could apprentice me in this area, such as the staff at the L.I.F.E program.  I will also seek out apprenticeship through professors, and courses in the area of removing scaffolding.  Lastly, through collaboration in my policy courses, I will be need to be most vigilantly aware of viewing the world through the lenses that might most irritate me, so that I can best know how to constructively and effectively proceed in working for changes back in West Virginia. (research paper) (final paper) (collaborative exercise) (journal 5) (back to top)

EDUC  802 Leadership Seminar Dr. Susan Bon Fall 2009

It was a wonderful experience to be able to take both the Leadership Seminar and the Special Education Leadership class  the same semester. As was the case with taking research classes simultaneously, I was able to fully learn the concept of leadership from various perspective and more effectively integrate these into my own persona.  It was most valuable for me to have the opportunity to unpack and scrutinize the essential qualities of an authentic leader, and then reexamine myself through that lens.  What was unique about Dr. Bon's class for me was that because of her legal professional skills, she was able to teach and challenge me to better use persuasive tools.  For example, the foundational literature assignment gave me an opportunity to reflectively collect sufficient data to lay the groundwork for exploring current trends and challenges in the area of special education leadership.   Dr Bon challenged me to fine tune the way I organized and presented the data so as to improve its persuasive character. I was able to coordinate the final paper with the exploratory project required for the Special Education Leadership class. Once again, Dr. Bon taught me how to better present the research and policy foundations for my proposal to investigate the extent of  interagency resources available to assist students with disabilities to obtain driver's licenses in the Ohio Valley of West Virginia. It has been exciting for me to be able to continue the research in this area through several of my subsequent classes. In fact, it is quite likely that this might be the basis for my dissertation.  If not, I most certainly will be working to augment resources currently available, and work to implement interagency and policy changes, so as to improve the options for the intellectually disabled population to obtain driver's licenses. foundational literature final paper back to top

EDUC 805 Research and Scholarship Dr. Jeff Gorrel Fall 2008

When I began the Research and Scholars class in Fall 2008, I was not familiar with the term “community of practice.”  Over the course of the class, through readings and various presentations, I not only became familiar with the term, but I also began to recognize community of practice practitioners in light of this definition.  In fact, as I indicated in my final reflection paper, I became aware that my cohort of colleagues appeared to have been selected with this practice in mind.  We all had already been successfully involved in either establishing or furthering various communities of practice before being accepted into the Ph.D. program here at George Mason University.  Additionally, I had not been aware that George Mason’s College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) was a community of practice that was based upon five core values of research practice, collaboration, social justice, innovation, and ethical leadership. Through the Research and Scholars class I learned about the professors, or George Mason’s CEHD’s particular community of practice practitioners, whom I would be most interested in not only taking classes from, but also collaborating with, in order to make the most out of my doctoral studies.  For example, I had not been aware of the L.I.F.E. program, nor about Dr. Bon, who is both a lawyer and a Special Education specialist, before this class. I also learned to view myself for the first time from the perspective of a community of practice practitioner.  As I indicate in my final paper, I became aware of some of my own characteristics from being introduced to Etienne’s Wenger’s definition of a “social artist”; I can recognize other peoples’ abilities, get them impassioned about using those to obtain a goal, and then collaborate with them in order to work to get this goal accomplished. Based on what I have learned from this course, I now intend to learn as much as I can about the components of the L.I.F.E program, through both an internship, as well as a possible GRA position.  I also intend to not only have my secondary area of interest be policy, but take classes from Dr. Bon which focus on Special Education Law.  Ultimately, my goal will be to be able to return to West Virginia with the tools necessary to collaborate with others in order to provide more satisfactory educational options for the developmentally disabled population.  At present, there is little or no adequate training to prepare these individuals for rewarding, independent lives through which they can also share their own unique gifts with the communities in which they reside. (805 final paper) (back to top)

EDRS 810 Problems and Methods in Educational Research Dr. Fredrick Brigham Spring 2009

I took this introductory level course my second semester, after having been catapulted into a more advanced doctoral level of research through EDSE 841 (Intervention Research) my first semester.  Following Dr. Mastropieri's advice, I also took EDSE 842 (Methodologies for Special Education Research) my second semester, so that through the process of total immersion these new skills could grow and permanently mature.  I am thankful to say, this is what ocurred. Indeed,  it is really very difficult to separate my reflections on all three of these classes, because they all built upon each other to fill the black hole that existed upon my entrance to this program. What I know from this class is that there are specific methodologies and corresponding data analyses that are best suited to answer particular questions.  I also know that the ethics' considerations and the HSRB regulations are crucial to consider when one is constructing a proposal for a research study.  These considerations can seriously effect the timelines that a researcher is formulating, and even effect the breadth/depth or actual components of the research proposal, itself. I have learned a tremendous amount from this class.  Because I was able to obtain permission from both Dr. Scruggs and Dr. Brigham to utilize the same method proposals for group design and qualitative, I was able to intertwine the foundational with the more advanced skills.  For example,with Dr. Brigham's brainstorming assistance, I changed the single subject design proposal that I had written for Dr. Scrugg's class into a group design for Dr. Brigham's class.  I then expanded the data analysis section of this paper for the group design paper I submitted to Dr. Scrugg's class.  This section was expanded to include running an ANOVA based on pre and post norm referenced tests across students and variables for each group, as well as across groups and variables on a weekly basis.  Most importantly, the elements of research that I was first exposed to in EDSE 841 began to come together into a more cohesive whole.  This is particularly evident as shown in my final exam for the class. Understanding the components of research methodology will obviously be ultimately applied to my dissertation, however, the more I become familiar with them, the better I will also be able to evaluate research that I study.  All of my professors have indicated that becoming comfortable with these tools takes time and practice.  Since I intend to always have research actively a part of my personal and professional life, I embrace every opportunity to learn and mature in this important scholarly pursuit. (group design proposal) (final exam) (back to top)

EDRS 811 Quantitative Methods in Educational Research Dr. Dimiter Dimitrov Summer 2009

It was such a welcome relief to finally get the opportunity to take this class, and Dr. Dimitrov did an excellent job helping me to finally begin to firmly grasp some of the mathematical concepts which underlie quantitative data anlyses.  It had been an arduous, and frustrating journey through EDSE 841 and 842 without this foundational understanding, though both Dr. Mastropieri and Scruggs provided superb "translational" scaffolding.  (Data analysis is indeed another language that needs to be mastered.)  There were pros and cons to having taken this class in a concentrated form during a four week summer session.  From the positive perspective, I was completely immersed in the material.  However, on the down side, I regret not having sufficent time to fully internalize the new skills, since it appears that much of this new knowledge got stored in short term data banks.  In fact, I plan to seek out continuing weekly practice. I now know three types of questions which can be answered by testing data with three corresponding data analyses.  For example, if I wanted to find out the effect of several independent variables upon one or more dependent variables, and also see if the differences were significant, I would run an ANOVA with a Tukey Post Hoc test.  If I wanted to see if there was a functional or predictive relationship between variables I would run a linear regression test.  If I wanted to see if there was an association between categorical variables I would use a Chi-square test of homogeniety.   It is not possible to articulate the breadth and depth of what I learned in this class which resulted from the integration of formerly learned mathematical concepts with the new skills of quantitative data analysis.  In short, however, I learned how to choose particular tests that would analyze data in order to answer different questions, input data properly into SPSS 17 software, understand the test result outputs, and communicate those results in APA style in both narrative and table formats.  What was most rewarding was the final paper for the class.  I chose to input data, run tests and analyze the results of those tests for the group design method paper that I had begun in EDRS 810, and refined in EDSE 842.  I could therefore see concretely how much progress I had made in understanding and applying quantitative research analysis methods, which was an exhilarating experience. I intend to continue to practice, mature and apply these skills not only through my graduate studies, but within my professional career, as well.  Whether I am performing intervention studies or reading others' research, I will be able to both produce and evaluate at a higher quality level if I strive towards mastering this material.  It indeed was disheartening to realize how much ground I had lost, even remembering how to understand results, after only a few months.  That is why I hope to follow through with some weekly review or exercises to better internalize these newly developed skills (final paper) (back to top)

EDRS 812 Qualitative Research Dr. Anastasia Samaras Spring 2010

I was particularly pleased to be able to take another class with Dr. Samaras.  She designed this class so that we proceeded in steps mastering the skills that we would use for our final paper.  She also introduced us to the invaluable resource of having and maintaining "critical friends".  The opportunity to participate in supportive peer evaluation, especially when embarking on a new endeavor, honed skills and expanded previously limited perspectives.  One of my critical friends was a colleague who specializes in the population with severe and profound intellectual disabilities, so it was informative for both of us to reflect constructively on each others' work.  (my reflection) (friend's reflection) It was natural for me to continue the project that had been begun in my EDSE 843 class (Leadersip in Special Education),  and that I had turned into a proposal paper for EDUC 802 (Leadership Seminar).  I continued to follow through with discovering what possible resources there might be to help individuals who struggle with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities obtain drivers licenses.  I chose to interview the local director of Vocational Rehabilitation, the the Transition director for "Bush" county, and the instuctors for, and students, of this population at one of the high schools in "Bush" county.  This approach provided me with information and perspectives at various levels.  As a potential "social artist" I desired to get a clearer picture of the gaps, barriers, and the corresponding resources that could fill and/or surmount those obstacles. Beginning to do qualitative research was indeed like learning a new language.  In order to uncover and/or discover aspects of what I was researching, I needed to develop brand new skills.  Dr. Samaras kept challenging us to use tools that could dig deeper; superficial questioning or observations often only reveal the superficial. The concept of coding, itself, was initially more elusive to grasp than quantitative analysis was to me; I do believe that I would prefer to have a year just working with a team interrating our codes.  However,  I was amazed at some of the possible discoveries that this semester project uncovered.  I was not surprised that there was a disconnect between the various agencies, with the expectation that Vocational Rehabilitation was to provide all missing pieces, but I was surprised about the appearance of "haves" and "have nots" when it came to disability services and advocacy.  The possible presence of shame that accompanies intellectual disability brought back painful memories that had been long forgotten.  My final paper laid the groundwork for continued research not only in the areas of advocacy resources, but to identify the components that ultimately led to 39 states passing graduated licenses for individuals with visual impairments using bioptics. (final paper) my reflection friend's reflection back to top

EDIT 771 Electronic Portfolio Dr. Priscilla Norton Summer 2009

I am so grateful that I took the advice of a doctoral student that was on a presenting panel in one of my 805 classes.  She strongly encouraged us to take this class, in order to avoid the last minute realization that we really did not have the technical knowledge we needed in order to construct an electronic portfolio.  I, indeed, would have fallen into that category.  I now am familiar enough with the NVU software, Secure Shell and my own browser to be able to construct the various pages, links and anchors with sufficient ease.  When I look at the many hours logged receiving instruction, and going through the trial and error process of applied learning, I cannot fathom how I would have attempted to accomplish this independently. I have first learned the rudiments of when to use each tool: use NVU to create, Secure Shell to save, and my own browser to view.  Through in class guidance and exercises, and independent homework, the necessary skills were mastered. I even know how to work around problems and bugs that have surfaced in the process.  So for instance, when I was busy checking the artifact links for the final product today, and I could not access one of my papers, I realized that I had stored it in a folder within a folder on Secure Shell, and therefore quickly rectified the problem.  I feel confident that I can now proceed with technical aspects of refining this portfolio independently through the rest of my doctoral studies.  It was also extremely helpful to learn how to conceptually approach the reflections from the know, learn, and act perspectives.  Though I still am having a problem differentiating between known and learn as it practically applies, this metacognitive exercise will ultimately bear a lot of good fruit. Obviously, I am applying what I learned in this class to the immediate task of constructing an electronic portfolio to use doing my doctoral study career.  I am sure, however, that the skills mastered will be put to good use in many of my other future endeavors.  It will be especially exciting to become familiar enough with this process that I can instruct students with developmental disabilities how to master this procedure.  In order to accomplish that, I will need to utilize these new skills frequently enough so that I can construct appropriate scaffolding.  I therefore intend to incorporate the portfolio type product whenever the opportunity presents itself in either school or work. (back to top)

EDSE 841 Intervention Research in Special Education Dr. Margo Mastropieri Fall 2008

My initial reaction to arriving in EDSE 841 my first semester of doctoral studies was that I had been dropped into the Amazon jungle with a first aid kit and a pocket knife.   I knew the rudimentary differences between qualitative and quantitative research, and that indeed there were statistical tests that could analyze data, but that was about the extent of my knowledge.  I had never even heard of the concept of coding.  Dr. Mastropieri surrounded me with extensive scaffolding, however, and challenged me to push on.   After this class, I now know that there are quality standards that should be applied when evaluating and conducting intervention research.  I know that there are established techniques about conducting research including researching forward via citation searches, and that there are incredible resources available to me through both Wendy Mann at GMU's library and the Library of Congress.  I also know the importance of keeping organized records regarding both coding and search histories, though admittedly I am still not yet consistent about keeping those records where I can easily access them. What I learned came through my final project of the class which was conducting a literature review of direct care staff training programs.  I used the literature review section for my Master's thesis as the foundation.  Dr. Mastropieri encouraged me to expand upon it to include more recent studies.  I designed the coding sheets and she assisted me with SPSS 17 to finally collapse the categories, since I was not sure at the time how to use this function efficiently.  She also helped me use SPSS 17 to compare the means of the effect sizes and the PNDs for the dependent variables.  What is amazing to me was that I was able to make so many gains in such a short period of time.  I had learned to apply the standards for conducting and presenting a quality narrative review.  I had also learned how to understand and communicate the comparative results.  It was an exhilarating experience to put all of the results of my efforts in a final power point presentation. I have already applied some of these beginning skills not only through my other classes, but also through research that I am conducting for Dr. Kelley Regan on researching evidenced based practices in content subject areas.  Most recently, I was also able to utilize them in collaborating with Dr. Scruggs on an invitation to respond article.  I see conducting research, staying abreast of some of the best or most promising practices, as always being a central component of my professional and personal endeavors (final paper) (final power point) (back to top)

EDSE 842 Application of Research Methodology in Special Education Dr. Thomas Scruggs Spring 2009

Though I was certainly at a disadvantage not having taken either EDRS 811 or 812, the preparation that I had received through EDSE 841, the scaffolding provided by Dr. Scruggs, and opportunity to take EDRS 810 during the same semester worked together to make this class a most rewarding learning experience.  In fact, I began to see myself transform from a student to a beginning scholar.   I now know how to choose specific methods with their corresponding analyses in order to answer particular research questions.  I also know how to better recognize quality studies, and develop quality method sections for my own work. In fact I chose to use templates based upon CEC's best practice articles everytime I read an article.  This enabled me to better recognize and internalize aspects of high quality studies.  Even though I was unfamiliar with many of the data analyses, Dr. Scruggs did an excellent job providing extensive scaffolding support via explanations of concepts, so that I could peer down upon the finished structures and begin to understand why certain aspects of the processes were necessary. The learning process in this class was indeed an integrative process for me, in particular.  I chose to replicate and extend Dr. Kelley Regan's published dissertation study for my single subject design methods paper because it was so examplar of meticulous quality.  This paper became the foundation for the group design paper I wrote for Dr. Brigham's 810 class, which I later expanded for this class's group design methods paper with data analysis concepts that Dr. Scruggs had taught us to include.  It was extremely rewarding to realize just how much I had learned by the time I completed the final exam. The ability to appreciate as well as conduct high quality research will not only serve me well as a doctoral student but will be utilize throughout my future professional career.  Whether I am conducting studies, are staying abreast of new practices in the field, I will need to be able to use these tools well. (single subject design) (group design) (final exam) (back to top)

EDSE 843 Leadership in Special Education Administration Dr. Pamela Baker Fall 2009

There were several concepts that I learned in this class which were completely foreign to me before: (a) organizational structures can be tremendously varied and should be chosen with goal, personnel and resources in mind; (b) the structure and function of the organization, as well as the style, strengths, and shortcomings of the leader(s) can be seen through various lenses; and (c) there are framework or lenses through which individuals feel most comfortable viewing the world.  I was amazed how narrowly I had viewed leaderhip structures and qualities prior to taking this class, and now wonder how many organizations and leaders are also so ill informed.   The leadership statement I  was asked to write at the beginning of the semester provided a rudder to guide me for not only the remainder of the class, but into the future as well.  Of course, it was meant to be refined along the way, which the other projects and readings throughout the class provided.  My reframing project gave me an occassion to view an organizational scenario I had experienced through different lenses for the first time.  To be perfectly honest, I was skeptical that I was even going to be capable of viewing from different perspectives.  It simultaneously also gave me the opportunity to view myself from these different vantage points in order to imagine what I could have done differently.  It is essenstial, however, for a social artist to be able to view self, others, problems, resources through different lenses. The exploratory project gave me an opportunity to actively begin to explore the components, players, road blocks, and possible solutions to a problem that I had been concerned about for quite awhile.  In fact, I have taken the groundwork layed for this project and expanded on it through several classes, and it might actually become the foundation for my dissertation.  I then was able to refocus and project towards the future with the final exam. I have already had the chance to start practicing with some of these new tools.  My husband has recently taken over a Dean's position at a WV university, and he and I have enjoyed making use of many of these instruments which I learned in this class.   Already they have enabled him to come up with creative alternatives and avoid or subdue several oppositional interchanges between faculty and administration.  As I continue working as a social artist to network interagency personnel and resources, I look forward to becoming well skilled with these instruments through continued practice.  (leadership statement) (reframing project) (exploratory project) (final exam) (back to top)

EDEP 551 Principles of Motivation Dr. Michelle Buehl Spring 2010

This class was a wonderful opportunity for me to learn about the foundational theories of learning motivation and how they can be practically applied in the field of education.  Dr. Buehl utilized multimodality techniques in order for us to learn and understand the theories and applications through recognition and application.  Though without continued practice I may no longer be able to name particular theories without review, the process has inherently matured me as an educator.   I  had the opportunity to reexamine the educational interchange and structure from the vantage point of not only discovering what can more effectively motivate students, but more importantly, why these tools work.   The mid term assignment is a wonderful example of this learning experience.   I had the opportunity to recognize motivational strategies, justify them, and apply them to different scenarios. Throughout the class discussion, we were all struck by the reality that despite such overwhelming evidence to the contrary, educators and the system itself is still grounded upon ineffective, if not counterproductive, teaching strategies and structures. These are particularly detrimental to the special education population. As the class proceeded,  I began to realize that Mastery Learning was indeed a method which theoretically  effectively employs excellent motivational tools for learning according to four theories of motivation: (a) the cognitive evaluation theory, (b) the social value learning theory, (c) the attribution theory, and (d) the self-worth theory.  I was glad, therefore, to have the opportunity to not only briefly expound upon how this program enhances student motivation according to each of these theories, but to conduct an abbreviated literature review about its effectiveness, practicality, and informational resources.  It was great to be able to share this with my colleagues at the poster session at the end of class, for my data seemed to indicate that Mastery Learning was seemingly an effective program, especially for at risk students, but because it required much in-service training time, it was no longer being implemented to the extent one would think it should. It might be a pipe dream of mine, but I would certainly love to be involved in a education program that would train pre-service teachers some methods that have proven to be effective, but are now only available after they graduate.  If Mastery Learning, Universal Differentiated Learning, and Wilson Reading have been found to be effective, why not have educators thoroughly trained in them as a firm foundation which can later be modified as they grow in maturity and experience? Instead we seem to be teaching them the components and expecting them to synthesize all these pieces while they're new in the field.   Mid term assignment   Mastery Learning review Mastery Learning poster Back to top

EDSE 797a Independent Study in Special Education Advocacy Dr. Sue Bon Summer 2010 This Independent study gave me the unique experience to be able to follow through specifically regarding one of the gaps that had been discovered during my Qualitative Research class, namely, to see what agencies might be available to support individuals and their families who struggle with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities.  I expanded the search to include agencies that might be available to support individuals and their families who struggle with mental illness, since this is a secondary area of experience and interest of mine. The goal of the class was to produce a manual which contained annotated resources which could be found on the internet for both populations.  What amazed me were how many resources that existed.  It gave me an opportunity to update those that were listed at an earlier date which either were no longer available, or had changed locations.  I also was able to find some more recently listed agencies.  Of course there was no way I could evaluate how much actual support was available at each site, but it was an updated beginning.  I intend to reorganize the manual, especially the section for individuals and their families with severe mental illness, since Dr. Bon indicated that it wasn't necessary to refer to the original websites where I found the various listings that I included.  The resource manual, itself, will be something I will not only be able to refer to in my own transitional work, but if I continue to proceed with establishing drivers' license and transportation options at the state policy level, I now will know which agencies I can begin to get engaged. (resource manual) (back to top)

EDSE 797b Independent Study in Special Education Law and Policy Dr. Sue Bon Summer 2010 As a result of my interviews with the local director of the West Virginia Department of Rehabilation, I learned that 39 states had passed laws allowing individuals with varying degrees of low vision the opportunity to obtain driver's licenses through the aid of bioptics, special training and specific evaluation.  It occured to me that if such special accomodations had been made for individuals with low vision, appropriate accomodations could perhaps be made for other populations, such as those who struggle with intellectual disabilities.  I was interested to learn the process, the extent of evidence, and the advocating agencies or individuals who were involved.   This independent study gave me the opportunity to look into the legislative history of this process.  I began my search at the Library of Congress, but discovered that transcripts are not kept for state procedings.  I was able to follow the history of key state proceedings that had been collected by the Low Vision Centers of Kansas.  I subsequently was extremely surprised that the current coordinator of the Bioptic Driving Program of the West Virginia Division of Rehabilitative Services had coordinated a three year pilot study which he then presented to the state legislature for ten years until the law was finally passed in 2008. Mr. Huss was kind enough to send me all of the results and documentation of the study. What my final paper indicates, is that I now have a wonderful model for putting together a team, a training program and ultimately a lobbying process that can be followed for advocates of other populations.  In fact, with the former Vocational Rehabilitation driving instructor that now provides training and adaptation for individuals with all different disabilities near Pittsbugh, Mr. Huss' expertise, and the advocacy resources I discovered through my other independent study, I have discovered the skeletal beginning of an effective community of practice to work on overcoming another barrier. (final paper) (back to top)

EDCD 603 Counseling Theories and Practice Dr. Joya Crear Spring 2010 This was my first course in my secondary area of emphasis, and though I wrestled between choosing between guidance and policy, I realize now that the guidance emphasis indeed is a perfect fit for me.  With my ultimate goal to continue to work in transition,  in particular to build upon or even design new networks of interagency support, guidance and counseling skills are of extreme importance.   Dr. Crear made this class so completely engaging.  I found myself adjusting to viewing intra/interpersonal dynamics through new theoretical lenses because she had us actively use them and then identify which lens we were using.  This was accomplished through numerous role playing exercises and analtical case studies.  I had the opportunity to learn in depth about two different theories; one by choice which I wrote a research paper on, and one which was assigned according to preference which culminated in a group presentation.  For the group presentation we were required to engage the class in an activity, so we decided to role play a therapy session and have them suggest theoretically appropriate questions that the counselor would need to ask.  Upon reflection, I remember the intricacies of the group presentation theory better, even though the case study for the research paper theory was based up our oldest son, because of the combination of working with others and teaching it to the class. I was glad to have an opportunity to practice initial counseling skills by videotaping two mock sessions with a volunteer.  The transcript and analysis of the last session gave me an oppportunity to observe the integration process of applying newly learned skills through theoretical lenses.   Again,  these skills will be so important whether I will be working with guidance counselors, families, individuals, or even agencies in my future work. (case study) (research paper) (group presentation) (transcipt) (analysis) (back to top)

EDRS 797 Mixed Methods Dr. Joe Maxwell Fall 2010 This particular course provided for me the most opportunities to not only practice my analytical thinking skills, but my intregrative ones as well.  I was challenged to articulate my philosophical perspective as a researcher,  and look at research problems and questions through the gradations of both quanitative and qualitative lenses.  Next, I was given the opportunity to integrate past research into a graphic representation with corresponding narrative, which I lastly, turned into a graphic with narrative of a possible proposal draft for dissertation.  All this was accomplished through extensive exemplar readings combined with group activities and discussions. It was important to be able analytically articulate my "mental model", or how I naturally view and understand the world as a researcher/scholar.  This reflective analysis, allowed me to more fully understand how and why I could choose particular tools in order to accomplish answering my research inquiries. I was able to analytically intergrate my past experiences and research into the form of a concept map, which helped me to organize and clarify the foundations that I presently have which establish my research goal.  The concept map narrative explains the map, and also contains Dr. Maxwell's reflections.  My research design map gave me the opportunity to move to the next step and attempt to map out the possibilities for draft ideas for a dissertation proposal.  As is clear from Dr. Maxwell's comments, I am still struggling with delineating between  "questions" and "goals".   Certainly the fruits of this class could be used as a cornerstone piece for my dissertation, and/or subsequent interagency research and projects.  It has been a been a wonderful opportunity to have so many classes integrate with and build upon each other. (reflective analysis) (concept map) (concept map narrative) (research design map) (back to top)

EDCD 604 Dr. Mittie Quinn Counseling Assessment and Appraisal Spring 2011 In Dr. Quinn's Assessment class I had the opportunity to begin to explore the options that are available to assess skill strengths for individuals who are in the process of looking for a job.  Our group chose to research and make a  presentation  on the Wonderlick test.  This test is widely used for skill evaluation for individuals who are high school level and above and might be seeking employment or choosing to continue vocational training.  The NFL even uses it for its players.  What we discovered, however, was that it would be inappropriate for those who are learning challenged, even if the accomodation of having the test read was provided, because the math section was too difficult.  One of the group members whose mom never completed high school, mentioned that her mom probably wouldn't be able to complete this section, though she had worked successfully as a  "cafeteria lady" all her life. The final paper gave me a unique opportunity to reflect upon the significant changes that I have undergone in the past ten years.  This observation provided a concrete objective example of how self efficacy can become radically altered by being able to meet challenges, solve problems and use undiscovered talents.  This is extremely important to recognize when educating and guiding any population, but particularly so for the special need population. final paper group presentation back to top

EDUC 994 Advanced Internship Dr. Heidi Graff Spring 2011 My Internship with the MasonLife program was a tremendous learning experience.  The opportunity to provide student development for a heterogenous group of student teachers was definitely growth producing.  I was responsible to provide an interactive teaching session on various evidence based practices for most weekly staff meetings.  I was also responsible to observe classes in order to provide support as well as positive and constructive feedback to student teachers and staff.  After the semester of observation and interaction, I brainstormed with staff about designing a practical observation tool.  That will be fine tuned and completed during the next year in conjunction with the tool we will be redesigning for field observation. What became clearly apparent is that most all interventions and strategies have been designed for the learning disabled population and must therefore be modified to be utilized for the various levels of the intellectually disabled populations. Clearly, this field could use more intervention research.  I have just begun to learn from this brief internship some of the rudiments that a post secondary program could contain.  I also have made new contacts and learned new resources that I intend to use collaboratively to provide a post secondary program for this population when I start to work again in West Virginia. Comprehension Strategy Instruction CSR RAM A B C Functional Behavior Analysis Positive Reinforcement POW + TREE Social Stories Back to top

EDCD 610 Dr. Regine Talleyrand Summer 2011 I had really looked forward to taking this class, since career counseling and preparation is so crucial with individuals who struggle with various disabilities.  In fact, I agree with Kelley (2003), who I refer to in the chapter that  Dr. Scruggs and I wrote, that since the 1960's the United States has lost a reality based focus and purpose for education which could correspond with the transition from the Industrial to theTechnology revolution.  This has not only wreaked havoc on transition preparedness for general education population, but especially on the special education population which often requires additional intensity, duration, and frequency of supports to effectively prepare for occupations. What became clear after doing the service learning project for this class is that even the tools used to evaluate interests, proclivities or values might need to be further modified for the ID population. Most certainly those that guide the special education population must be aware that occupational interests and dreams might not realistically match their aptitudes, but those interests/dreams can be fulfilled through other venues.  I learned this experientially through the self discovery process of many of the value and interest inventory exercises we participated in, which were then integrated into my Career Development paper.  It was satisfying to realize that at this juncture of my life, there is not only a fulfulling balance of who and what I value in life, but dreams, and aptitudes can be realized and developed through so many other experiences.  This knowledge is very important to be able to impart to individuals whose occupation options might be more limited. Dr. Talleyrand had us analysize and then integrate the use of different tools and perspectives to assist a client for the final exam.  At the end, we were to compare the differences of our approach if the client had been from a lower socio-economic background.  I now clearly see the necessity of altering the approach from the perspective of someone who struggles with a cognitive or learning disability.  For these individuals, what needs to be realistically assessed are what supports that modify the enviornment/externals or enhance the indivual attributes/perspectives are required, yet realistically feasible, for a balanced correspondence between values, goals, responsibilities, opportunities, and aptitudes.  As I proceed to work with various institutions regarding healthy post-secondary transition programs, it is clear that the proper early planning must coordinate the information from these type of assessment with suitable supports. (Service Learning Project) (Career Development Paper) (Final Exam) (Back to top)

EDCD/SE 797 Dr. Rick Brigham Summer 2011 This independent study and its final project is really a work in progress, for I found that it was necessary to actually enter into a new field of study, which typically doesn't really interface academically or practically with other fields.  I  will therefore be continuing with the research, both for the purposes of meeting the initial criteria expected for this paper, as well as expanding it for a proposal for my dissertation. I have found that there are four types of specialists, psychologists,school counselors, special educators, and rehabilitation counselors, who would best serve their clients with more interagency sharing of resources at earlier stages of the educational process.  Without such interchange, individuals with cognitive disabilities, in particular, do not benefit from the substantial supported preparation that would optimally help them transition into healthy adult lives in community.  We may talk about universal access, but the reality is that though our society has learned to better overcome barriers for phyical limitations, little if any progress has been made to accomodate for barriers for cognitive limitations.  What I have discovered in conducting this beginning research is that even the assessment criteria for minimum aptitude requirements for occupations is based upon the non disabled population.  It is better, therefore, to assess an individual's interests, proclivities, unique aptitudes, and identify occupation possibilities early in the education process.  Job task analyses could then be done, so that individuals could be prepared/trained on the segments with time and supports allotted that suit their unique needs.  Appropriate changes may have to be made in the existing educational systems to accomodate these important changes, for completing this during votech classes in high school might not be sufficient. Vocational counselors, psychologists, school counselors, and special educators each have tools that could help this assessment process, however, some need to be better modified to suit the ID population.  What is essential, however, is that individuals from each of these disciplines communicate, share, expand and modify their findings.  So for instance, as was refered to in my paper, school psychologists should become aware of how the subtests of the standardized battery tests identify strengths and weaknesses that can be useful in job matching.  Vocational counselors need to coordinate with the others by either suggesting assessments that should be done, preforming the assessments, or educating the others before clients are 16, if possible.  School counselors not only be involved with administering interest, proclivity types assessments, but become familiar with the information and assessment options that special educators and vocational counselors can provide, so they can  help use all information for wholistic guidance.   My paper refers to a support system of seven elements that support human performance. One element, tools, specifically aptitude and interest tools, can enhance three other elements: (a) cognitive support, (b) skills-knowledge, and (c) inherent ability.  The reason I became so interested in Project Discovery  was that it encorporates assessing interests, aptitudes,  and working on mastery of the job segments for occupations that best match the individual's interests and proclivities , which can begin as early as late middle school.  I therefore desire to further validate the content validity of the aptitude screening tool it uses, the PAS tool.  My paper recommends one particular tool which comes closest to the PAS tool, and which I already have permission to use, however, there are several other options.  I will need more time to research other possibilities, and speak with vocation counseling research experts, in order to come up with a final proposal. To conclude, the tables that are contained in my paper will be refined and expanded, and my proposed research will most definitely be augmented.  Though the upcoming research promises to be daunting, I am so happy I got the opportunity to begin via this independent study. (Final paper) (Back to top)