The course, Educational Studies, taken through the Johnson State Graduate program in Education has been a great overview of many educational theories. The course was helpful and well designed for many reasons including, providing an overview of Educational Theories, education history and an introduction to scholarly writing in the APA style. Added to the content, the timing of the course being at the beginning of the program provided a good foundation to be built upon.
The educational theories discussed included overarching themes of Empiricism vs. Rationalism and the many theorists that fit into each category. We covered "Thinkers" both modern and ancient from Aristotle and Plato to more current theorists such as Bronfenbrenner and Vygotsky. The theories discussed were reinforced by applying them in an Educational Environment Case study and in a Life Story analysis using the McAdams' framework. These assignments along with the discussions we had in class did a great job at solidifying the theories and proving that the information was useful/applicable. Some theories were not applicable or simply wrong which we were able to discuss and discount using more solid theories.
The professor is very knowledgeable about education and the scholarly practices needed to advance to a graduate level in writing, thinking and discussion. After taking this course, I have references (APA handbook) that can be used throughout my graduate career and have applicable references to working within an educational environment.
One of the most influential pieces of this course was our many in class discussions regarding the role we, as graduate students in education, are obligated to carry out throughout our studies and our careers in education. We are in the midst of an educational revolution where inclusion, no child left behind, common core standards and educational legislation are in the process of changing. We have the obligation to influence our educational institutions and politicians to move our educational systems in the right direction for our future.
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