I’m Not Done Yet
My Future Learning Goals
As I am nearing the end of my Master of Arts in Education (MAED) journey, I know that I am not ending my career as a student. I still have things I want to learn and things I want to learn more about. Being a student is something that I have always enjoyed and now that I am a teacher, I see that we teach just as much as we learn each day. The MAED journey over the past year and a half has taught me a lot but as I said, I’m not done yet. I would still like to pursue another master’s degree that will add additional endorsements to my certification, I hope to either take courses in or attend professional developments (PDs) pertaining to positive behavior interventions and functional based interventions, and I also would like to become more versed in using technologies such as iPads/tablets/laptops effectively in the classroom for students with disabilities. Read on to learn why each of these areas is important to me and my career.
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Another Degree
While I’m finishing my master’s degree, I am already looking into other programs and making plans to work towards another master’s degree. I know that it may sound a little crazy to already want to work on another degree, but my goal is to add additional special education endorsements to my certificate. More specifically, I would like to complete a Master of the Arts in Special Education with a focus on Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Each year my school is increasing in the number of students we have who are identified as having ASD and I feel that an endorsement in ASD would be very useful. In this degree I would learn about universal supports for students with Autism, which would be helpful for all students because it aides in building learning communities that are accessible for students with various disabilities. With the increasing amount of time that students with disabilities are included in the general education environment, more education and training in specific disabilities, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, is important. I have looked into two different programs for a Master of Arts in Special Education, follow the links for Michigan State University and Arizona State University to read about their programs.
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Behavioral Supports and Interventions
Over the past few years, I have been continually working with my team to learn more about positive behavior interventions and school-wide systems in an effort to build a positive learning environment for all students. As the behaviors of the students we work with change, we need to change our practices. My future learning goals include continuous improvement in the area of positive behavior interventions and supports. I can accomplish this through a combination of coursework, professional development, and research in my teaching environment. I have been looking into professional developments through the Council for Exceptional Children. One of the things I would like to focus on in this area is learning to implement more function-based interventions for my students with disabilities that require behavior intervention plans. Formulating an effective behavior intervention plan is an invaluable skill in special education and is one I hope to refine over the coming years.
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Technology for Students with Disabilities
The final area in which I want to further my education is the effective use of technology with students with disabilities. More specifically, I want to find ways to integrate the use of iPads, tablets, and/or laptops effectively into instruction for students with disabilities. Often we use these things as rewards or “free time” for students, but I do not feel that I know enough to effectively use these technologies for instructional purposes. These technologies could be very effective for instructional purposes and also for social/behavioral purposes within the general education environment. Apple provides information on their website about programs specifically for special education. I do not have experience with many of their programs, but am looking into which ones would be beneficial for the students I work with for the upcoming year. Technology, as with education, is ever changing, so this is an area I will always be working towards learning more about.
Learning is a lifelong process and certain topics require continuous research and improvement. With my future learning goals, my first goal of obtaining an additional master’s degree in a specific area of special education, is an absolute. Once this is complete it is complete. With the other two areas, positive behavior interventions and technology use for students with disabilities, these will be lifelong learning endeavours. My overall goal is to continue learning and gaining knowledge in the field of special education in order to effectively program for students with disabilities. The areas outlined above will help me to reach this goal throughout the remainder of my career in education.