Goal Statement: Then and Now
After some digging I was finally able to retrieve the personal statement I wrote when applying for MSU's Masters of Arts in Education program several years ago. At that time I was living in Japan and working at an international high school that was introducing a bi-lingual curriculum with a large investment in technology to supplement the school's misson. Having spent just under two years in this country, I was looking forward to working through this masters program in such a stimulating and challenging atmosphere. Below is a brief exerpt from the personal statement I wrote in the summer of 2007:
In an age when the diversity of technology is so advanced and the enormous amount of information is so readily accessible, a teacher must shift the emphasis from teaching what to learn to how to learn. Having studied education and social sciences at university, I have come to understand that the details in those subjects take years to master. The role of a teacher in the twenty-first century must be to guide students through the subject matter at hand while instilling in them the tools needed to understand how to learn.
Despite my passion for the content in the social sciences, particularly history, and my enthusiasm for teaching, bringing technology into the classroom adds a whole new element to the way I can approach teaching. I am interested in pursuing the Technology and Learning Concentration from Michigan State University’s College of Education to diversify my teaching strategies, to remain ‘with-it’ and skillful in the latest tools available for learning, to bring the world into my classroom, and to inspire students to seek knowledge beyond the classroom and give them to ability to do so. Additionally, through this master’s program I hope to gain a better understanding for the direction education in the public school system of the United States is heading and how I can play influential role in its success and improvement.
Though this will be my first online learning experience, I am confident in my abilities to achieve the criteria placed forth by the university. Moreover, the format of this online program is fitting for the current position I am in. Surrounded by the most up-to-date tools for teaching and a competent and savvy staff to bounce ideas off of, I will be able to quickly put into practice what I have learned from the covered coursework. I am looking forward to beginning this program for the sake of improving the quality of my lessons and deepening the development of my students’ learning experience.
It has been nearly four years since I wrote this personal statement. I was, and still am, convinced that technology enhances a student's learning experience and I have enjoyed being enrolled in this program while teaching as the tools and resources I learned in this masters program could be quickly applied to my teaching methods and strategies. My teaching, and hopefully students' learning, has improved as a result of incorporating many of the tools and resources learned during these past few years. While my living and teaching situations have changed greatly since I first wrote that statement, what I hope to achieve in and out of the classroom has remained somewhat the same.
I am looking forward to finishing this program and working towards finding a teaching position that will allow me to effectively use my international experience and my technological skills. I feel these are two critical cornerstones to have as the people of this world are getting more and more connected at the same time that technology has made great strides in the potential improving the quality of life.
In an age when the diversity of technology is so advanced and the enormous amount of information is so readily accessible, a teacher must shift the emphasis from teaching what to learn to how to learn. Having studied education and social sciences at university, I have come to understand that the details in those subjects take years to master. The role of a teacher in the twenty-first century must be to guide students through the subject matter at hand while instilling in them the tools needed to understand how to learn.
Despite my passion for the content in the social sciences, particularly history, and my enthusiasm for teaching, bringing technology into the classroom adds a whole new element to the way I can approach teaching. I am interested in pursuing the Technology and Learning Concentration from Michigan State University’s College of Education to diversify my teaching strategies, to remain ‘with-it’ and skillful in the latest tools available for learning, to bring the world into my classroom, and to inspire students to seek knowledge beyond the classroom and give them to ability to do so. Additionally, through this master’s program I hope to gain a better understanding for the direction education in the public school system of the United States is heading and how I can play influential role in its success and improvement.
Though this will be my first online learning experience, I am confident in my abilities to achieve the criteria placed forth by the university. Moreover, the format of this online program is fitting for the current position I am in. Surrounded by the most up-to-date tools for teaching and a competent and savvy staff to bounce ideas off of, I will be able to quickly put into practice what I have learned from the covered coursework. I am looking forward to beginning this program for the sake of improving the quality of my lessons and deepening the development of my students’ learning experience.
It has been nearly four years since I wrote this personal statement. I was, and still am, convinced that technology enhances a student's learning experience and I have enjoyed being enrolled in this program while teaching as the tools and resources I learned in this masters program could be quickly applied to my teaching methods and strategies. My teaching, and hopefully students' learning, has improved as a result of incorporating many of the tools and resources learned during these past few years. While my living and teaching situations have changed greatly since I first wrote that statement, what I hope to achieve in and out of the classroom has remained somewhat the same.
I am looking forward to finishing this program and working towards finding a teaching position that will allow me to effectively use my international experience and my technological skills. I feel these are two critical cornerstones to have as the people of this world are getting more and more connected at the same time that technology has made great strides in the potential improving the quality of life.
