This page serves as a narrative overview of my coursework throughout my master’s degree program. I started my program the fall following my graduation with my bachelor’s degree and am set to graduate about a year later in December 2025. Each course listed here represents an important step in my development as an educator, whether it be by building my knowledge, refining my instructional practice, or deepening my understanding of how students learn best. With each course, I’ve included brief annotations that highlight some key takeaways or projects that have shaped my teaching philosophy and professional growth, and I encourage you to explore my work.
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Fall 2024 | Sandra Crespo
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My first (and one of my favorite) courses of the program was TE 855. I studied methods, materials, and activities essential to teaching mathematics, with an emphasis on conceptual understanding and adapting instruction for diverse learners. For my final research project, I reimagined a 4th-grade math unit to integrate climate science and environmental justice themes, connecting math concepts to real-world issues- check it out here! This project allowed me to explore strategies for fostering both analytical skills and student awareness of humanity’s impact on the environment. Inspired by the success of this project, I plan to continue developing curriculum that weaves social justice topics into math instruction to create meaningful, interdisciplinary learning experiences.
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Fall 2024 | Andrea Varricchione
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I took TE861B prior to taking TE861A—and I am very glad that this class preceded the other. In TE861B, I deepened my understanding of scientific inquiry and the nature of science, with a focus on integrating science and engineering practices (SEP) into classroom instruction aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). I explored how scientific knowledge emerges through investigation and evidence-based reasoning, and how to support students in engaging with these processes. For my final project, I designed and taught a unit on Michigan’s Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, connecting local geology to concepts of erosion and inquiry-based science. Students expressed their understanding through creative artifacts such as models, drawings, comics, and stories—revealing diverse ways of thinking and learning while highlighting the importance of scaffolding claims with evidence and reasoning.
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Fall 2024 | Kristy Cooper Stein
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In this course, I explored key approaches to educational inquiry, including ethnography, portraiture, historical analysis, Indigenous research methodologies, and case study. Through reading and writing about foundational texts, I examined how different methodological perspectives shape the questions researchers ask and the insights they produce about teaching and learning. My essays on each book, which spanned across topics like social reproduction, educational activism, and culturally sustaining pedagogy, allowed me to engage deeply with how education both reflects and challenges systems of inequality. Taking ED 800 in the beginning of my program really strengthened my ability to analyze educational issues through multiple research lenses and connect theory to practice and prepared me for classes I would take in the future.
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Spring 2025 | Zachary Rondot
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