Matthew Brownell

Showcase

Showcase

Hello and welcome to my showcase! On this page you will find various work that I have completed over the course of my Masters degree through the Master of Arts in Education Technology (MAET) program. During this program I focused on how my first five years of teaching have gone and what some of the pitfalls and successes were in my first years of teaching. I also used my classes to focus on various issues in my classroom and in the social studies classroom as well.

My showcase is split into two sections, “Reflection” and “Creation”. Much of the work that I have completed has revolved around reflecting on my past experiences and practices when it comes to teaching and my own philosophy around instruction and assessment. This as I discovered over the course of the program is extremely helpful as it forces us to think critically about our beliefs and past practices. The other portion of the program had us focus on solving problems we see in our teaching environment. This really forced me to think about what issues I have faced in my first couple years of teaching and try to find possible solutions to some of these problems. Being able to focus on issues that were impacting my classroom and teaching environment in a constructive way helped to open my eyes to different possibilities. This combination of reflection and creation helped solidify my views around teaching and problem solving in the classroom.

Reflection

Work that turned my past teaching practice into evidence for how I want to teach next.

Reflection · Artifact 01

When "Rigor" Backfired: My Worst Assessment

This reflection reflects on an early assessment that I gave which failed despite my strong intentions and thoughtful content. I discuss my attempt at creating and implementing my own document-based question (DBQ) focused on the decision to drop the atomic bombs during World War II. Through honest reflection, it explores how inadequate scaffolding and misalignment between instruction and assessment contributed to poor student outcomes. This reflection demonstrates my ability to critically analyze my own teaching practices and learn from mistakes. It shows that I can use educational theory and research to evaluate classroom experiences and develop more effective instructional strategies. Most importantly it shows my commitment to continuous learning and designing learning experiences which better support student success.

Read on Google Docs

Reflection · Artifact 02

Assessment Philosophy Blog Post

In this blog post, I explored how my understanding of assessment has evolved throughout my teaching career. Rather than having the view that assessment is a final measure of what students know, I argued that assessment should be an ongoing process which makes connections between teaching and learning. To do this I drew on course readings and my own experiences to examine the roles of feedback, authentic learning, student self-assessment, and instructional decision-making when creating assessment practices. This reflection focuses heavily on my views around assessment and the ways in which assessment should be used in the classroom. I also explored the importance of designing assessments which encourage critical thinking, real-world application, and student ownership of learning. This artifact demonstrates my ability to combine educational research with professional practice. It also showcases my ability to communicate complex ideas in a thoughtful manner. It also demonstrates my understanding of assessment as a tool for growth rather than an evaluation and my commitment to making student-centered learning experiences.

Read on Google Docs

Reflection · Artifact 03

Reflecting on my Best Assessment

This next artifact takes what I had learned from my worst assessment and incorporates some of that into my best assessment. This reflection focuses on a civic action project which I created for my American Government class where students had to identify a problem affecting their community, research the issue, and propose a realistic solution. Throughout the process students completed several checkpoints which allowed me to provide feedback on their research, arguments, and presentation plans before submitting their final product. This artifact demonstrates my ability to create student-centered and authentic assessments which connect classroom learning to real-world challenges. It also showcases my commitment to helping students become critical thinkers and engaged citizens who can apply what they have learned in the classroom to the real world.

Read on Google Docs

Reflection · Artifact 04

Online Learning Manifesto

In this paper, I reflected on my experiences as a high school social studies teacher and explored how these experiences have shaped my views of online learning. I draw on educational research and current best practices to develop a vision for online learning which prioritizes equity, personalization, authentic learning experiences, and strong relationships between students and teachers. Throughout the piece I examine the differences between emergency remote learning and intentionally designed online learning and discuss the importance of authentic activities, flexible learning, student collaboration, and equitable access to educational opportunities. This artifact demonstrates my ability to connect educational theory with practical teaching applications and explain a clear professional philosophy. It also highlights my skills in research, reflective writing, instructional design, and educational leadership.

Read on Google Docs

Creation

Projects built to investigate and solve real problems in the social studies classroom.

Creation · Artifact 01

Wicked Problem Project

One of the harder creation projects I engaged in over the course of my Masters program was the Wicked Problem Project. For this project, I investigated a complex educational question: How can a focus on content knowledge impact students' abilities when it comes to current events, media, literacy, and citizenship? This project forced me to examine my own teaching practices in the classroom and how social studies is taught in our country today. This project showcases my ability to conduct independent research, analyze and interpret data, and communicate complex ideas through a presentation. It also highlights my dedication to examining issues from multiple perspectives.

Read report (Google Doc)
View Canva slides

Creation · Artifact 02

Problem of Practice Final Report

A meaningful project that I engaged in was the Problem of Practice. It focused on an area of improvement in our own classrooms. For my problem of practice I focused on improving student engagement with exit tickets for my American Government classes. These exit tickets were intended as a formative assessment. However, as the school year progressed I noticed more and more students becoming disengaged. So I sought a solution. To accomplish this I conducted student interviews, engaged in empathy work, analyzed the root causes of the problem, and collaborated with colleagues to brainstorm possible solutions. This artifact demonstrates my ability to use human centered design principles to help solve authentic educational challenges. It highlights my ability to gather feedback from multiple stakeholders, analyze results, and use evidence to inform instructional decisions.

Read report
Exit ticket template (Google Form)

Creation · Artifact 03

Interview Design for Social Studies Teachers

One of the stages of a course long project was to develop and conduct our own interview questions to better understand how social studies teachers make instructional decisions. The goal was to create a structured set of interview questions that would allow educators to reflect on their practices, instructional strategies, and the factors that influence their decisions in the classroom. In addition to developing the interview questions, I carefully designed the interview process itself. This included developing guidelines for active listening, creating follow-up and clarification prompts, and considering how to collect reliable qualitative data through conversation. This artifact demonstrates my ability to design research instruments that collect meaningful and actionable data. It also highlights my ability to gather information from different stakeholders in a way that promotes reflection and deeper insight.

Read on Google Docs

Creation · Artifact 04

Survey Design

One of the research design projects I completed focused around developing a survey to compare the effectiveness of two instructional approaches: direct instruction with an extension activity and project-based learning. The purpose of the survey was to gather data from social studies teachers about their experiences with these teaching methods and to examine how each approach impacts student learning and performance. This artifact demonstrates my ability to design research tools that collect meaningful data and support evidence based decision making. It also reflects my ability to approach educational questions systematically and use research design principles to investigate teaching and learning practices.

Read on Google Docs