DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.
DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

Professional Competencies Model

 

Introduction: My Professional Landscape and Goals

 

"The chief condition on which, life, health, and vigor depend on, is action. It is by action that an organism develops its faculties, increases its energy, and attains the fulfillment of its destiny." - Colin Powell

Not only has the M. Ed. program conditioned me to teach better, but it has also prepared me to take action in the field of education: I am prepared to be a problem solver in the world of academia.  Beyond this M. Ed. program, I am prepared to continue taking action that leads to improvement in the process of learning, thereby increasing my energy and positioning me closer to the fulfillment of my destiny.

This program has augmented my professional competencies by training me to more effectively teach and lead diverse students, schools, and communities; advance my career in the field of education; comprehend the dynamic relationship of local, national, and global changes and how they affect educational policy and practice; and positively transform and facilitate the learning process and the educational community in general.  While I love the craft of teaching curious minds, my true passion is to work beyond the classroom.  I feel that my destiny is pushing me to study the cognitive faculties involved in the learning process to make more of an impact on education.

I have been employed as a teacher of English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) at various educational facilities here in Peru, and I intend to advance to the University level once I complete my M. Ed. program.  My subsequent plan includes transitioning to the U.S. and becoming a k-12 teacher for a couple of years, then eventually I would like to become an educational psychologist, using neuroscience to improve the learning process in people in general and in people with learning disabilities.  The competencies acquired in this program have provided me with a solid foundation to continue studying the field of education and to advance my career as an educator.

 

My Professional Competencies Model (PCM) provides an overview of my current level of proficiency in the competencies related to my particular M. Ed. program, Learning and Instruction.

 

 

My PCM:

 

 

 Evidence and Explanations

Below are explanations and evidence for my top competencies:

 

A Systems Thinker

 

In this piece of evidence I evaluate the formative and summative assessment practices of a local language institute, ICPNA (InterCultural Peruano NorteAmericano), and identify 3 ways in which the practices need to be improved.  I also identify 3 ways in which technology could be harnessed to further improve the assessment at ICPNA, including the elaboration of ePortfolios to monitor progress.  By improoving the formative assessment practices I successfully improved my role and the roles of others in the position of teacher; similarly, by improving the summative assessment practices I increased the precision with which the entire organization determine the correct level of incoming students as well as current students.

 

In this piece of evidence I examine numerous pieces of research literature to answer 2 questions:

 

  1. How does second language acquisition affect the neuroplasticity involved in brain injury recovery?
  2. How does the natural neuroplasticity involved in brain injury recovery affect second language acquisition?

By analyzing studies that target each question I was able to thoroughly examine the relationship between second language acquisition and the neuroplasticity resulting from brain injury to determine that, along with other activities, learning a new language enhances neuroplasticity in everybody, especially important for those who suffer from a traumatic brain injury.  Two years ago I was intimidated by attempting to read research papers; this, along with other courses, also allowed me to become an effective consumer of research literature pertaining to the brain.

 

A Communicator

 

This narrative summarizes my unusual traditional education experience, highlighting my observations of culture, power, and prestige throughout my youth.  I experimented with beginning my narrative with a short story about my Grandmother and adding a conclusion to that story as part of the entire conclusion. I like that way my narrative turned out using this method, which was taught by our Professor.  Overall, I am quite pleased with the entire narrative about my endeavors through traditional education because it helped me realize where I stand in society, helping me with subsequent tasks and realizations throughout this course and in other courses.

 

 In this screencast Prezi presentation I illustrate a curriculum unit plan to incorporate digital media lessons into typical lessons for ESOL class.  I like the way Prezi presentations look and believe that the presentation is not only informative and interesting, but also easy to follow and comprehend.  Each time I created a presentation I learned new skills that helped me in future presentations.

 

In this piece of evidence I improved an existing curriculum unit plan - the one I made for Digital Media Literacy - with additional technology.  I revamped the lesson plan with the addition of digital polls to conduct formative assessments continuously to keep learners alert and to make sure there is 100% comprehension among the learners.  I also added the use of online searches to train my learners to conduct effective searches to find relevant answers.

 

A Creative Problem Solver

 

In this piece of evidence I document a problem that i have noticed at my current workplace - Kalvirs MBA Consulting - and reflect on my leadership style - the achiever - and develop a solution to the problem.  The deep reflection on my leadership agility helped me in this particular endeavor and will continue to assist in future challenges.

 

Culturally Responsive

 

In this piece of evidence I analyze various publications about second language acquisition of different learners throughout the world to improve my second language teaching methodology.  I selected a previous student - Giovanna - and scheduled a numer of meetings with her to implement my newly developed strategy and monitor her progress.  This experience helped me identify ways in which a second language student can maximize their learning experience by learning autonomously to augment classroom learning.

 

In this piece of evidence I document my level of privelege in soceity by taking into account factors such as my race, gender, and religious beliefs.  I document how my particular level of privelege has affected my life and I elaborated a curriculum to educate high school students about mental illness to improve the awareness, available treatments, and help-seeking behavior of high school students.

 

I chose the same piece of evidence to demonstrate my high level of self-awareness and cultural perspective because I thoroughly analyze my privelege and cultural perspective in this assignment.  By reflecting on all the factors that determine my level of privelege, I become aware of the factors of other people that affect their level of privelege, enabling me to better understand their behavior.

 

L & I Competencies

 

In this piece of evidence I summarize that "the past was riddled with difficulties in the educational arena as humanity not only struggled through worldwide conflicts, but also desperately tried to solve educational shortcomings by examining policy".  By understanding past problems and the changes made to education to deal with the changes, I understand the profound effects that changes can have on local, national, and global educational policy.  I also reflect on my evolution as a leader and my plan to develop as a leader to effectively respond to future changes.

 

                                                                                              &

                                                                  EDU 505 - Assignment 3 - Matthew Lucas.docx

 

In these pieces of evidence I was assigned to develop plans to improve complex problems affecting entire school districts.  These 2 case studies present contemporary problems occuring in a modern, imaginary school systems.  In both assignments I describe each problem in detail and present strategies to find solutions to these problems.

 

Additional Competencies

 

In this piece of literature I was able to present a serious problem that is traumatic for the education of affected students.  Mental illness is something that we all experience at different parts of our lives and can be devestating when present during our years at school.  By combining and summarizing a variety of relevant literature, I elaborated a plan to reduce the harmful effects of mental illness.

 

Conclusion

 

The process of authoring my PCM enabled me to not only profoundly reflect on my current role in the realm of education, but also on my ultimate goal of transitioning to a position that enables me to study and make a positive impact on the learning process.  The process also made me aware that my concentration - Learning and Instruction - has made me much more aware of the learning process, in general.  While I advanced in the program, I simultaneously experimented new concepts, such as my new knowledge of the brain and memory, with my students.  My momentum increased each time I caught myself using knowledge and skills acquired through the program to help my students achieve their goals.

Currently, my students are very impressed with the level of instruction received from me and have told me that I should do more.  Their admiration is definitely a good sign that I am moving in the right direction, and the elaboration of my PCM only clarifies and strengthens my dream of aspiring to become an educational psychologist in the distant future.  I feel thankful for having the opportunity to reflect deeply on my previous courses repeatedly and on different levels in this exercise.  I am more impressed now than ever with the program in which I am finishing at Northeastern University because the reasons behind all of the long, thorough tasks I have been painstakingly completing are becoming clear through my PCM.

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.
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