Teaching, BA/MAT

Overview

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The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program is based on the idea that the youth in our public schools are powerful learners and deserve every opportunity to experience and develop the power of their minds, voices, and capabilities in meaningful learning. The program begins in May after candidates complete their BA and extends through the following academic year. Students enter as part of a cohort team that is guided through the program by university and school mentors. They are placed with a teacher mentor in one of the Adam Institute partner schools at the beginning of the academic year and take courses which support the development of their teaching practice.

The MAT is an intensive, full­year program designed to qualify students interested in elementary, middle or high school teaching in urban settings for the Massachusetts Initial Teacher License. The program requires successful completion of ten or eleven courses, including two or three summer courses, and a full year teaching internship.

Departmental Eligibility Requirements

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Students interested in the MAT must demonstrate effectiveness working with children and youth-a recommendation from a youth program supervisor is required to complete the graduate program application. Students also must write an essay that addresses their interest in urban teaching as a part of their application as well. Students selected on the basis of their written application must also participate in an interview with MAT program faculty (this will be scheduled).

The Program of Study below outlines specific course requirements for the accelerated degree BA/MAT program. Note that students interested in teaching at the elementary level must take the two specified math courses. We expect students interested in teaching at the secondary level to complete a major corresponding to their teaching field. Completing a major helps ensure that our students aiming to teach at the secondary level will meet Massachusetts subject matter knowledge standards for teachers. It also helps in meeting one of the program’s goals to support teaching that empowers with tools of disciplinary understanding and knowledge development. (Students, therefore, who wish to qualify for a secondary teaching license and to study in another field as well, may need to double major.) Students with questions about completing a major matched to their teaching field, Massachusetts subject matter knowledge standards, double majoring, and/or qualifying for the accelerated degree program, should meet with Andrea Allen (AAllen@clarku.edu).

Additionally, students must pass the Massachusetts Test for Educator Licensure before the beginning of the MAT program, which starts in May after graduation. Students aiming to teach at the elementary level take the required Foundations of Reading test as soon as possible after they have taken the “Literacy Development” course.

More information about the MAT program is available on the Adam Institute for Urban Teaching and School Practice web pages (see http://www2.clarku.edu/education/adam-institute/). Students should make an appointment with Andrea Allen (AAllen@clarku.edu), the Education Program Administrator, to discuss the program and eligibility requirements, and to ensure that they are taking all the steps necessary to qualify.

 

Program of Study

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The five-year program includes courses in Clark’s program of liberal studies, a liberal arts major, and a gradual immersion in education courses and field work beginning in the senior year.

Prior to the senior year:

EDUC 152 - Complexities of Urban Schooling   (required of all students interested in the MAT)

MATH 101 - Concepts in Elementary Mathematics I   & MATH 102 - Concepts of Elementary Mathematics II   (required of students interested in teaching at the elementary level)

Students interested in the elementary level are advised also to tailor their undergraduate course of study as much as possible to the state subject matter requirements, which call for specific background in the humanities, history, mathematics and the sciences (check with the Education Program Administrator for details.) Students aiming to teach at the middle or high school level normally complete a liberal arts major corresponding to their teaching subject area, such as history or mathematics. 

Senior year:

Seniors take 2-3 courses that apply to the MAT per department advising.

Fifth year:

The fifth year includes a set of summer courses, and an integration of several more courses with the full academic year internship in a Worcester partner school. All students in the MAT program take the “Teaching and Learning” course sequence (three courses), regardless of their chosen teaching level.

EDUC 311 - Teaching and Learning, Part I   (Summer)

EDUC 359 - Teaching and Learning, Part II   (Fall)

EDUC 362 - Teaching and Learning, Part III   (Spring)

Teaching and Learning II and III are essentially “practice workshops” focused on the development of each student’s teaching practice, and support students in the development of their final reflective electronic portfolio (their “practice thesis”) illustrating their development as teachers and the progress of their students as learners.

Curriculum and Knowing summer institute course (in the visual arts, humanities, mathematics, physical and natural sciences, and/or social sciences)

Ways of Knowing  one or more courses in the arts, history, humanities, mathematics and/or physical and natural sciences

EDUC 361 - Human Development and Learning  

EDUC 360 - Literacy Development   (elementary level) or

EDUC 308 - Literacy Across the Curriculum  (middle and secondary level)

EDUC 380 - Teaching English Language Learners  (qualifies students for the “Sheltered English Immersion” endorsement required for licensure in Massachusetts)

EDUC 388 - Practicum: Elementary Teaching/Learning  

Electronic portfolio presentation

Please note: Students are assigned to a cohort group with mentor teachers in one of the Adam Institute’s partner schools in the Main South neighborhood of Worcester for the entire academic year (from the beginning of the school year to late April/early May).  Students also have a dedicated university mentor.

Fees

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Students will pay a one-time program fee of $1,000 in the first semester of graduate study. Students also pay a $20 activity fee in the fall and spring semesters as well as a one-time enrollment fee of $100. Students are responsible for paying for housing, food, books, and other personal items.

Program Adviser

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Students are required to meet with the designated degree adviser.

The designated program adviser is:

Andrea Allen
Education Program Administrator
Adam Institute for Urban Teaching & School Practice
508-793-7685
aallen@clarku.edu

Any students considering applying to the Accelerated Degree Program should read and understand the Accelerated Degree Program Policies and Procedures  .