M.A.T. in Secondary Education
English and Mathematics Concentrations
Admission Requirements:
- A completed application form accompanied by a $50 nonrefundable application fee.
- Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate records.
- A minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale in undergraduate course work.
- A baccalaureate degree with a major equivalent to an undergraduate major at Rhode Island College in a certification area.
- Meet the minimum GPA requirement in the major available from the Department of Educational Studies.
- An official report of scores on the appropriate Praxis II Content Knowledge Test, with a minimum score as established by the Department of Educational Studies.
- Two Disposition Reference Forms: one from a faculty or supervisor of a child/youth-related activity, and one from a work supervisor.
- Two letters of recommendation: one from a faculty or supervisor of a child/youth-related activity, and one from a work supervisor.
- A Statement of Educational Philosophy.
- A current résumé.
- An interview with an advisor in the M.A.T. program.
- A plan of study approved by the advisor and appropriate dean.
About the Program
Teaching is an intellectually, emotionally and physically demanding profession, one that needs individuals to embrace it with wholehearted enthusiasm, a commitment to excellence for themselves and for students, and an interest in being a lifelong learner. The classroom teacher meets, each morning, a room that is at once a community called "class" and a collection of individuals of differing personal, and academic achievements, talents, needs, and problems. The excellent teacher will make hundreds of decisions in orchestrating the teaching day to advance the skill and knowledge of each student in the classroom.
In preparation for the daily engagement with the complex phenomena of the classroom, teacher education recognizes the need for teachers to be knowledgeable of learners and their characteristics, of educational contexts including the character of communities and cultures, of subject matter, of themselves, of general pedagogy and subject-specific pedagogy, and of the purposes and values of education including its philosophical and historical roots. Rhode Island College has designed, for holders of baccalaureate degrees, the Master of Arts in Teaching program to prepare teachers to meet successfully the challenges and joys of teaching.
The program graduate enters the profession as a reflective teacher, one who can plan and direct classroom instruction and one who will modify instructional practice and curriculum through systematic reflection and self-assessment. The reflective teacher:
- understands teaching as encouraging the development of active learners;
- provides a rationale for instruction from research and practice and develops conceptual frameworks for instruction;
- recognizes and identifies elements extrinsic to the classroom practice;
- establishes classroom relationships and classroom environments that support growth and learning;
- appreciates the importance of developing in learners an understanding of the nature of subject matter.
The Master of Arts in Teaching program begins with the selection of candidates who already possess a baccalaureate degree and who have potential for success in rigorous academic studies and in classroom teaching. The program moves to a carefully designed and coordinated sequence of courses and concludes with an intensive semester of student teaching. These studies and integrated clinical experiences are designed and sequenced to permit the candidate to increase knowledge and understanding of teaching in a systematic fashion, with each program phase based upon prior learning. These learning outcomes align with the Specialty Professional Associations (SPA) Standards and the Rhode Island Professional Teaching Standards (RIPTS).
Successful candidates will be able to:
- explain the Conceptual Framework of the FSEHD, the RIPTS, and relevant Rhode Island Dept. of Education initiatives, and describe their connection and impact to teaching in the public schools;
- describe and apply the roles and responsibilities of how reflective teachers think and act;
- construct, teach, and reflect upon lessons and units that model developmentally appropriate practices consonant with professional teaching standards, including the Conceptual Framework of the FSEHD,
SPA Standards and the RIPTS;
- select and utilize formal and informal assessment strategies with individuals and groups of students to determine the impact of instruction on learning, to provide feedback, and to plan future instruction;
- describe the role and purposes of collaborative relationships with family and community, and plan and apply techniques for involving family in the learning process;
- describe the importance of lifelong professional development and demonstrate competence in accessing information from relevant professional organizations and journals available for continued professional growth opportunities, with an emphasis on using available technology.
Course Requirements
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