Mar 28, 2024  
Graduate Catalog 2011-12 
    
Graduate Catalog 2011-12 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Master of Arts in the Practice of Teaching


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Coordinators/Advisors:Regena Fails Nelson (Early Childhood), Carol Crumbaugh (Elementary), Nancy Mansberger (Middle School/Secondary)

Contact Person:
Diane Bourgeois
2217 Sangren Hall
(269) 387-3896
e-mail: diane.bourgeois@wmich.edu

The Master of Arts in the Practice of Teaching provides a comprehensive professional development program for current Prue K-12 teachers. In order to address the ever-changing and complex challenges faced by today’s teachers, this degree allows teachers, along with their academic advisors, to customize programs of study to meet individuals needs and professional goals.

The Master of Arts in the Practice of Teaching is designed to enhance the knowledge and skill of reflective practitioners for a variety of educational settings.  It is our belief that teachers ought to be developed as effective practitioners, leaders, change agents, intellectuals, researchers, and learners.  They should be passionate learners who embrace diversity, actively inquire and reflect upon their own practice, nurture the development of new knowledge and skills, and weave the complexities of modern society into the learning process.  This is accomplished through a process of continuous professional, intellectual, and social growth within an interrelated spiral of academic content preparation, professional knowledge, pedagogical skill, and guided practice.  The Master of Arts in the Practice of Teaching is predicated on the assumption that theory, research, policy, and practice must be continuously integrated in ways that provide innovative models leading to the improvement of teaching, learning, and reflective practice.

The goal of reflective practice is to help teachers develop the ability to analyze their own teaching, inquire into how teaching can be improved, and develop strategies to improve teaching that build on individual strengths.  Reflective practitioners must also be able to situate their practice within the social, cultural, and economic dimensions of relationships among schooling, society, and the natural environment.  It requires teachers to examine, interpret, and evaluate the teaching-learning process using the best practices described by research and experience as the referent for reflection.

Admission Requirements

  1. Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
  2. An overall grade point average of at least 3.0 (4.0 = A) in the last two years of undergraduate work. Applicants with a GPA of less than 3.0 may be granted a Conditional Admission. This will be converted to a regular admission if students receive a grade of B or better in the first two graduate courses (six credit-hours) taken.
  3. A concise written “statement of purpose” (250 words or less) indicating the applicant’s reasons for seeking admission to the program and what the applicant hopes to accomplish during the program of study.
  4. Congruence of applicant’s written “statement of purpose” with the parameters of this degree program.
  5. Experience in a professional setting.*
  6. A valid Michigan Teaching Certificate will be required for students seeking to obtain additional endorsements.

*Waived for individuals in “Foundations for Teaching” concentration seeking initial certification.

Upon admission, each student will be assigned an advisor who will assist in the preparation of a program of study.  The program of study should be completed during the first semester of enrollment.

A maximum of nine Western Michigan University graduate credits taken before admission may be applied to the Master of Arts in the Practice of Teaching with advisor approval.

Program Requirements


(30 - 33 hours) for practicing teachers
(35 - 45 hours) for individuals in “Foundations for Teaching” concentration

Note:


It is strongly recommended that ED 6330 is taken early in a student’s graduate program, and that ED 6340 be taken near the end of the graduate course of study.

Select either:


Area of Specialization (12 hours)


Student may select, with approval of their assigned advisor, 12 credit hours in one of several area of specialization. (examples of specialized program follow below).

Education Elective Courses (6 hours)


Students may select, with approval of their assigned advisor, six credit hours of education electives. (Examples of recommended electives follow below.)

Program Examples


Specialization in Early Childhood Education (ZA endorsement)


Program Requirements:

Select either:

Education Elective Courses (6 hours)


K-12 Curriculum and Instruction


Program Requirements:

Select either:

Education Elective Courses (6 hours)


Urban Education


Program Requirements:

Select either:

Area of Specialization (12 hours)


Education Elective Courses (6 hours)


Foundations for Teaching


Program Requirements:

Area of Specialization (26 hours)


Education Elective Courses (up to 6 hours)


Additional courses as needed or desired for discipline certification or professional development.

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