The School Educators concentration is designed both for practicing classroom teachers seeking to improve their skills and upgrade their qualifications or certification, and for professionals in other fields desiring a career change to teaching. This is not designed as a State of Maine teaching certification program; however, professional teaching certification may be possible through the alternative pathway route of the Maine Department of Education.
In general, this goal is reached through course enrollments by students’ assimilating the results of scholarly research, course texts, discussion board postings of peers, course notes, and interaction with instructors on teaching and learning and integrating it with their individual experiences. This methodology is intended to expand students’ perspectives and thereby expand their abilities to make well-reasoned choices on methods, content and results that would be most suitable to their individual circumstances.
Students in the M.S.Ed Educators Concentration will:
· acquire an integrated body of knowledge related to teaching and learning;
· research and critique a variety of issues connected to curriculum, assessment, and instructional strategies;
· establish connections among theories, research, and practice; and
· design, develop, and evaluate a final project that demonstrates growth in teaching, learning, or some aspect of education.