The M.Ed. degree program has been carefully designed to present a sequential, integrated core body of knowledge and "theory-to-practice" modeling for candidates seeking this degree. While the other chapters in this M.Ed. Resource Guide and various course modules provide more detailed and complete information regarding the various components of this degree program, sometimes it is helpful to provide simple answers to simple questions in an effort to arrive at the heart of the details in such a way as to present "the big picture." It is the intent of this chapter to do just that. While the answers given here are accurate, it should be noted that the answers are not meant to provide complete information - just an overview of the process or product in question. All other university requirements, such as the six credit hours of electives and other relevant paperwork are still required for graduation purposes, but they are not included in this chapter since those questions must be answered on an individual, case-by-case basis.
1. How does this program lay out? What's the sequence?
There are eight, three-hour core courses that are taken one right after the other. Running concurrently with those eight courses are two more practicum courses that are completed by the candidate outside of normal class hours. These are sort of like independent study courses, since the assignments are given to the candidates to be completed outside of class, along with various due dates for those assignments. As long as the deadlines are met, candidates are free to choose a time and place on when to complete that work. The Instructor/Advisor (each candidate is assigned one) will provide necessary feedback along the way. Some of that feedback occurs at three specific points during the M.Ed. program, called Assessment Day One, Two, and Three. These assessment days are tied specifically to work on the Applied Masters Portfolio (EDU 559); the other long-term course, EDU 558, is conducted completely online with no face-to-face interaction between that professor and the candidates. A graphic of this whole process is shown below.
* 558 and 559 run through the end of 557; these are the independent practicum courses
( "AD" stands
for Assessment Day)
2. How are the courses "integrated?"
There are different "threads" or themes running throughout the program. Sometimes assignments in later courses use information from assignments given in earlier courses. The graphics below try to make those connections for you.
Diversity
Technology
Action Research
Metacognitive Reflection
Evidence of P-12 Student Learning
3. Which assignments go where?
Just as there are defining threads that run throughout the program, there are individual course assignments that build upon each other, much like a scaffolding framework. While many other examples could be cited here, only the major assignments are listed.
| 545 - Candidates. q are introduced to graduate level writing & diversity issues that run throughout the program q review their School Improvement Plan as a prelude to the action research plan in 565, 550, 553, 551, & 556 q take a diagnostic content knowledge test in their subject area (prelude to Content Growth Plan in 565) q complete many assignments for the Professional Section of the AMP |
554 - Candidates. q refine word processing skills q learn Excel spreadsheets and other ways to organize data q learn PowerPoint q learn how to create templates q learn use of Blackboard (web communication system for entire program) q begin Professional Technology Growth Plan All of these skills, and many others, are then practiced in all other courses, such as in the collection and display of action research data, construction of technology assessment and instruction tools, and the like |
558 - Candidates. q write a technology lit review q develop goals and action steps for improving their own technology skills q Critique and create a webquest, research module, and telecollaborative project q navigate at least one online interface (this course is completely online - no onsite classes meet at all) |
| 565 - Candidates. q learn to write a lit review (used here and in 558, 550, 553, 551, & 556 q are introduced to action research (used for 550, 553, 551, & 556) q select a UAP topic based on a preliminary needs assessment (review of school improvement plan (from 545) and create a long-range action plan q video showing content knowledge & skills (used again in 559) q analyze their own dispositions using various sources q analyze their own content area knowledge (test given in 545) q develop a Content Growth Plan tied to P-12 student improvement This course is called Stage 1 of the UAP and Phase I of the Action Research Plan |
550 - Candidates. q create UAP components, including the introduction, rationale, alignment chart of I Believe statements (used again in 551 for the Philosophy paper), and lit review q write UAP goals; goals are a result of the needs assessment (here and in 565), content growth plan (in 565), and are assessed in 553 q write UAP objectives that align with the goals; objectives are used as the basis for lesson plans (in 551) and are assessed after 553 This course is called Stage 2 of the UAP and Phase II of the Action Research Plan |
553 - Candidates. q create UAP assessment tools (to assess goals from 550 and lesson plan activities after 551) q create at least one technology-based assessment tool q write a lit review q finalize an action research methodology plan (begun in 565) based on the needs assessment from 545 and 550 q create tables of specifications for the UAP using skills from 554 q create a communication plan explaining their own philosophy toward assessment (begun in 550) This course is called Stage 3 of the UAP and Phase III of the Action Research Plan |
| 551 - Candidates. q develop 4 lesson plans (from the objectives developed in 550) q develop at least one technology-based lesson (from 554 and 558) q write a lit review q write a Personal Philosophy of Learning (begun in 545, 550, & 553) q collect data for the action research plan (from 553 methodology) q group case study with multiple diversity issues (from 545, 565, & 550) q video showing content knowledge, skills & dispositions (from 565); evidence of P-12 learning (559c) and teaching skills (from 550, 553 and 551) This course is called Stage 4 of the UAP and Phase IV of the Action Research Plan |
556 - Candidates. q write a lit review q finalize the UAP q make a written and oral UAP presentation q evaluate data collected for action research (from 551) q write action research plan q write action research report This course is called Stage 5 of the UAP and Phase V of the Action Research Plan |
559 - Candidates. q compile inclusions for the Professional Section (many come from 545) q create exhibits for all domain expectations in the conceptual framework q write domain introductions (focusing questions introduced in 565) q write Dispostions Reflection (545, 565, 550, 553, 551) q analyze video (from 551) for content knowledge, skills, & dispositions (565) and evidence of P-12 student learning (from action research plan in 565, 550, 553, 551, & 556) using technology skills learned in 554 q present a completed professional portfolio |
| 557 - Candidates. q examine current issues (545) from a leadership perspective q develop a School Vision Project by collectively putting together knowledge, skills and dispositions learned in 545, 554, 558, 565, 550, 553, 551, 556, & 559 |
4. How do I pick a Mentor?
A Mentor/Observer should be someone available to the candidate on site at his or her place of employment. Since so many of the M.Ed. program requirements include references to proficiency and growth in subject area content standards as well as the developmental standards for students in the P-12 classrooms, it would be wise to select an M/O who is also considered a master practitioner in the candidate's own subject matter and/or grade level. Availability is also a key factor. Mentor/Observers are required to make two formal observations of the candidate's teaching practices; since the M.Ed. program does not infringe on corporation contract hours for its employees, the use of individual "prep time" or other non-contact hours with students and teaching load duties is essential when finding the time to do those two observations. A Mentor/Observer is both a coach and a cheerleader in that he or she will be advising the candidate on site in ways to prove teaching proficiency for the requirements of the Applied Masters Portfolio. In short, pick someone who really knows what you're doing in the classroom so that he/she can help you "shine" as you create your portfolio.
5. What if
things don't work out with my Mentor
On rare occasions,
a change in Mentors occurs. Usually this is due to either the Mentor
or the Candidate being reassigned to another school, or due to an
unexpected move, that sort of thing. If a problem comes up, whatever
the cause, candidates should first contact their Instructor/Advisor
for advice.The problem will be solved one way or another.
6. Who are all the people helping me in this program?
The vocabulary may be new, but the goal is the same - to get each candidate to graduation! You will be assigned an Instructor/Advisor who works for the university and who will be your advisor the entire length of the M.Ed. program. That person, the I/A, is your primary contact with the university. Sometimes the I/A will be teaching individual courses, such as EDU 559 (the portfolio practicum) and EDU 565 (Stage 1 of the UAP). Other courses will be taught by faculty from the university, but some of those facultymay also have jobs in P-12 settings. Other faculty will work full-time for the university. The plan there is to give you, the candidate, thebest of both worlds: people who spend lots of time in research and theory, and people who spend lots of time in practical applications of that research and theory in P-12 schools.
The university will provide you with an advisor and with faculty to teach your courses and with support services (like student records, textbooks, etc.). Your responsibilities in this program will be to find people at your building to help you through the different requirements for the M.Ed. degree. Those people collectively are called your "Change Facilitation Team" because the university is expecting you to follow the precepts in its conceptual framework, "Teacher as Agent of Change." The people you will recruit to help you include a Mentor/Observer (another teacher in your building), your media/technology specialist, and if possible, a building or district administrator. Those people, together with the I/A and other faculty, will work together to make sure that you have the necessary support to successfully complete this degree.
7. What's an easy way for me to understand the Action Research requirements?
The M.Ed. program is NOT out to make you into doctorally-prepared professional researchers. It does want to expose you to solid techniques for making teaching decisions in your classroom based on real evidence, or hard data. That's why the steps in the action research phases of this program are laid out in small increments through the UAP core courses (EDU 565, 550, 553, 551, and 556). Think about those elementary science fair exhibits. First the students decide on a topic they want to study, and then they develop a hypothesis on why things are the way they are or the way they could be. At that point, they devise a system for conducting an experiment, during which time they collect the information from the results of that experiment. Finally, they look at all that information and draw conclusions as to the viability of the original hypothesis based on the evidence that they collected. The Action Research Plan for the M.Ed. degree is fashioned after this pattern as well. First, the candidates will select a topic in need of further study (called a needs assessment) in conjunction with looking at their School Improvement Plan. Then they'll determine their " hypothesis" to see how best to meet that need (selecting a UAP topic). After that, they'll conduct the experiment (collect the data in their classrooms) and evaluate it to see if their hypothesis was right; they want to know if their UAP was implemented effectively into their classroom.
8. When do I use 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person in my writing assignments?
As a general rule, plan on using only third person in your writing assignments throughout this program. Sometimes first person (I, me, my) is more appropriate, such as when candidates are asked to write personal reflections, but nearly all formal papers should be written in third person. It is NEVER appropriate to use second person (you, your) at the graduate level unless it is used for informal directions (such as in portions of this M.Ed. Resource Guide). When in doubt, ask the faculty member who is teaching that course.
9. Why does the assessment course come before the instruction course?
The best educational research today shows that people learn best if they have a target for learning clearly specified right at the start. That target for learning is usually reflected most clearly in the kind of assessment that will be used to see if people learned what they set out to learn. Think for a minute about standardized tests. The math portion of those tests used to assess computational skills only, so only computation was emphasized in math classes. Now those same standardized tests are asking students to explain in writing what reasoning processes they used to arrive at the correct computational answer. As a result of this change, math classes are now asking students to spend time on writing down their thought processes as they arrived at an answer. Whereas teachers used to spend almost 100% of the time making sure students got the right answer, they now spend almost equal time between analyzing the reasoning and the writing abilities of students as much as on computational skills. The learning target for instructional strategies changed because the assessment of learning changed.
This process is known as "assessment-driven instruction" and sometimes seems backwards to teachers who were trained in "instruction-driven assessment." When instruction drives assessment, it is easier to get off track from the original curriculum goals. Sometimes that happens because the instructional activity itself began to drive the learning process, instead of the curriculum goal driving the learning process. In the M.Ed. program, this "backwards design" principle of aligning the assessment with the curriculum goal before deciding on any lesson plan activities is the foundation of the Unifying Assessment Project (UAP). That's why the Understanding by Design books are used in multiple courses during the program; it takes more than a one-time exposure to the idea of backwards planning to really understand the concept.
10. What makes the Christian worldview so different?
Chapter Two in this Resource Guide is a great way to look at different principles underlying the Christian Worldview, but the condensed version looks something like this:
Everyone has their view or perspective on what goes on in life. The way we look at things, the filters we use to understand what's happening around us, is called our "worldview." Everyone has a worldview; some lean more towards one philosophy or another, while some lean towards one religion or another. A Christian worldview transcends individual differences among Christian denominations; it is an overall sense that there is one God, and that He has certain expectations for people to live by. When people make decisions on how to live their lives with that thought in mind, they recognize that God is in control of what happens, and they make decisions based on what they think would be in keeping with what He wants them to do. Those decisions are based in large part on what the Christian Bible has to say about what God wants us to do. God (who is God the Father, God as Jesus the Son, and God the Holy Spirit) loves us so much that He created this world for us to live in and be happy. He also sent His son Jesus to earth from heaven for several years so that He could more directly communicate with us. But God also gives people free will, meaning that they can choose to acknowledge Him and His ways, or not. When people look to their own interests without regard for what God wants, trouble happens. Someone who has a Christian worldview believes that pleasing God is more important than pleasing themselves, so they work hard at figuring out how to do that. The Bible is pretty clear on what it is that God wants: we are to love Him with everything we've got, and we're to love others as much as we love ourselves. We are to recognize that by not allowing Jesus to make us "acceptable" to God (meaning that we allow Him to take the punishment for what we do wrong) we can't get close to God. We're supposed to remain humble before God, and acknowledge that He's in charge - we're not. We're to treat other people with respect and fairness, because that's how God treats us. We're not to hold grudges, but forgive others when they hurt us, because God has forgiven us for mistreating Him. The Christian worldview is a lifestyle and a way of thinking that honors the best in people, because the best in people means that they are trying to do what God wants - to love Him and to love others in His name.
If you have questions about what it means to live a Christian life, a life that honors Jesus Christ and His teachings, please don't hesitate to contact anyone from the university, such as the chaplain assigned to your cohort, your Instructor/Advisor, other faculty or administrators.