Graduate students seeking initial teacher licensure at the elementary level (grades 1-6) enter a joint Master of Arts in Teaching degree program administered by the Departments of Education and Child Development. Candidates must hold a baccalaureate in a subject area consistent with curriculum taught at the 1-6 level. All candidates have two practica, amassing between 425 and 475 hours of classroom experience. The classroom experiences are carefully coordinated with curriculum content courses and seminars that provide a forum for analyzing and processing field experiences.

The program places children's intellectual, social, personal, language, and physical development as well as their productive, successful school experiences at its core. Student teaching seminars examine teaching as dynamic, complex, and intellectually demanding work. Class discussions and readings focus on children's prior experiences and how they think and learn as central considerations for creating classrooms that work. Assignments link classroom experiences with seminar discussions on issues such as matching children's learning needs with instruction, promoting equity, effective classroom management, and establishing and maintaining productive, respectful relationships with parents, communities, and school faculty and staff.

View Course Requirements for M.A.T. Elementary.