Master of Arts in Teaching - Middle and High School Education

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These M.A.T. programs are ordinarily completed within one academic year and two summer semesters, but candidates may choose to extend their studies and student teaching for a longer time period. The program requires completion of ten to twelve course credits. Advisors work with candidates to ensure that their coursework meets all the requirements for Massachusetts licensure. Between two and four of the required courses must be in the academic field in which licensure is sought. Eight of the required course credits are in education, including field-based experiences.

Upon matriculation into graduate study, each M.A.T. candidate will be assigned a faculty advisor in the Department of Education and a faculty advisor in the academic department representing the subject area for which licensure is sought. Questions about meeting the Subject Matter Knowledge requirement are addressed through meetings with these advisors.

The MAT Middle and High School program cooperates with Shady Hill School, Newton North High School, and Newton South High School where students can carry out a year-long practicum. Please contact Linda Beardsley for more information about these placement opportunities.

The Middle and High School MAT program endeavors to support all candidates to meet the following objectives:

Academic Program:

Candidates for the MAT degree with teacher licensure will demonstrate the ability to:

• Use an academic context through which to reflect on the middle and high schools in their structures in their school site placements and introduce pre-professional teachers to the ideal of the reflective practitioner and the intellectual work of teaching.
• Understand the "triangle" of education and how we learn to understand its components and consider them carefully.
• Maintain a strong academic knowledge of the content they want to teach and an understanding of the pedagogy that best meets students' needs.
• Understand the research in human development and learning, working with exceptionalities in the classroom, learning theory and cognitive development, adolescent psychology and the impact of these strands of research on classroom practice.
• Understand the culture and structure of schools and how schools shape the values and work of teachers and students.
• Understand the importance of learning about the community in which they teach and encourage people to think of themselves as teachers in a community, as well as in a school.
• Understand the literature and research on developing the "professional stance" of a classroom practitioner and how to establish positive collegial relationships.
• Understand the profound ethical and moral considerations embedded in the decisions that teachers must make every day in their classrooms and the impact of those decisions on students and their learning, their families and community.

1. Observe classrooms in several disciplines and teachers who draw on a variety of exemplary practices;
2. "Shadow" a student through the regular school day;
3. Work in an Advisory Class;
4. Co-teach or assist in a minimum of one class period;
5. Observe an I.E.P. meeting;
6. Participate in department staff meetings and in team curriculum planning;
7. Participate in a school-site council meeting;
8. Participate in teacher-parent-student conferences;
9. Tutor students in the subject area in which licensure is sought;
10. Interview a school administrator;
11. Interview guidance and/or school psychology staff;
12. Learn about authentic methods of assessing and evaluating student work.

1. The Learning Standards in the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework of the student teacher's primary discipline;
2. The methods used for collecting and interpreting data for school records;
3. Different types of assessment used to evaluate student progress;
4. Standardized tests used in the school district.

• demonstrated competence in the subject area in which they are seeking licensure and familiarity with the appropriate curriculum framework(s);
• completion of all Education 101 assignments;
• demonstrated professionalism and sense of responsibility as described in written evaluations from the school site;
• The Stage I Portfolio and video-paper;
• Candidate's advisor recommendation from Tufts' Department of Education.

• Portfolio and video-paper assignments;
• Handbook evaluation forms completed by co-operating teacher twice each semester;
• Narrative evaluations of Tufts University Supervisors of five visits during the Spring Semester;
• Three three-way conferences among the pre-service teacher, cooperating teacher/mentor and Tufts University Supervisor to review the licensure candidate's progress on meeting the Professional Standards for teachers;
• Weekly seminar during the pre-practicum and practicum semesters.