master of education E l o n U n i v e r s i t y

Transcription

1 master of education E l o n U n i v e r s i t y

2 Elon A summer program to

3 M.Ed. energize teachers in the classroom YOU TEACH because you love it. WE HELP you learn new approaches and become a master teacher. CHILDREN BENEFIT from your enthusiasm in the classroom. Anchored by the university s rich history of teacher education, Elon s M.Ed. program is designed with a teacher s demanding schedule in mind. The innovative summer cohort program allows you to earn a master s degree and advanced licensure over the course of three summers. You can choose from three programs elementary education, special education and gifted education. Elon s strong sense of community is what M.Ed. students consistently cite as one of their favorite aspects of the program. You ll find that students are eager to share their areas of expertise, professors make themselves accessible, and staff members go out of their way to help you reach your goals. A fully accredited program Elon is widely recognized for the success of its teacher education program. M.Ed. students boast a 100% pass rate on advanced licensure exams. Elon s M.Ed. program is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the North Carolina State Department of Public Instruction and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. The Master of Education program at Elon University is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), 2010 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20036; phone (202) This accreditation covers initial teacher preparation programs and advanced educator preparation programs. NCATE is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation to accredit programs for the preparation of teachers and other professional school personnel.

4 Cultivating top quality Teachers Elon s M.Ed. program features several key components: Convenient summer schedule Elon s innovative summer cohort program allows you to focus your attention on graduate studies during a concentrated period of time. You take the majority of courses over three summers and the remaining courses online during the intervening school years when your teaching load is the most demanding. This offers you the flexibility of studying at home when you are teaching and the convenience of completing the majority of your graduate work during summer breaks. Students in the summer cohort program attend classes during the day for three weeks in June and another three-week term in July. Small classes As a teacher, you know the importance of class size. Average class size in the M.Ed. program is 15. Elon keeps classes small to encourage close collaboration among students and faculty. You ll have the opportunity to exchange ideas with local teachers from other grades, school systems and levels of experience as well as teachers from other parts of the world. Because Elon s M.Ed. is a cohort program meaning you ll take your courses with the same group of students friendships form quickly and bonds run deep. Students come from a variety of backgrounds, so you ll not only learn with your classmates, you ll learn from them in small group work, class discussions and even casual conversations about your careers. Elon s central location draws students from both the Triangle and Triad areas, which allows you to network with other teachers from school systems across a major section of North Carolina. Discounted tuition Elon s summer cohort program is offered at a substantially reduced cost when compared to paying for individual courses. Your cost for the entire three years of study is fixed at the beginning of your first summer session. Elon also offers several options for dividing up your payments over the three-year period, and financial aid is available in the form of Stafford loans. Action research development You will learn how to critically evaluate research literature as well as how to conduct action research projects. In a required online course, you will write an action research prospectus, and under the direction of a faculty advisor, conduct research and record results in your graduate portfolio. International opportunities New for 2007, Elon offers an exciting study abroad option for M.Ed. students. You can study in Costa Rica for a week as part of a curriculum course during your first or second summer, depending on your program. Graduate portfolio Instead of taking comprehensive exams, your culminating project will be an on-line graduate portfolio. You ll select work that demonstrates your competency in five standard benchmarks for master teachers instructional expertise, knowledge of learners and learning, knowledge of content, research skills, and professional involvement and leadership. Two independent evaluators review each portfolio, and a passing grade is required to graduate from the program.

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6 Elementary Education Teachers who want to study elementary education (K-6) in more depth will take 33 hours of graduate courses specific to this area: elementary curriculum development, diagnostic instruction and consultation skills. All students seeking graduate licensure in elementary education are required to complete the graduate core curriculum, the elementary education core and two electives from such topics as math, science, literature and instructional technologies. Sample Elementary Education schedule Year I Summer I Graduate core Advanced Psychological Theory in the Classroom (3) Advanced Masters Seminar I (1) Advanced Foundational Studies (3) Educational Testing & Measurement (3) Fall I Online Educational Research (3) Year II Summer II Elementary Education Specialty Area Survey of Elementary Curriculum: Development & Content (3) Advanced Masters Seminar II (1) Collaboration And Consultation Skills (3) Principles of Diagnostic Instruction (3) Fall II Online Meeting Special Learning Needs of Students (3) Year III Summer III Concluding Professional Experiences Electives (6) Advanced Masters Seminar III (1) Portfolio Approval (Faculty Review) Johanna Johnson M.Ed., Elementary Education Class of 2007 The cohort format of Elon s M.Ed. program is one of the aspects that graduates often cite as their favorite part of the program. Johanna Johnson is no exception. The relationships I have formed within my cohort are very special. I truly think that they will withstand the test of time. We have come to depend on each other for support and encouragement, she says. As a fifth grade teacher at New Hope Elementary in Orange County and a mother of three, Johanna needed an M.Ed. program to mesh with her lifestyle. It was Elon that fit the bill. When you are my age and you go back to school, you don t have the time, energy or money to waste. It needs to be a meaningful and relevant experience, Johanna says. She appreciates the concentrated format of Elon s M.Ed. program. I signed up for the program because it is intense, but short, she says. I m not one to drag something out for five years, and I didn t want to do that for my master s degree. In her 21 years in the classroom, Johanna has seen education go through many changes. She sees the M.Ed. program as a way to keep current for today s classroom. She feels that her M.Ed. degree will also be a valuable tool for advancement. I will have the credentials so that if other educational opportunities open up, I can pursue them and better market myself, she says. Having graduated from a large public university, Johanna says she enjoys the advantages of Elon s close-knit community. A part of me wishes that I had gone somewhere like Elon for my undergraduate experience, she says. I love everything about it!

7 Why I Chose Elon

8 Why I Chose Elon

9 Special Education Teachers enrolled in the Special Education program take a closer look at working with students with special needs (K-12). They will take 36 Peter Ruhiri M.Ed., Special Education Class of 2008 Hailing from Kenya, Peter Ruhiri brings a global perspective to the Elon M.Ed. program. Peter is participating in the VIF program, a three-year faculty exchange program. While in the States, he chose to continue his education at Elon because of the special education component as well as the affordable tuition. He says he also welcomes the challenge of being on the opposite side of the classroom once again. It was fun to go back to the classroom, make new friends, and encounter new challenges, he says. I was busy and engaged throughout the summer. Peter currently teaches algebra at Ferndale Middle School in High Point, N.C. He has learned to grasp new technologies and education strategies through the M.Ed. program. He finds that this new knowledge has made his classroom a more energetic and engaging atmosphere. Peter hopes to eventually take what he learns back to Africa. When I return to Kenya I will apply what I have learned to help the communities that helped me to get the education I have today, he says. In addition to gaining knowledge from his professors, Peter feels that his peers in the program have made an impact on him as well. They have helped me understand and learn more about America and its citizens, he says. We have gotten along well and shared helpful educational information which has helped me grow professionally. They have made an impression on my life. hours of graduate courses on topics such as assessment methods, curriculum development and the nature and needs of students with learning disabilities. Special Education students also take a three-hour internship. This internship takes place in Elon s Summer Learning and Enrichment Academy, an innovative summer program for local elementary and middle school students with special learning needs. The internship provides an opportunity to create individualized learning environments and work closely with students with disabilities. All students seeking General Curriculum licensure in Special Education are required to complete the graduate core curriculum as well as a curriculum designed specifically for Special Education. Sample Special Education schedule Year I Summer I Graduate and Special Education Core Advanced Psychological Theory in the Classroom (3) Advanced Masters Seminar (1) Teaching & Learning Strategies for Students with Exceptional Learning Needs (3) Assessment Methods and Interpretation in Special Education (3) Fall/Spring I Online Educational Research (3) Foundations of Special Education (3) Year II Summer II Graduate and Special Education Core Curriculum Development & Design in Special Education (3) Advanced Masters Seminar II (1) Language and Literacy Methods in Special Education (3) Planning & Managing the Learning Environment for Students with Exceptional Learning Needs (3) Fall II Online Nature and Needs of Students with LD (3) Year III Summer III Concluding Professional Experiences Collaboration and Consultation Skills (3) Graduate Internship in Special Education (3) Advanced Masters Seminar III (1) Portfolio Approval (Faculty Review)

10 Gifted Education Teachers who want to study more closely the unique educational issues of gifted students (K-12) will take 33 hours of graduate courses in areas such as social and emotional needs of gifted students, curriculum development and instructional methods for gifted students. In addition to the graduate and Gifted Education core, students will select two electives from a variety of topics, such as math, science, literature and instructional technologies. Sample Gifted Education schedule Year I Summer I Graduate and Gifted Education Core Advanced Psychological Theory in the Classroom (3) Advanced Masters Seminar I (1) Instructional Methods for Gifted Students (3) Educational Testing & Measurement (3) Fall/Spring I Online Foundations of Education of Gifted Students (3) Social and Emotional Needs of Gifted Students (3) Year II Summer II Graduate and Gifted Education Core Curriculum Development and Differentiation for Gifted Students (3) Advanced Masters Seminar II (1) Collaboration and Consultation Skills (3) Elective (3) Fall II Online Educational Research (3) Year III Summer III Concluding Professional Experiences Elective (3) Advanced Masters Seminar III (1) Melissa Walker M.Ed., Gifted Education Class of 2008 Melissa Walker s love of teaching started at home. I began my life teaching my little brother, she says. Now, he is a senior Honors Fellow and biology major at Elon! With an undergraduate degree from Elon, Melissa has returned for the M.Ed. program because it matched her busy schedule. The structure of the program allows her to take classes during her summer breaks, giving her time to devote to her studies without compromising her passion for teaching. My life revolves around teaching. I was not willing to give up extended amounts of time for graduate work during the school year, she says. The summer cohort program allows me to focus on learning only, instead of having to worry about planning lessons and writing papers at the same time. It provided me with the best of both worlds and was the ideal situation for me. Melissa currently teaches fifth grade at Alexander Wilson Elementary School in Graham, N.C. She finds herself taking what she has learned at Elon and applying it in her own classroom. I have found myself constantly thinking about what I learned this summer as I plan lessons, she says. I also like to share what I ve learned with my colleagues. With her commitment to teaching firmly in place, Melissa believes that learning should never stop. Teachers should never stop learning new ways to meet the diverse needs of their children, she says. My graduate studies at Elon have not only made me a better teacher, they have made me a better thinker. Portfolio Approval (Faculty Review)

11 Why I Chose Elon

12 Accessible faculty mentors The M.Ed. faculty has a well-earned reputation for being active scholars. They make presentations and deliver papers at professional meetings, write and publish in professional journals, act as consultants and serve on national, state and local advisory committees. Elon s classes are small, and the graduate faculty is accessible. You will have a faculty advisor who oversees your progress throughout the program, including the development of your graduate portfolio. Whether you are on campus or working from home, your professors will be available to answer questions, give advice and offer you support. This atmosphere of personal attention sets the Elon M.Ed. program apart. Meet the M.Ed. faculty Dr. Gerald Dillashaw, dean of the School of Education, has special interests in science education, testing and measurement, and faculty evaluation. He has worked as an assessment consultant for the states of Illinois and North Carolina. He also has written test questions for two national standardized achievement tests. Dr. Judith Howard, director of Elon s M.Ed. program, specializes in the design of curriculum and instruction for exceptional learners. She produced a series of problem-based curriculum units for use in K-12 classrooms, and her current research explores effective implementation in inclusive settings. Dr. Howard publishes in professional journals, speaks frequently at professional conferences and has consulted with more than 50 school districts nationwide. Dr. Jimmie Agnew has created and coordinated interdisciplinary science courses in the classroom and online. Her interests include integrating technology and interdisciplinary science. Dr. Agnew created and edited several online resources for McGraw Hill and authored questions for the Educational Testing Service. Dr. Stephen Byrd spent 10 years teaching at the elementary level, including special education in both private and public schools. His research interests include curriculum-based measurement, mathematics instruction for students with disabilities, categorical special education and teacher preparation for special and general educators. Dr. Byrd has been involved in several writing projects including special education textbooks. Dr. Glenda Beamon Crawford has been researching the cognitive, social and personal development of adolescent learners for more than 20 years. She has published three books based on her research, including Teaching With Adolescent Learning in Mind and Managing the Adolescent Classroom. Dr. Crawford has taught elementary, middle and high school students. She is an international consultant on middlelevel education. Dr. Alexa Darby specializes in educational psychology, qualitative research methods and adults with disabilities. Her research areas include teachers emotions in educational reform, emotions and/or motivation in service learning, teaching qualitative methods and adults with disabilities in professional school settings. Dr. Ayesha Delpish specializes in educational measurement, testing and multivariate statistics. She is interested in understanding how pre-service and in-service mathematics teachers change in their understanding of teaching and learning as a result of coursework, field experiences and professional development.

13 The Elon M.Ed. program creates a vibrant 21st century learning community where graduate students and faculty come together to ask questions, share knowledge and challenge one another. Our summer cohort program allows that kind of environment. Just drop in during one of our summer sessions and feel the charge in the air! Judith Howard, professor of education and director of the Master of Education program Dr. Kay Drake taught general and special education in the public schools for more than 20 years. Her areas of expertise include instructional design, curriculum development and issues related to consultation and collaboration in the public schools. She has authored video and text publications on curriculum organization and classroom management for early childhood education programs and is currently investigating problem-based learning in elementary school settings. Dr. Catherine King conducts research on cognitive development across the lifespan, with a specific interest in the ways experience, mediated by family, schooling and culture, shapes our understanding of the world. She is working on a book about preschool education. Dr. Mary Knight-McKenna s background is in speech-language pathology and reading methods for students who struggle to learn to read. She has extensive experience working in inclusive classrooms using a co-teaching model. Her research interests include preservice teachers knowledge of and theoretical orientation to reading instruction and attitudes toward working with children living in poverty. Dr. Deborah Long is the Faculty Administrative Fellow and Assistant to the President. In that capacity she is developing new and enhancing existing programs for underserved youth through Elon-public school partnerships. Dr. Long published and presented on the topics of teacher cognition, curriculum development, problem-based learning, content integration and the scholarship of teaching and learning. Dr. Richard Mihans research interests focus on teacher retention, literacy instruction and course development. Dr. Mihans is a regular presenter at state, national and international conferences. Professor Janice Richardson is the education coordinator in the mathematics department and director of Elon s Teaching Fellows program. Her research focuses on international studies in K-12 mathematics and the content knowledge for elementary mathematics teachers. Dr. Carolyn Stuart s research interests focus on the social skill development of exceptional children, pre-service teacher cognition and quality of parent-teacher partnerships. Dr. Stuart has published her work in educational journals and is a regular presenter at state and national conferences. Professor Barbara Taylor served on the committee to revise the North Carolina K-12 computer/technology skills curriculum and continues as the university representative on the advisory board. She teaches courses aimed at helping teachers make effective and appropriate use of technology. She also provides technical support to teacher education students and faculty. Professor Terry Tomasek s research interests focus on reform-based science teaching and learning with a particular interest in citizen science participation by K-12 students. Professor Tomasek is a regular presenter at state and national conferences.

14 Apply Today The Elon M.Ed. program enrolls cohorts each June. Applications are evaluated on a rolling basis throughout the year. Please submit all required application materials as early as possible prior to enrollment. For a complete list of requirements and additional admissions information, refer to the graduate catalog or visit M.Ed. Admission Checklist 1. Complete the application form. (Apply online at 2. Send official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended. 3. Submit official GRE or MAT scores. 4. Secure three letters of recommendation. 5. Include copy of current teaching license. M.Ed. Class of 2008 Profile Total Students 30 Academic Background Average GPA 3.03 Average GRE (V+Q) 1000 Average MAT 410 Personal Background Average Age 31 Gender Male 17% Female 83%

15 Elon University does not discriminate with regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national or ethnic origin, veteran status or disability in the recruitment and admission of students, the recruitment and employment of faculty and staff or the operation of any of its programs. Students with documented disabilities may request in writing reasonable special services and accommodations. Questions should be directed to Ms. Priscilla Lipe, disability services coordinator, Duke 108H, (336) The university s Section 504 coordinator for students and Title IX coordinator is Dr. Smith Jackson, Alamance 109, (336) The university s Section 504 coordinator for applicants and current employees is Mr. Ronald Klepcyk, 314 W. Haggard Ave., (336) In the spirit of the Elon University Mission Statement, Elon University regards discrimination against gay and lesbian members of the university community as inconsistent with its goal of providing an atmosphere of mutual respect in which students, faculty and staff may learn, work and live. In accordance with the Student Right-to-Know and Campus Security Act, complete information regarding campus security policies and programs and campus crime statistics is available upon request from the Director of University Relations, 2030 Campus Box. Information regarding completion and graduation rates may be obtained from the Office of Admissions or at

16 Degree Offerings Elementary, Gifted and Special Education Start Date June Non- Profit Organization US Postage PAID Permit No. 1 Elon, NC Program Length 3 years Total Credit Hours 33 (Elementary); 33 (Gifted); 36 (Special) cohort Size 40 class Size 15 Average Age 31 Age Range Teaching Experience Required 1 year (2 years preferred) Average GPA 3.03 Average GRE (V+Q) 1000 Average MAT 410 Program founded /07 ELON Office of Graduate Admissions 2750 Campus Box Elon, NC ext. 3 gradadm@elon.edu