Department of Education
The School of Education prepares educators who are passionate about their profession, who are committed to creating a caring and nurturing teaching environment for all students. Our students demonstrate commitment to the idea that every student has the right and ability to learn. They possess the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to foster the emotional, social, and academic development of each student they serve. This profession requires stamina, creativity, and the use of each individual’s unique strength to inspire, lead, and motivate their students. Teachers can almost always find work, even when just starting out. And the intangible rewards—the knowledge that one is making an enormous difference in the lives of countless children—are immeasurable.
The School works to foster the academic and professional development of its students on their path to becoming competent, caring professionals. Through a combination of undergraduate and graduate coursework, the School offers students the opportunity to develop their instructional competence and professional leadership skills in the pursuit of academic excellence in a values-centered, pluralistic environment of intellectual curiosity and free exchange of ideas.
Education students will be able to demonstrate subject matter knowledge and pedagogical knowledge, while displaying the ability to teach all students in an effective and caring manner. They will demonstrate positive values, ethical and reflective practice, and will be well equipped to seek opportunities for professional growth.
Undergraduate students pursue a tailored set of six courses that provide the foundational knowledge for teacher education and articulate into our Dual Certification Masters Degrees on both the Childhood and Adolescent levels.
School of Education Departmental Learning Outcomes
The outcomes for teacher candidates are aligned with the ten Interstate New Teacher Assessment & Support Consortium (INTASC) Standards, New York State Teaching Standards, NYS Culturally Responsive Sustaining Education (CRSE) framework, Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP) Standards, and University learning outcomes.
Upon completion of their MS in Education at the University of Mount Saint Vincent, teacher candidates will demonstrate competency in each of the eight departmental learning outcomes. By achieving these outcomes, students will be effective educators with a solid understanding of content, the learner, instructional practices and professional responsibility.
Outcome 1: Knowledge and Content Mastery – The teacher understands the content they are responsible for teaching, including the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) and creates learning experiences that make these aspects of the discipline accessible and meaningful for learners.
Outcome 2: Learner Development and Differences – Teachers understand how learners grow and develop, recognizing individual variations across cognitive, linguistic, social, cultural, emotional, and physical areas. They design and implement developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences, using knowledge of individual differences and diverse cultures to create inclusive environments that promote achievement for all students.
Outcome 3: Learning Environment – Teachers collaborate to create dynamic environments that support individual and collaborative learning, encourage positive social interaction, active engagement, self-motivation, and foster student achievement and growth.
Outcome 4: Instructional Skills and Strategies – Teachers connect concepts and use diverse perspectives to engage learners in critical thinking, creativity, and problem solving. Teachers plan and implement instruction that supports rigorous learning goals, using a variety of strategies to ensure deep understanding and meaningful application of knowledge, engaging and challenging all students to meet or exceed standards.
Outcome 5: Assessment and Evaluation – Teachers use multiple methods of assessment to engage learners in their growth, monitor progress, and guide decision-making. They assess and document student growth, evaluate instructional effectiveness, and modify instruction accordingly.
Outcome 6: Leadership and Collaboration – Teachers seek leadership roles and opportunities to take responsibility for student learning, collaborating with learners, families, colleagues, other school professionals, and community members to ensure learner growth and advance the profession. They demonstrate professional responsibility and engage relevant stakeholders to maximize student growth, development, and learning.
Outcome 7: Ethics and Values – Teachers demonstrate professional responsibility by engaging in ongoing professional learning, continually evaluating their practices (particularly the effects of their choices and actions on learners, families, other professionals, and the community) and by employing ethical decision making.
Outcome 8: Professional Development and Growth – Teachers participate in continuous professional development, set informed goals, and use evidence to continually evaluate their practices, specifically addressing the impact of their choices and actions on other educational stakeholders and adapt their practices to meet the needs of each learner, striving for continuous professional growth.
Contact
718.405.3284
teachered@umsv.edu
Founders Hall 322