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VIII. Advanced Professional
Preparation Programs:
The conceptual framework metaphor, “Educators
as Architects” applies to both the undergraduate and graduate professional
education programs at Morehead State University. The focus of these programs
is to help candidates learn to design environments in which public school
students construct knowledge and develop skills that will prepare them
to be lifelong learners. This theme is infused throughout the initial
and advanced teacher preparation programs. It is also the basis for the
graduate programs in school counseling and school leadership. In these
programs candidates learn to use research-based best practices to prepare
them to practice effectively in authentic school-based situations. In
addition to the conceptual framework, the key elements of our undergraduate
program outlined above, including the integration of technology, assessment,
etc., are also incorporated into the graduate programs.
Knowledge and Skill Base for Graduate Programs
The knowledge base for coursework for advanced study is program-specific,
reflecting the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that are essential
for graduate level fulfillment of the standards set forth by the state
for beginning and experienced teachers, administrators, and school counselors.
Graduate programs build upon this foundation to: 1) deepen the experienced
educators’ knowledge and skills in their areas of specialization,
2) increase all educators’ understanding of the developmental and
learning needs of their students, and 3) enable educators’ to become
conversant with research literature. The courses are organized to incorporate
the New and Experienced Teacher Standards, School Counselor Standards,
and ISLLC School Administrator Standards. The goal of these programs is
to enhance the career long efforts of professionals to become effective
self-reflective practitioners and consumers of educational research (Richardson,
1996; Miller, Wilkes, Sheetham & Goodwin, 1993).
There are three domains common to the advanced program experience: 1)
research studies, 2) content studies, and 3) integrative studies. The
constructivist conceptual framework of Educators as Architects is infused
throughout the graduate programs to give candidates an opportunity to
connect their formal learning to the real world of public education. Candidates
are provided experiences to help them learn to perform effectively in
authentic school-based situations. Ultimately all graduate students must
demonstrate knowledge, skills and dispositions that are critical to success
as an experienced teacher, a school counselor, or an administrator.
There are three phases of assessment as candidates move through graduate
study: 1) Admission to Graduate Study and an Educator Preparation Program,
2) Eligibility to sit for the exam, and 3) Program Completion . The specific
data collected and used to determine candidate eligibility to continue
in a program, the person(s) or group responsible for making the decision,
and the mechanisms used to inform candidates about their status is articulated
in the Graduate Transition Points document presented below.
Research Studies
The Research Design and Methods in Education (EDF 600) course is constructed
to develop knowledge and skills leading to the candidates’ abilities
to: 1) select, delineate and state a research problem, 2) develop techniques
of bibliography building, 3) select and implement methods of organization
and investigation, 4) apply appropriate statistical methods when analyzing
data, and 5) format a research paper according to American Psychological
Association (APA) guidelines. This course challenges all graduate candidates’
to design effective research models. It also addresses the use of research
to inform individual and school/district-level educational practice through
instruction in how to conduct and use action research. An additional program
specific research course familiarizes candidates with current discipline-specific
research and models, the literature upon which it is based, the sources/techniques
used to access this research, and opportunities to develop research skills
(http://curriculum.calstatela.edu/faculty/psparks/theorists/501/consti.htm).
Content Studies
Courses are designed to contribute to substantial growth and development
of knowledge and skills addressed in program specific standards. Courses
address appropriate standards and learning opportunities. Successful completion
of all required course work results in candidate exposure to and demonstration
of the competence in the full spectrum of standards. To ensure that individuals
fulfill program requirements when completing elective course or cluster
to build a specific body of knowledge related to their professional roles
the guidelines and standards of the appropriate learned society or professional
association have been integrated into the decision-making process regarding
course content, course requirements, program outcomes, and assessment.
Integrative Studies
A variety of purposes are fulfilled and different formats are used to
provide candidates in advanced programs with meaningful on-site experiences
intended to develop and document their ability to mesh theory with practice.
Clinical and field experiences are an integral part of all advanced programs
and include: collaboration, applied research, curriculum analysis and
revision, analysis of the education community, evaluation of management
systems, program planning and evaluation, educational leadership, analysis
of counseling techniques, and practice using clinical skills. These experiences
occur in genuine educational settings, often in the candidates’ own
classrooms or schools, thus giving them the opportunity to view themselves,
their students, the learning environment, and their work from a different
perspective (http://www.coe.uh.edu/~9chen/ebook/EFITT/cognitive.htm).
Through application of expanded knowledge and skills in real world settings,
candidates are able to construct meaningful learning environments of their
students (Dewey, 1959). Through reflection, assessment, and self-analysis,
candidates continue to grow and develop as practitioners.
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