M.Ed. Viewbook 2010­2011

ELON M.Ed. Master of Education at Elon University

www.elon.edu/med

Emp owering Dedic ated Teachers to B ecome I nspired Leaders You teach because you love learning. You’re determined to ignite that same passion in each of your students. And now you’re ready for the next step. You’re ready to become a leader in your school and bring renewed inspiration to your classroom.

At Elon, you’ll earn a master’s degree and advanced licensure without sacrificing your demanding teaching schedule. You’ll work in small classes with faculty and students who share your drive and will help you achieve your goals.

Empowering A fully accredited program Elon M.Ed. graduates boast a 100 percent pass rate on advanced licensure exams. That’s one of the reasons why Elon is widely recognized for the success of its teacher education program. It meets the highest professional standards and 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, D.C., 20036; phone (202) 466-7496. 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.

Inspired

Exceptional Preparing Teachers to do Exceptional Work Convenient Summer Schedule: Take the majority of your classes over three summers and complete the remaining courses online during the intervening school years. Your workload is demanding, and our schedule is specifically designed to help you balance classroom responsibilities with graduate work.

Affordable Cost: Enjoy the benefits of a private university education with a cost comparable to public institutions. Tuition is fixed at the beginning of your first summer session.

Leadership Specialization: You want to do more for your students, and more for yourself. Dedicated classroom work and special learning opportunities prepare graduates to take on new leadership roles in their schools and act as mentors to other educators.

Community of Learners: Elon’s central location draws students from both the Triangle and Triad areas, which allows you to network with teachers from school systems across a major section of North Carolina.

Research and Inquiry: Learn to critically evaluate research literature and conduct action research projects. Write an action research prospectus and then carry out the project. Students also may collaborate with faculty on scholarly research endeavors. You’ll enjoy working with and learning from Elon’s outstanding professors.

Teachers

Inquiry Three Paths of I nquir y Select from three programs, each designed to meet the specific needs and goals of a particular learner. Visit www.elon.edu/med for sample schedules.

1

E lementar y Educ ation

Sp ecial Educ ation

G if ted Educ ation

n You’ll take 33 semester hours of graduate

n You’ll take 33 hours of graduate courses on

n You’ll take 33 semester hours of graduate

3

courses on topics including critical issues

topics such as assessment methods and

courses in areas such as social and emotional

in elementary education and principles of

teaching/learning strategies for exceptional

needs of gifted students and instructional

effective instruction.

students.

methods for gifted students.

n Complete the graduate core curriculum, the

n During an internship with Elon’s Summer

elementary education core and an elective

Learning and Enrichment Academy, graduate

from topics such as math, science and

students create individualized learning

literature.

environments and work closely with students

Selected core courses include:

2

with disabilities and their families.

Selected core courses include:

Advanced Psychological Theory in the Classroom Critical Issues in Elementary Education Advanced Literacy Development Educating Diverse Learners

Educational Assessment and Evaluation Language and Literacy Methods in Special Education

Curriculum and Instructional Design in Special Education Classroom Management for Exceptional Learners

n Select two electives from a variety of topics, such as math, science and literature.

Selected core courses include:

Foundations of Gifted Education

Social and Emotional Needs of Gifted Students

Curriculum and Instructional Design in Gifted Education Instructional Technology in the Classroom

Inside the Curriculum: Instructional Technologies in the Classroom M.Ed. students learn to incorporate technology into teaching and learning.

The focus is on tools that can be used to facilitate creativity, communication and collaboration. Technologies might include: blogs, wikis, podcasts, digital storytelling, screencasting and video production. “This class provided an environment where I could experiment with new tools and could struggle and even fail in order to learn. While I already incorporated technology into the classroom, I returned to school not only energized with new tools but also with a better basis for selecting specific technology.�

Marty Erskine, North Stokes High School Gifted Education, Class of 2011 .

Community Communit y of Learners Study Abroad: Costa Rica Elon offers an inspiring study abroad option for M.Ed. students. Spend two weeks in Costa Rica studying curriculum and culture. Students develop an inquiry question before the journey and research the answer while abroad.

Upon returning to Elon, students present the results of their research and discuss lessons learned from observing Costa Rican classrooms and attitudes toward education.

“It was important to me to see how education is conducted in an international setting. Costa Ricans do what they have to do and get by with the basic necessities. Some of the schools we visited barely had the basics but the teachers were respected and education seemed important to everyone.

My Spanish language skills are limited, and while we were in Costa Rica, I put myself in the shoes of my Hispanic students who speak little English. When I felt frustrated because I didn’t know the language, it gave me valuable insight into how my students might feel. I am making a concerted effort to learn Spanish at a level where I can communicate with my students and show them they can have a place of refuge if frustrated by certain situations around campus.”

Alan Rigsbee, Northern Durham High School Gifted Education, Class of 2011

Global

Global Insight Visiting International Faculty (VIF) students, who come from all over the world to teach in the U.S. for three years, bring an international perspective to classes and provide opportunities for sharing experiences in informal discussions with newfound friends and colleagues.

“My Elon experience prepared me for a career in special education through rigorous studies that familiarized me with special education laws and current models, such as CBM and RTI (Curriculum Based Measurement and Response To Intervention), that have helped me master the essential tools of this trade.

My professors exhibited deep content knowledge and competency that were crowned by strong and dedicated relations with the students.”

Peter Ruhiri M.Ed.’08, Ledford Middle School Special Education

AccessibleFaculty

Alumna in Action: Tyronna Hooker M.Ed.’09, Special Education 2010 Alamance-Burlington Teacher of the Year, Graham Middle School “Elon gave me the ability to reflect. It’s so easy to get caught in the daily cycle of tasks and achievements, but this degree has given me the tools to research best practices and to realize the importance of taking time to evaluate what’s happening in my classroom.”

Tradition A Tradition of Leadership Elon’s M.Ed. program empowers you to create learning environments that enable all of your students to experience personal success. Employ critical thought to analyze your teaching methods and take time to think about how you can further improve your work in the classroom. By the time you graduate, you’ll see yourself as a leader in your school and a mentor to other teachers.

“My time at Elon reinforced the importance of not simply teaching content, but teaching students. While my students benefited tremendously from new strategies and a re-envisioned focus on formative assessment to shape instruction and achievement, my skills as a teacher leader allowed me to impact students in other classrooms as I began to broaden my sphere of influence. I became more skilled and confident in my writing and researching abilities and have gone on to become a mentor for new teachers. I have an administrative license and am pursuing a doctoral degree to continue to inspire and lead other teachers to make an impact on the lives of children each day.”

M. Tanner Gamble M.Ed.’06, Carrington Middle School assistant principal Elementary Education

Leadership

Collaborate Collab orate with O utstanding Facult y S cholars The M.Ed. faculty has a stellar reputation as both accessible mentors and active scholars. They make presentations and deliver papers at professional meetings, publish work in scholarly journals and serve on national, state and local advisory boards.

A faculty adviser will oversee your progress throughout the program.

Whether you are on campus or working from home, your professors will be available to answer questions, give advice and offer support.

Dina Rieley, Heather Tuggle and Michelle Himmelman worked with Jean Rattigan-Rohr, assistant professor of education, on research examining the effects of a home-university tutoring program on struggling readers’ grades. They wrote reviews, observed undergraduate students as they tutored struggling readers and worked with readers’ parents. The students also made home visits and engaged in classroom observations.

Faculty Scholars

Prepared for Success “I left the M.Ed. program feeling more confident and better informed about my practice after hearing from and working with other teachers.

It was different than my undergraduate experience, where I felt as though I absorbed knowledge from professors. At Elon, I was in charge of my learning. The opportunity to exchange ideas with my professors and colleagues from different schools and specialties was invaluable and allowed me to reenter the classroom a much more resourceful and confident teacher.”

Kim Mellor, M.Ed.’05, McDougle Elementary School Elementary Education

a distinctive degree

ELON M.Ed. Apply To day The M.Ed. enrolls a new cohort 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, but no later than May 1.

For a complete list of requirements and additional admissions information, visit

Success www.elon.edu/med.

ELON About Elon National Rankings U.S.News & World Report ranked Elon #2 among 118 Southern master’s-level universities in its 2011 “America’s Best Colleges” guide. The Princeton Review lists Elon among the nation’s top schools in its 2011 “The Best 373 Colleges” guide. The National Survey of Student Engagement consistently names Elon one of the top schools in the country for actively engaging students in their learning experience.

Faculty Eighty-six percent of Elon’s full-time faculty holds the highest degrees in their fields. The university’s student-tofaculty ratio is 13-1, and the average class size is 21. The M.Ed. student-to-faculty ratio is 8-1.

Enrollment and Location Elon’s 5,032 undergraduate and 677 graduate students come from 48 states, the District of Columbia and 49 other countries. Located in Elon, North Carolina, Elon’s 575-acre historic campus is a designated botanical garden. Elon is 30 minutes east of Greensboro and 45 minutes west of Chapel Hill and Durham.

Majors and Degrees Elon offers more than 50 majors leading to the bachelor of arts, bachelor of fine arts or bachelor of science degrees.

Master’s degrees are awarded in business administration, interactive media and education. Elon offers a doctor of physical therapy (DPT), and the Elon University School of Law offers the J.D. degree.

Office of Graduate Admissions 2750 Campus Box Elon, NC 27244-2010 800-334-8448 ext. 3 gradadm@elon.edu www.elon.edu/med

Non-Profi t O rg ani z ati on US Postag e PA ID Per mi t No. 1 Elon, NC