Masters in Education Degree in Teaching, Learning, and Leadership

Course Descriptions

Leadership Common Core Coursework

MTLL 6003 School Organization and Leadership for Teacher Leaders. This course will examine how schools are organized and supported from the federal level to the local school. The concepts of leadership and its role at all levels will be a focal part of this study. Students will begin to examine their leadership style and dispositions.

MTLL 6113 Action Research and Data Analysis for School and Classroom Use. This course will focus on the analysis of data with emphasis on student achievement and whole school accountability. Data driven decision-making will be examined. Students will look at research methodologies with a focus on action research and the role of the leader in facilitating action research in the field.

MTLL 6123 Instructional Leadership for the Master Teacher. This course will focus on the "hard and soft" skills of instructional leadership, counseling, and micro-counseling. The teaching and learning process will be the focus of student work. Students will learn how to observe and coach for excellence in teaching and learning. The reflective practice model will serve as a basis for theory and skill development.

MTLL 6133 Basic Elements  of Curriculum. This course will focus on national, state, and local curriculum standards. Students will gain an understanding of the alignment issues of curriculum, instruction, and assessment as they prepare a curriculum artifact based on the principles of curriculum.

MTLL 6143 Organizational Change and the Role of the Master Teacher. This course will examine theories of change looking at research and case studies of first and second order change. Students will gain strategies as leaders of change as schools work to move closer to higher performance. Students will study a current change taking place in a school.

MTLL 6152 Professional Portfolio for the Master Teacher. This course will examine the role of the student portfolio and the teaching portfolio. The main focus will be the professional portfolio for the candidate's completion of their degree program.

Additional Course Requirements

MTLL 6202 Professionalization of Teaching for the Master Teacher. This course will examine the philosophies and historical perspectives of education for the purpose of reflection on individual teaching and learning practices. Students will purposefully explore and define who they are as a master teacher and what core beliefs impact teaching and learning in their classroom.

MTLL 6223 Teaching and Learning for the Master Teacher. This course will explore theories and best practices that can lead to improved student performance.

MTLL 5232 Reflective Practice: Analysis of Teaching and Learning for the Master Teacher. This course will focus on the analysis of actual classroom teaching and learning practices. Emphasis will be on the identification of practices and ways to target improved performance.

MTLL 6242 Cognitive Coaching and Mentoring for the Master Teacher. Students will develop the necessary skills that will enable the master teacher to be a peer learning coach and mentor for the inductee, peer, and/or marginal teacher.

MTLL 6212 Communication, Advocacy, and Policy Development for the Master Teacher. Effective means of communicating classroom related issues, in order to be an advocate for teaching and learning practices that make a difference for teaching and learning will be examined in this course, as well as, ways for the master teacher to impact policy development at the district, state, and national levels.

MTLL 6243 Advanced Curriculum Design Practicum for the Master Teacher. This course will focus on advanced methods of curriculum design. The role of the teacher leaders in the curriculum development process will be explored and acquisition of the skills necessary to facilitate, implement, assess, and sustain the process will be learned.

MTLL 6262 Action Research Practicum for the Master Teacher. This course will focus on the implementation of the student action research design, developed in the initial research course, Action Research and Data Analysis for School and Classroom Use. Analysis of field data from this research will be aggregated with emphasis on students achievement. Effective communication of the research results to various audiences will also be explored.

MTLL 6271 Resource Acquisition for the Master Teacher. This course will provide the opportunity for students to discuss, explore, and acquire skills that will supplement means to augment classroom resources in addition to the allocated budget.

MTLL 6282 Evaluation of Classroom Learning for the Master Teacher. Assessment means to evaluate student performance will be explored with the emphasis being on authentic assessments.