Education policies and practices have led to increased opportunities for teachers to become leaders in their schools and communities, including increased responsibilities such as mentoring and curriculum development. The intent of this interdepartmental Certificate of Graduate Study is to provide a 15-credit program of study that directly assists teacher leaders in areas of reflective practice, professional development, mentoring, curriculum development and/or coaching.

6 credit block – Reflective Teaching Fieldwork

In this 6-credit block, students are engaged in reflective study of their educational practices over an extended period of time (typically one year).  The reflective study will ask students to focus on their own practice as well as the learning of their students as individuals, and the diverse contexts in which they all live and work. Students must take a total of 6 credits in this area, either 6 credits of one course or 3 credits from two courses.   This fieldwork will include a major product based upon the reflective study (e.g., teaching portfolio, article for publication, National Board Certification documents, Capital District Writing Project activity).

EAPS 895    Internship
ERDG 695    Supervised Fieldwork
ERDG 743    Researching Classroom Literacy
ETAP 696    Reflective Practice

3 credit course – Course in Professional Development, Mentoring, or Coaching

Students must take a 3-credit course in the area of professional development, mentoring, or coaching.  The options focus on how to teach adults with courses assignments and projects intended to assist teachers in assuming leadership responsibilities.

Select one course from these options:

EAPS 619    Supervisory Leadership
ERDG 757    Research on Preparing Literacy Teachers
ETAP 770    Frameworks for Professional Development
EAPS/ERDG/ETAP 687    Institute in Education

6 Credit Block – Area of Focused Study

In this 6-credit block, students will select a pre-approved set of coursework or work with their advisor to develop a two-course sequence that best assists the students in pursuing a particular area of interest.   This will often align with a subject area, though it may also be broader such as a teacher leadership in general.