Master of Education Degree in Curriculum and Instruction with Specialization in INTEGRATED TEACHING THROUGH THE ARTS

Leading to a Massachusetts Professional Teacher License in Early Childhood: Teacher of Children With and Without Disabilities and Elementary Education

Prerequisite: Massachusetts Initial license in Early Childhood: Teacher of Children with or without Disabilities or initial license in Elementary Education.

This program enhances a teacher's ability to reach all learners in his or her classroom and to re-invigorate and enliven his or her teaching. It requires 33 credits of graduate study. The program is offered on campus and at sites throughout the US.

The program is offered on campus in a combination of weekly and intensive weekend formats. Regionally and nationally, the program is offered in an intensive weekend format. Many alumni report that a chief benefit of the program is developing effective classroom teaching strategies to meet the challenges of today's educational climate.

The Course of Study

The course of study consists of five core education courses and six integrated arts courses, offered in a specific sequence culminating in an integrative project.

• Integrated Arts Approaches in the Curriculum introduces students to the intermodal aspects of all the arts. Students begin to reflect on arts-based education and look at their own practice.
• Drama and Critical Literacy uses theatre-based learning to bridge literacy skills.
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment helps students build a philosophical foundation for integrating the arts into existing curriculum, and for generating new curriculum.
• Creative Movement: Kinesthetic Learning Across the Curriculum integrates kinesthetic modes of learning, with movement as a language for interdisciplinary inquiry.
• Educator Inquiry: Seminar and Thesis Project is the culminating course where students formulate philosophies of arts-based education, and apply theory and experience in the various art forms in a curriculum-related project, which makes an original contribution in the field of education.

For information on Massachusetts licensure, see: http://www.lesley.edu/certification.html.