Monday, July 16, 2007
Master of Science in Education
If you are considering applying to the Master of Science in Education program at USI, this story of two teachers who are in the program may provide useful information as you review your plans. Annette AltmeyerAnnette Altmeyer of Huntingburg earned the Master of Science in Education degree in 1998. Altmeyer said, “The hospitality did not end with graduation. Faculty members I met are still willing to talk and help me when I have questions. I feel connected personally to the faculty.” She teaches pre-algebra, advanced math, and math to 7th grade students at Heritage Hills Middle School and algebra I and geometry at Heritage Hills High School. Her undergraduate degree is from Indiana University. Altmeyer is also a current USI graduate student, enrolled in the Educational Leadership program for administrative licensure. She’ll complete the one-year program in December. A benefit of graduate study for Altmeyer is meeting other teachers. Learning is a relationship between a student and a professor, but it is much more. Students learn from each other. “I like getting perspectives from language arts, social science, and art teachers,” she said. “When I attend conferences, it is generally with other math teachers. In graduate classes, I meet teachers in other disciplines and from other school corporations. It is useful to learn the way other teachers deal with issues.” Altmeyer continued, “I have contacts throughout southern Indiana and we have kept in touch by e-mail after classes ended. I’ve toured the Southern Indiana Career and Technical Center, a resource that offers training in diverse study using emerging technology and equipment. I learned that the facility offers opportunities for students in south Spencer County so I’ve been able to pass along that information to my students." Often prospective graduate students are concerned about juggling the various responsibilities with meeting class requirements. While in school for her first graduate degree, Altmeyer managed teaching and attending classes by combining tasks. She said, “I selected research that related to my classroom or my school. My research on loop or continuous learning led to introducing, with a colleague, team teaching at Heritage Hills. Two of the four teams participated in continuous learning, meaning 7th and 8th grades kept the same teacher for two years and two teams remained standard with different teachers for the two years. “In the graduate classes, professors offer a range of topics for research, so it is important to select appropriately to fit your needs. I often choose topics that are new and that I want to learn. The projects assigned are not busy work, then. I find the work professionally uplifting. Plus I have a supportive spouse and family.” “I also feel it is good for a teacher to be on the other side of the desk. As a student I wanted feedback from the teacher. Therefore, I’m more aware of the importance of feedback to a student.” She recalled a class on Tests and Measurements. She said, “It was a wonderful class. It helped me look at tests and the way they need to be written. I still use the material today.” Amanda Marie Wagner “Learning new teaching strategies is an important part of the graduate program,” said Amanda Marie Wagner, a student in the USI Master of Science in Education program. “The program can be customized for a student’s teaching plans. I’m getting a minor in reading so I can add a reading endorsement to my license.” Dr. Michael Slavkin, the director of graduate education for the Teacher Education Department, explained that the graduate program is not a prescriptive program where all students take the same classes. He said, “Our students can take a sequence of courses to allow the addition of an endorsement in reading, technology, or other areas, to be highly qualified in more subject areas.” Wagner is a teacher at Perry Heights Middle School in Evansville. She graduated in 2006 from University of Southern Indiana with a Bachelor of Science degree, summa cum laude. She enrolled in two 10-week courses and a distance education class. “I am accustomed to being a student so my study skills are sharp, and I have fewer personal obligations at this time,” she said. Dr. Slavkin is one of Wagner’s teachers. He is an expert on service learning, a teaching method that enriches learning by engaging students in meaningful service to the community. One of his teaching interests includes design of service-learning projects that expand social activism and student empowerment. Wagner said, “For Dr. Slavkin’s class, I am designing a curriculum around environmental responsibility. I’ll have students recycle cans—the service portion of the project. I plan for them to keep a log of the activity to make them mindful of consumption and waste management—that will be the learning portion of the lesson. “Dr. Slavkin emphasizes that students at this age need to be actively involved in their learning. He tells us their input will make the classes more meaningful to them,” she said. Dr. Joyce Hamon, associate chair and director of School Partnerships for the Department of Teacher Education, is another of Wagner’s teachers. Her expertise is literary education, specifically literature for children and young adults. “In Dr. Hamon’s class I have access to recommended reading lists for the age group I teach,” said Wagner. “This class gives me a good excuse to read stories and poetry so I can pass along the enthusiasm I have for the literature. “Choosing the right book is an important part of teaching literature to this age group. If it is too easy, the students will be bored. If the book is too difficult, students will feel frustrated. I need to think of the level of the vocabulary, the length, and the complexity of the story,” she said. Wagner will complete nine credit hours this summer because she also enrolled in Trends in Reading, a distance education course. She said, “I do the independent reading, and write my reflections in an online journal. I get feedback from Dr. Susan Gooden, who teaches the course.” Dr. Gooden is an associate professor in the Teacher Education Department. Graduate students can choose the elementary education or secondary education program when they apply for the Master of Science in Education. Detailed information about the program is available from Dr. Slavkin at 812/464-1858 or mslavin@usi.edu. |
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