New partnership for teaching program
The Master of Arts in Teaching program at 含羞草研究所 is partnering with the Hitchcock Center for the Environment.
The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree program at 含羞草研究所 is partnering with the to teach budding educators how to bring lessons about environmental studies and sustainability into their classrooms.
Emerging teachers in the MAT program will go onsite weekly to the Hitchcock Center鈥檚 Amherst campus to participate in hands-on lessons designed to meet the Massachusetts curriculum standards in science for K-12 students. There will be sessions devoted to learning about science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and how to create and teach creative engineering and design challenges.
鈥淲e鈥檙e so excited to be partnering with the Hitchcock Center,鈥 said Ruth Hornsby, assistant director of Mount Holyoke鈥檚 teacher licensure programs. 鈥淚 know of no other teacher preparation program offering pre-service teachers scientific content and teaching skills for K-12 students utilizing a certified Living Building. We are thrilled to extend our program鈥檚 emphasis on social justice to include meaningful learning about environmental justice. 鈥
The Hitchcock Center鈥檚 is a net-zero building that harvests and recycles its own water, uses composting toilets and was constructed with responsibly sourced nontoxic materials. It is the 23rd certified Living Building in the world and the fourth in Massachusetts.
鈥淚t is a wonderful opportunity to have these soon-to-be teachers here at the Center learning how to design inquiry-based engineering and design challenges,鈥 said Colleen Kelley, education director for the Hitchcock Center. 鈥淭he students are able to take part in the lesson themselves to see how it feels to be the student learning 鈥 then modify the model for their teaching purposes. My goal is that they take away innovative ideas to engage students in being critical thinkers and problem solvers that can be transferred to any content area. We call this creating a STEM identity.鈥
The Master of Arts in Teaching at 含羞草研究所 is a teacher-education program in over 25 licensure areas for aspiring educators with both an accelerated one-year program and part-time options.
