The Integrated Bachelor's/Master's Teacher Education Program

Program Tenets - Masters Year:
Professional Inquiry and Leadership

In the Master's Year, termed "Teacher as Leader", there is a significant change in the level of responsibility and autonomy assumed by the IB/M student as they become graduate students working toward their Master's degree. The twin themes of the final year of the program are leadership and inquiry. The IB/M program in the fifth year encourages students to take on leadership roles in their schools and prepare them to serve as innovators and change agents in the education profession.

The clinic experience in the Master's Year is known as the internship. Students work 20 hours per week in their internships for the entire academic year. Internships have been designed and proposed by school district personnel to meet the needs and interests of the school district in which the internship takes place. Typically, internships place IB/M students in leadership roles, working collaboratively with teachers and administrators in designing and implementing curricula and special programs.

In addition to functioning as a teacher leader in an educational setting, the internship provides an opportunity for the IB/M student to conduct a significant piece of professional inquiry in the form of an inquiry project. Ideally, inquiry projects address issues of genuine concern to teachers and administrators working in the internship site. University faculty guide the students in the conceptualization, development, implementation, and writing of their inquiry projects. Through the process of completing the inquiry project, students learn how, when, and why to use inquiry as a tool for professional growth.