Master of Arts in Teaching Courses

Instructional design and the psychological foundations of teaching and learning are important components for teacher candidates pursuing a complex understanding of instructional practices. Significant attention is given to connecting theory and practice, providing depth and understanding to the process of K–12 learning and lesson design. The theoretical foundations of learning involve the study of major learning theories, learner preferences, learner outcomes, the instructional process, identifying individual differences, optimal learning environments, and assessing the learner to drive instruction. Aspects of planning, instructional strategies, assessment, management, and creating a positive learning environment will be presented so that candidates can create comprehensive and meaningful instructional sequences to meet the diverse needs of students. Finally, characteristics of child development from birth through adolescence and their implications on teaching and learning will be explored. 

This course is an introduction to theoretical foundations and strategies for teaching English language literacy. Through the integration of literacy coursework and clinical practice, teacher candidates will learn about materials and practices that support effective instruction in five key themes of literacy instruction: meaning making, language development, effective expression, content knowledge, and foundational skills. Candidates will learn how to plan and implement evidence-based instructional practices and understand how children develop language and literacy with a focus on multiple, critical, and disciplinary literacies. They will implement multiple assessment measures to monitor students' literacy development and plan instruction that meets the unique needs of all students to advance learning. The clinical experience will provide authentic opportunities for the implementation of standards-based instruction.

This course examines social, cultural, philosophical, historical, and ethical foundations and their impact on education and schools in society. Teacher candidates will analyze how the context, structure, and history of education influence current school policies and practices. This course describes how this foundational knowledge can inform teaching and provide strategies for working with students’ families and the school community to support student learning. Teacher candidates will explore multiple pedagogical frameworks to foster culturally relevant and responsive classrooms and how to access resources to support students with a variety of lived experiences and diverse needs. Focus is placed on helping education candidates use this foundational knowledge toward effective teaching and learning in classroom settings and learning environments. Students will recognize their values and implicit and explicit biases and examine multiple perspectives of equity-based education to foster growth as an ethical leader committed to social justice.

In this course, candidates will learn evidence-based, practical strategies for promoting literacy for multilingual learners in dual-language and English classrooms. Candidates will study contemporary language acquisition theory as it relates to instruction, as well as evidence-based approaches to ensure the inclusion and promote academic success of all students. Candidates will learn how to appropriately assess and interpret results for multilingual students and the identification of special accommodations, including giftedness. Sessions will focus on issues regarding cultural and linguistic diversity, historical perspectives, current legislation, language development theories, classroom organization, teaching strategies, integrated and designated English language development, and assessment procedures for multilingual learners. The clinical experience will provide authentic opportunities for the implementation of standards-based instruction. 

The purpose of this course is to equip teacher candidates to teach in a general education classroom that includes students with a range of cognitive, socioemotional, and physical abilities. Candidates will learn how to implement Universal Design for Learning and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, collaborate with education specialists and students’ parents, understand and participate in the IEP process, provide accommodations and modifications for students with disabilities, and advocate for students. Candidates will examine pertinent legislation and court decisions, the history of special education, and the notion of disability as a social and cultural construct. This course includes a study of the California Dyslexia Guidelines.

The purpose of this course is to help teacher candidates move toward mastery of the TPEs in order to demonstrate professional responsibility for all aspects of student learning and classroom management in California school classrooms. This course is the first in a developmental sequence in which candidates are introduced to the teaching profession by exposing them to the unique attributes of public, charter, and private school classrooms. Critical policies regarding privacy, health, and safety of students and families and ethical conduct are reviewed. Under the supervision of certified mentor teachers, this course is the first in a developmental sequence of clinical experiences in which candidates observe, assist, tutor, and facilitate small group instruction, as well as monitor student learning and adjust instruction while teaching. Introduction into edTPA will facilitate preparation for MATP 682 and MATP 683. A Certificate of Clearance (COC) and tuberculosis test (PPD skin test) are both required for enrollment in this course. The successful completion of this course and the submission of CBEST and CSET scores to the office of the certificate manager are prerequisites for promotion and enrollment into MATP 682 and MATP 683. 

The purpose of this course is to help candidates develop as teachers by preparing them to gradually take over the teaching responsibilities and classroom activities of K–12 teachers. This course is the second in a developmental sequence of clinical experiences in which candidates participate in their assigned classroom by observing, assisting, tutoring, teaching small groups, and offering whole-class instruction under supervision from mentor teachers in the field. Candidates will have an assigned Pepperdine University field supervisor to support their clinical practice. The successful completion of MATP 681 and the submission of CBEST and CSET scores to the office of the certificate manager are prerequisites for enrollment in this course. Enrollment in this course may require a course fee to prepare for the successful submission of edTPA. 

The purpose of this course is to help teacher candidates move toward mastery in order to perform all of the teaching responsibilities in California K–12 school classrooms. This course is the third in a developmental sequence in which candidates participate full-time in their assigned classroom and perform whole-class instruction under supervision from certified practitioners in the field. Candidates will have an assigned Pepperdine University field supervisor to support their clinical practice. The successful completion of MATP 682 and successful evaluations from the mentor teacher and the assigned Pepperdine University field supervisor are prerequisites for enrollment in this course. Enrollment in this course may require a course fee to prepare for the successful submission of edTPA. 

The purpose of this course is to engage and think critically about contemporary research in education and evaluate credibility and bias within published research. Specific attention will be devoted to the examination of how contemporary issues in education affect students, teachers, parents, and community members in K–12 settings. Candidates will have the opportunity to participate in a research practicum with a faculty member and apply educational theory in real-world learning settings. Candidates will examine all aspects of educational research that include research design, funding of research, human subject guidelines, and publication of research. This course facilitates the mentorship model of educators to be active participants in the field immersed in educational research in K–12 settings. 

This elementary methodology course addresses the planning and developing of integrated content-specific instruction consistent with state-adopted content frameworks: Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Emphasis is placed on differentiating instruction for all students in each of the content areas— mathematics, science, history and social science, and visual and performing arts. Teacher candidates learn instructional strategies for teaching content areas, including direct instruction, inquiry, modeling, collaborative learning, guided and independent practice, project-based learning, research, and creative or personal expression. Candidates practice teaching strategies that emphasize the integration of multiple literacies, English language arts, and the use of educational technology. The study of content-specific instruction is considered in the context of classroom management and organization, classroom procedures, differentiation, diversity, lesson planning, and assessment. 

This methodology course addresses the advanced study of integrated content-specific instruction consistent with state-adopted content frameworks: Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). It addresses the differentiation of instructional needs of all learners for mathematics, science, history and social science, and visual and performing arts in K–8 classrooms. Teacher candidates will apply instructional strategies for teaching content areas, including direct instruction, inquiry, modeling, collaborative learning, guided and independent practice, project-based learning, research, and creative or personal expression. Candidates will apply and practice teaching strategies that emphasize the integration of multiple literacies, English language arts, and the use of educational technology. The study of content-specific instruction is considered in the context of classroom management and organization, classroom procedures, differentiation, diversity, lesson planning, and assessment. 

Candidates working toward the single subject credential will explore the unique aspects of secondary education and the developmental stage of the students in middle and high schools, and they will learn to be reflective teachers who prepare lessons that specifically address the diverse needs of these students. Using research-based instructional strategies that enhance learning for secondary students, candidates begin to connect the specific content learning with adolescent and young adult diverse learning styles. Sessions will focus on current trends, student awareness, curriculum organization, and content expectations in the candidates’ respective subject areas. Through connections between theory and practice, candidates will be able to implement pedagogically sound practices in concert with the clinical experience. This course will explore learning theory, content area literacy, new literacies, and the provision of support for students in linguistically and culturally diverse classrooms. Candidates will set goals, plan learning activities, organize instruction, and select evaluation methods, as well as reflect on secondary classroom practices. In addition, candidates will explore the unique aspects of their subject matter. Specific focus is given to the differences inherent in teaching and learning in the content area: content-specific vocabulary and language, planning techniques that promote active learning, informal writing to learn, and assessments, as well as unique challenges associated with subject matter. Candidates will learn how to use information in their content area to promote learning beyond middle and high school, giving students skills to scaffold successful lifelong learning. 

Candidates working toward the single subject credential will continue to explore the aspects of secondary education and learn to be reflective teachers who prepare lessons that specifically address the diverse needs of these students. Candidates will continue to use research-based instructional strategies that enhance learning for secondary students; candidates begin to connect the specific content learning with adolescent and young adult diverse learning styles. Through connections between theory and practice, the emphasis will be on candidates to focus on specific pedagogy to be able to implement pedagogically sound practices in concert with clinical experience. Sessions will continue to focus on current trends, student awareness, curriculum organization, and content expectation in the candidates’ respective subject areas. Importance will be placed on candidates setting goals, planning learning activities, organizing instruction, and selecting evaluation methods that reflect advanced secondary classroom practices. Continuing to use general secondary methods as a springboard, candidates reflect on their content area to apply and differentiate these strategies. Continued focus will remain on the differences inherent in teaching and learning in the content area: content-specific vocabulary and language, management techniques that promote active learning, informal writing to learn, and assessments, as well as unique challenges associated with subject matter. Candidates will learn how to use information in their content area to promote learning beyond middle and high school, giving students skills to scaffold successful lifelong learning.