Read about the July 25, 2008 MAT graduation
Contact us NOW about admission to our program starting in June 2009

A four-semester, full-time program that begins with a five-week summer session, includes an academic year of study and an internship in a public elementary classroom, and concludes with an additional five-week summer session.

The Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.): Public Elementary at Brandeis University prepares you for active commitment to the democratic mission of public education. That mission rests on two core beliefs:

• All children are able and deserve to flourish intellectually, socially, and morally.
• It is the duty of teachers to promote that flourishing.

Public educators in the democratic tradition accept that teaching is a public practice governed by standards of reason and professionalism, ethical and academic integrity, and obligations of accountability.They also respect the contributions of family and community to children's formal and informal learning.

If you enter the M.A.T. Program at Brandeis, you will become part of a learning community composed of a small cohort of fellow students, a group of experienced public school teachers affiliated with the program, and a faculty dedicated to your development as a teacher and to the creation of worthwhile educational experiences for children. The scale is intimate with approximately 15-20 students in each cohort. Students, mentors, and faculty work together in an atmosphere that is collegial and open to risk-taking.

Distinguished by Four Themes

• Knowing Students as Learners

Prospective teachers in the M.A.T. program study children as individuals and members of communities. They begin learning how to shape their instruction by building on children's interests, strengths, and needs as thinkers and doers.

• Teaching for Understanding

M.A.T. students examine how academic content can be understood and used to give children wider access to their world and as a resource for authentic inquiry. They explore ways of holding ambitious, appropriate standards for a child's intellectual activity, and learn ways of assessing results in accord with those standards and purposes.

• Inquiry

Prospective teachers are engaged not only in studying children's thinking and learning, but also in probing their own practices and formulating questions to further their own teaching. They will develop habits of reliance on values, reason, and evidence in justifying and modifying pedagogy.

• Social Justice

Brandeis prides itself on incorporating an active commitment to social justice into all of its programs. In this spirit, M.A.T. students are expected to adopt a stance of advocacy for children, centered on creating conditions of educational decency and fairness in their own classrooms. They are expected to ask, "What is the quality of this experience for these children now, and where does it lead in the future?" The larger aim is to improve children's life chances and to foster their ability to contribute to society as democratic citizens.

These ambitious themes highlight a premise of our program, that good teaching is always work in progress. Responsible and effective teachers study their students' modes of learning, examine their own work, bring new perspectives to bear, and revise their practice over time. A committed teacher with a lively and curious mind best helps students develop their own capabilities to think and learn.