Student Growth and Achievement and Content-Methods Courses
All students are enrolled in two types of courses: student growth and achievement and content methods. Students will be provided with a detailed course schedule at the beginning of each term.
Student Growth and Achievement Courses
Student growth and achievement courses represent the knowledge and skills all great teachers must have regardless of the grades or subjects that they teach. These classes encompass three of the four elements of effective teaching: Self and other people, classroom culture, and teaching cycle. In student growth and achievement courses, students also create and follow their pathways for student growth and achievement. Finally, some student growth and achievement courses provide the opportunity to select elective topics within a course. Elective modules within a course address a variety of teaching knowledge and skills, such as teacher-organization skills or launching restorative justice practices with PK–12 students.
Content-methods coursework comprises the knowledge and skills necessary to teach a particular grade or subject. Content-methods coursework is taught in grade- and/or subject-specific groups led by a faculty member with that particular area of teaching expertise and experience.
Course Overview
See the AY21-22 Master of Arts in Teaching Course Overview for a listing of courses by term and details about the topics and skills taught in each course. Please note that there may be some program variation within courses and programs. Alternate-route candidates may not take all courses listed, and some courses may be modified to meet state requirements. Alternate-route candidates typically take the year-one Master of Arts in Teaching courses, with the potential for additional coursework as required by the state.
Classroom Observations
To see firsthand how students are progressing as teachers, faculty members will observe students’ PK–12 classrooms several times over the course of the program. Faculty members’ expectations for these observations will become more complex as the students progress through their time at Relay. The scores earned in these observations can factor into individual assessments within various courses throughout a student’s experience at Relay. For additional details, see Classroom Observations.
Student Outcomes
By design, Relay aims to advance PK–12 students’ academic achievement and socioemotional growth through its programmatic support and development of candidates. To that end, students at Relay must demonstrate that their PK–12 students have made meaningful and measurable academic and socioemotional gains.