| The Education Studies Department collaborates closely with local school districts to establish outreach cohort programs that provide professional growth opportunities for school personnel. Cohorts have been established for instructional assistance and teacher endorsements programs. Among these, MCC's collaboration with Mesa Public Schools through the Mesa Grow Your Own program has received national recognition as a successful teacher preparation program. Additional cohorts are established in response to local needs.
The Department also offers a Teaching and Learning Community (TLC) as a four-semester block program in teacher education. The TLC establishes cohorts that offer academic and social support and includes a strong service learning component, placing students in local public school classrooms. The goal is for each student to complete an AA degree while enhancing students' knowledge of teaching as a career and preparing them for certification. Program completion will provide seamless transfer to an Arizona public university.
Many faculty members in the Education Studies Department utilize the latest instructional technology to enhance student learning. In several courses students create artifacts that are included in e-Portfolios as examples of their learning. The Department is collaborating with several Colleges of Education in the Valley in an effort to create a seamless transition using web-based tools as students progress along the professional continuum from community college, through university preparation, and into teaching.
The Xalapa Study Abroad Program for Educators, a Maricopa County Community College District program, has been strongly supported through MCC's Education Studies Department, with continued program coordination since the establishment of the program in 1998. This educational experience offers opportunities for aspiring and practicing educators to familiarize themselves with the Mexican school system through service learning in Mexican classrooms. The four-week, life-changing, cultural immersion experience includes seven college credits and prepares participants for teaching our increasingly diverse student populations through increased cultural awareness and sensitivity.
The Department also offer a special transfer partnership degree with Northern Arizona University (NAU). Students completing the ATP in Early Childhood Education are prepared to pursue NAU’s Bachelor of Science in education (B.S.E) degree in Early Childhood Education by taking courses in the Phoenix area or in Flagstaff.
Students pursuing an elementary education degree may transfer directly into the NAU-MCC 2+2 program where students complete their Bachelor of Science in Education – Elementary Education degree by attending NAU courses held in MCC classrooms. The freshman and sophomore years need to be completed at MCC; the junior and senior years are completed through NAU at MCC. This specific 2+2 partnership includes an emphasis on teaching English as a second language (ESL), a highly recommended endorsement for Arizona teachers. |
