Students create a vision of the ideal classroom and are asked to examine the ultimate goal of their instructional efforts. Teachers are given the opportunity to reflect on the various forms of communication and the role it plays in the child’s education. They are encouraged to use these forms of communication to create their own curriculum materials and develop a personal vision on how the artistry of teaching might be achieved. It is the collective responsibility of the Communication Arts faculty to help the classroom teacher focus on being and becoming, and not get buried beneath the paperwork that can dominate their professional lives.
Teachers may pursue specialized programs in reading, aesthetic education, language arts, technology, English as a second language, storytelling, and foreign languages. The Remedial Reading Certificate is an option and issued through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Specialty areas reinforce the notion that excellent teachers must "know" before they can effectively teach. The 12 or more hours required for a specialty area enable classroom teachers to perform tasks required of curriculum leaders and reformers with their school or district.
Students interested in elementary or secondary language education, reading, or the arts are natural candidates for this program. Many students in Communication Arts go on to teach in the community college or become highly effective classroom teachers that can apply the latest theory, technology, and instructional practices to their profession.
Location
The M.A.T. in Communication Arts is offered at the following campus: