Through a new partnership with Hollins University, teachers from Roanoke’s North Cross School are taking a significant step forward in growing their skills for the benefit of their students, their school, and their careers.
Beginning this fall, North Cross is providing for eight of their faculty members to earn a graduate degree at Hollins as part of their professional development. The teachers will all be working toward completing a Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning (MATL) at the university.
“This collaboration is not only a unique benefit to our faculty, but will strengthen our academic experience for students,” said North Cross Head of School Christian Proctor. “We have faculty from all areas of studies represented in this first group, so, ultimately, we will become more consistent in our academic approach across divisions and disciplines.”
The MATL at Hollins is designed for PreK-12 teachers who want to learn more about the practice of teaching; acquire and develop new knowledge; develop curricula in collaborative teams; and assume leadership roles within a school and/or school system.
“The teachers will be taking two classes each semester,” explained Lorraine Lange, director of the MATL as well as Hollins’ Master of Arts in Teaching and Master of Arts in Liberal Studies programs. “We anticipate their graduation in about two years.”
Students in the coed MATL program must complete six core courses online. Three program electives are also required, and as part of its partnership with North Cross, Hollins is customizing those electives and offering them to the eight teachers through face-to-face instruction. In lieu of a graduate thesis, the North Cross teachers will design an instructional classroom project intended to benefit their students.
“Students in the program have the opportunity to work with accomplished faculty in the areas essential in today’s continually changing landscape of PreK-12 education: writing, inquiry, instructional design, assessment, leadership, technology, and contemporary issues in education,” Lange stated. “Faculty members encourage collaborative efforts and provide opportunities for students, experienced teachers themselves, to learn from one another.”
To learn more about the MATL or the other coed graduate programs at Hollins, email hugrad@hollins.edu or call 540-362-6575.
