M.Ed Students Showcase Practicum Results at Capstone Presentation

On December 7 at the Learning Commons, Curry M.Ed. students presented analyses of their growth and learning during their practicums. Commonly referred to as "student teaching," the practicum is the final fieldwork experience for graduate students pursuing an Elementary Education or Moderate Disabilities license. Candidates completing their practicums for December 2019 graduation included:

The practicum requires teacher candidates to spend a minimum of 300 hours over 15 weeks in a classroom setting. There, they continue to develop and plan curriculum, learn instructional strategies, assess student learning, integrate coursework taken thus far, gain further experience working with diverse learners, and develop their teaching style and reflective stance in a supervised setting.

“Our students need to be prepared to make a positive impact on day one,” notes Curry Education Department Chair Michelle LeBlanc. “The practicum experience and the M.Ed. program are specifically designed to help them do just that.”

The effectiveness of the practicum in readying students is evident when listening to two M.Ed. May 2019 graduates. “I felt extremely prepared by the practicum and very grateful for the student teaching placement and classroom experience,” notes Brigitte Fabrizio, now a fifth-grade teacher at the Hansen Elementary School in Stoughton, Mass. Those sentiments are echoed by Karen Vaughan, now a theater arts educator at the Brooke Charter School in Mattapan, Mass. “The experience strengthened my classroom management abilities and my overall teaching skills.”