MSU teacher education programs

http://education.msu.edu/te/phd/pdf/CITE-HANDBOOK.pdf

Comparative and Global Studies

 The focus of the Comparative and Global Studies area is the study and application of educational ideas, systems, and practices, using the theories and methods of comparative education. The approach is multidisciplinary intersecting with disciplines such as anthropology, economics, history, linguistics, philosophy, political science, psychology, and sociology among others. Faculty and students in this group seek to contribute to comparative scholarship, and to increase global understanding and social justice by using their research, teaching, and service to inform domestic and international education and policy

Curriculum 

Faculty and students associated with this area are interested in the interactive relationships among curriculum, the teaching and learning of school subjects, and ideological, social, and disciplinary contexts of teaching and learning within and across subject areas. Among the areas of central inquiry are curriculum theories, history, design, and development; relationships between disciplines and school subjects; and debates about what knowledge is of most worth, for whom, and for what purposes. The area allows for specialization in curriculum and a variety of subject-oriented concentrations – history and social studies education, literacy education, mathematics education, science education, and world languages. Curriculum questions are approached from a cross-disciplinary, critical perspective rather than from a narrow, technical interest. Study of the sociopolitical, historical, and theoretical contexts draw on diverse disciplines across the social sciences, humanities, and the arts. Curriculum study is also situated in its pragmatic context by examining the relationship of curriculum theory, policy, and practice. The knowledge, decisions, roles, experiences, and actions of teachers and teacher educators in addressing persistent curriculum issues, and their creation or mediation of curriculum with students in social context, are of fundamental interest to contemporary scholars in the field. 

Education Policy and Social Analysis 

Faculty and students in this area share interests in examining aspects of educational policy, including policy formulation, implementation and evaluation. They focus on a wide range of issues including the social-historical contexts within which particular educational policies arise, the political process that shapes education policies, and consequences within and beyond the educational system of particular education policies. Though faculty and students engage a range of issues, many share an interest in understanding relationships between and among policy, teaching and teachers' work. Students and faculty in this area examine the foundations of educational institutions and practices from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, including sociological, anthropological, historical, economic, and political approaches. They also explore educational reform efforts of past and present to better understand the ways in which policies shape teaching and learning. Students and faculty in this area collaborate with colleagues across the College of Education, and faculty in this area work with students in both the CITE and the Ed Policy doctoral programs. 

English Language Learner Education (ELL) 

Faculty and students in this area study the multiple complexities in educating English Language Learners (ELL) including the influence of the socio-historical, local, and policy contexts and the challenges of teaching learners with diverse levels of English proficiency and prior formal schooling experiences in both English as a second language and content-area classrooms. In this context, sociocultural, socio-historical, and sociopolitical factors that influence ELL education as well as theories, methods, and program models in English as a second language teaching, bilingual education, and content-area teaching are examined.

Language and Literacy 

This area provides students from diverse backgrounds such as teacher education, special education, and educational psychology opportunities to approach the study of language and literacy from a multidisciplinary perspective. It is grounded in issues related to broader areas of inquiry that characterize the doctoral program, including curriculum and instruction, reform movements, policy at the state and national levels, and the history of education. Students explore aspects of pre-K to adult language and literacy education in diverse settings, including the cognitive and social bases of language and literacy development, the politics of literacy, and language and literacy development for diverse learners. Students learn about language and literacy scholarship through their courses, apprenticeships on faculty projects, and teaching language and literacy courses. Students develop their own research agendas as lead authors on a research practicum and dissertation in language and literacy education. Students participate in the Literacy Colloquy, an ongoing seminar series of visiting and resident literacy scholars. For more information, please see the Doctoral Specialization in Language & Literacy Education website: http://education.msu.edu/literacy/doctoral/default.asp. Students participate in the Literacy Colloquy, an ongoing seminar series of visiting and resident literacy scholars. Please see the Literacy Colloquy wiki for current events: (http://llcolloquy.wiki.educ.msu.edu/)

Teachers and Teacher Learning 

This area brings together faculty and students who are concerned with the relationship between teacher education and teacher learning at the preservice, induction, and inservice levels. They focus on the enterprise of teacher education, the practices of teacher educators, and the formal and informal learning of prospective, beginning, and experienced teachers over time and in different settings. Students gain first-hand experience in the preparation of teachers through their close involvement in the College’s own teacher preparation program and its wellestablished relationships with area schools. In addition, students work with faculty on a variety of research projects that concern teacher induction and professional development, investigating the effects of various aspects of teacher preparation (field experience and methods classes, for example), and the variety of aspects impacting the growth and professional development of teachers throughout their careers as educators