Reflective practice is central to the MAE program and the very first sentence of the MAE Mission Statement underscores this: The mission of the Master of Arts in Education Program at Truman State University is to prepare reflective practitioners grounded in the Liberal Arts. Several sources of evidence highlight how Truman candidates and completers engage in professional growth through self-assessment, goal setting, and reflection.
Professional Development Plan
All students enrolled in ED 609G complete a Professional Development Plan that provides candidates a structured way to focus on areas in which they want to grow during their internship. At the beginning of their internship, in collaboration with their mentor teacher and University Supervisor, interns set at least three professional development goals. They identify tangible activities that will help them meet these goals, indicators of mastery, and sources of support in meeting those goals. As the semester/year continues, they record which events they attended and participated in and then goals for their first year of teaching for professional development.
MEES
Successful performance on the MEES demonstrates that candidates engage in the important work of professional growth. Standard 8 of the MEES, which measures candidates’ ability to be a reflective practitioner who continually assesses the effects of choices and actions on others and seeks out opportunities to grow professionally, particularly demonstrates that our completers successfully do this work. All Truman MAE completers have not only passed the MEES assessment but the mean scores for every standard have consistently far exceeded both the minimum and higher target scores. Truman intern candidates’ scores on Standard 5 of the MEES assessment, which assesses intern candidates’ understanding of how to create productive learning environments.
First-Year Teacher Survey Questionnaire (FYTSQ)
Truman completers engage in professional growth through reflective practice. An overwhelming 99% of completers from 2020-2021 indicated that they agreed (42%) or strongly agreed (57%) that they were prepared to reflect on their practices for professional growth and 82% agreed (35%) or strongly agreed (47%) that they were prepared to analyze data to reflect on areas for professional growth. (Please consult the summary document of the last six years of data from this questionnaire for additional evidence of support from prior years.)
Principal of First-Year Teachers Survey Questionnaire
Principals of 2020-2021 first-year completers offer further support that Truman completers engage in professional growth through reflective practice, with 89% of principals agreeing (49%) or strongly agreed (40%) that Truman 2020-2021 completers were prepared to reflect on their practices for professional growth and 82% agreeing (49%) or strongly agreeing (33%) that they were prepared to analyze data to reflect on areas for professional growth. (Please consult the summary document of the last six years of data from this questionnaire for additional evidence of support from prior years.)
Portfolio
Interns complete the portfolio in ED 609G. The portfolio consists of submitting a one page reflection and an artifact to support the reflection. The MAE faculty provided a format for reflection that includes: description, explanation, analysis, and connections. The format provides structure for interns that need it and allows faculty the opportunity to examine what skills the interns possess in terms of reflecting. For Standard 8 on the MEES that focuses on reflection of practice, one intern shares her process for improving and growing professionally. She gave her students surveys to complete so she could improve her teaching.
MAE Completer Survey and Focus Group Report
The majority of MAE completers who participated in the Completer Survey and Focus Group are able to effectively establish professional goals and reflect on their practice. When asked how well completers felt prepared to design their own individual professional development plan, as a reflective educator, 92% of completers from 2018-2019 reported they were well prepared (30.8%) or prepared (61.5%) to do so. Eighty-seven percent of completers from 2017-2018 reported that they were well prepared (62%) or prepared (25%) to design their own individual professional development plan.