Bard, A Place to Think - Master of Arts in Teaching

Message from the Dean of Teacher Education

A successful teacher is not only knowledgeable in the practices of a discipline, but is also observant, reflective, analytical, and resourceful in the contexts of classroom practice. The Carnegie Corporation of New York has suggested that teaching is a "clinical profession." Effective teachers must understand their academic field, recognize the needs of a range of individual students, and be capable of structuring environments and experiences that maximize learning. Bard College has a national reputation as a liberal arts college that emphasizes the best kinds of teaching. The MAT Program reflects this reputation: it fosters scholarship, intelligence, and creativity, qualities that are the hallmark of fine teachers.

In the MAT Program, we integrate theory and practice, study and application, through an active collaboration between the MAT faculty, public school teachers, and you, the MAT student. The emphasis, of course, is on what we, together, can do for the millions of students in the public schools. If this is your concern, if you see yourself as a teacher and a leader, then please join us in changing education.

Sincerely,
Ric Campbell, Dean of Teacher Education; Founding Director

The Master of Arts in Teaching Program
Bard College
Follow Dean Campbell on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/bardmatdirector
Hear Dean Campbell talk about the MAT on YouTube