The Templeton Honors College will now offer a Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) with a uniquely classical framework. The program, developed in partnership with Great Hearts Academies, is built upon the philosophy that the purpose of education is greater than assimilating knowledge or training for a job; rather, the goal of education is to habituate lifelong learning in pursuit of what is good, true and beautiful. Given this philosophy, the program will focus on what it means to be human and how the answer to this question impacts our understanding of learning and teaching. The program also gives elevated attention to students with differences and disabilities based on the presupposition that all people are made in the image of God and therefore have “inestimable and intrinsic worth.” Furthermore, the program will encourage meaningful questioning of education practices in order to develop an understanding of how and why we teach. In addition to receiving a Master of Arts in Teaching, participants in the program will have the opportunity for Pennsylvania teacher certification in secondary subject areas, which is easily transferable to 45 other states.
The curriculum will include courses in the history of education, in classical education and diverse learners and in classical pedagogy–all of which will incorporate philosophy and history into a study of pedagogy and methodology. Standard educational courses such as special education, classroom management and adolescent development will be taught from a classical perspective. For example, the course entitled Issues in Special Education: Difference and Human Dignity will give an overview of special education (including classifications, intervention strategies and legislation) through exploring inherent human dignity and the meaning of personhood.
In terms of structure, the program will take two years to complete, which will consist of two intensive summer terms and apprenticeships with guidance from master teachers during the school year. The program will be run on a cohort model, with the first cohort consisting of 20 students. A number of these students will likely be teachers from Great Hearts Academies. Courses are scheduled to commence this June, and applications will be available to prospective students by February. If you are interested in applying or learning more about the program, visit their website (http://templetonhonorscollege.com/academics/graduate/overview) or email Anneke Lujan at alujan@eastern.edu.
Source: TempletonHonorsCollege.com
Lenora Kirkland 
Colin Tomczak 
Ella Curcuruto