Master Mentoring Graduate Certificate

What will the program achieve?

The master mentoring graduate certificate program offers evidence-based professional preparation and development for mentors and coaches who support beginning teachers and their colleagues in learning to teach effectively and sustain their teaching careers. It is designed to develop the knowledge and competence necessary for mentors and coaches to:

• Understand and identify the needs, interests, and potentials of beginning teachers and their colleagues in learning to teach appropriately and develop plans to support their professional development and retention as teachers accordingly
• Nurture and maintain professional learning communities among beginning teachers and their colleagues where they can support each other in learning to teach continuously
• Engage beginning teachers and their colleagues in analyzing curriculum, instruction, and student learning and use these analyses as a base to improve curriculum, instruction, and student learning, especially for those with diverse cultural backgrounds
• Inquire into mentoring and coaching practices using an action research approach and use the results of inquiries to guide the development of knowledge, expertise, and practices of effective mentoring and coaching collaboratively.
• Generate and enrich curriculum resources, instruction technologies, and teaching strategies to support beginning teachers and their colleagues in learning to teach effectively in the school contexts.

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For whom is the program designed?

This program is designed for teachers with two or more years of teaching experience who would like to develop mentoring and coaching capacity for beginning teachers and their colleagues. It is also developed for those who want to become official mentor teachers in Texas by fulfilling the required mentor training – TEC §21.458. In addition, it prepares those teachers who would like to take leadership responsibilities in their school district in improving curriculum, teaching, and student learning through developing teachers' instruction capacity. Finally, it welcomes teams of teachers from school districts to participate since such teams will enable participants to continue supporting each other's  mentoring and coaching practices after the initial training

What are the other benefits for participants? 

The program will help you earn continuing professional education (CPE) hours required for all Texas educators holding a standard certificate to complete 150 CPE hours during each five-year renewal period-TAC § 232.11. You will also have a chance to enhance your interpersonal, leadership, reflection, and coaching competencies and improve your career mobility. In addition, you will be able to connect with a community of mentors and coaches, develop effective teaching practices, and support new teachers in learning to teach effectively.  

What are the requirements for the program?

To complete this certificate program, students must take 12 credit hours (4 courses) from the following graduate-level course list: 

EDCI 5312–Collaborative Communities in Mentoring (Required)

Designed to assist those planning to teach or work in professional settings in acquiring a perspective dealing with the theory and practice of professional learning communities. 

EDCI 5311–Mentorship (Required)

Guides veteran professionals through a learning cycle based on established professional development national standards.

EDCI 5308–Improving Mentoring Practices (Elective)

Provides an instructional framework for teaching specific mentoring skills and for developing and nurturing the teaching of skillful and reflective thinking.

EDCI 5309–Mentoring Models for New Professionals (Elective)

Selected mentoring models of well-conceived introduction programs offer practitioners a valuable tour of the mentoring landscape. Emphasis is placed on professional support and development.

EDCI 6392–Advanced Practicum in Mentoring (Elective)

A supervised lab or field experience in a curricular mentoring area, including assessment, planning, instruction, and evaluation. 

EDCI 6395–Advanced Seminar: Best Practices in Mentoring (Elective)

Critical analysis and research design in selected curriculum areas of induction training and support.

Application Requirements

Visit the Graduate Application Process page for more information.

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