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USC Master of Arts in Teaching Core Principles

Introduction

Outstanding teachers sustain passion, plan instruction systematically and in response to students’ needs, cultivate compelling learning environments, and are committed to continually improving their own practice. These practices are evident in effective and joyful classrooms with excellent student achievement outcomes.

However, learning to teach effectively is challenging. Well-intentioned teachers often share common problems of practice that limit their success. Many do not:

  • believe every student is capable of learning at high levels – even those whose skills, to date, have been underdeveloped;
  • value the social context and experiences of their students and their families or the connection between these experiences and student engagement and learning;
  • demonstrate mastery of their subject matter and the knowledge of research-based theories, instructional strategies and technologies;
  • design learning experiences that address the diverse strengths and needs of every student, basing their decisions on learning theory and their knowledge of individual students;
  • assess frequently whether students have learned in order to design instruction that responds to students’ actual needs;
  • understand how they do or do not contribute to their students’ achievement; or
  • hold themselves personally responsible for that achievement.

USC Teachers work to develop the beliefs and skills needed to surmount these problems of practice and drive dramatic student academic achievement gains for every child, especially in high-needs schools.

Compelling Teaching & Learning

USC teachers make every decision and take action based on maximizing student learning outcomes to ensure every child in their classroom succeeds. More specifically,


USC Teachers sustain passion about students and their learning and cultivate inclusive, engaging, and rigorous learning environments.

  • Engage: They act on the belief that every student can and will meet high levels of learning. They make learning joyous and establish a climate of mutual respect that is safe for risk-taking and promotes positive social development.
  • Differentiate: They value and build upon their students’ backgrounds, experiences, interests and social contexts to connect with them, their families and their communities to meet their students’ academic and social needs and make learning relevant.
  • Organize: They have deep subject matter knowledge and know how to build upon every student’s content understanding and skill level, bringing all to grade level and above.
  • Assess & Persist: They assess whether the classroom climate and culture enable each child’s success, and make accommodations as necessary.


USC Teachers plan and teach systematically in response to students’ needs.

  • Engage: They set clear, ambitious goals, based on deep understanding of learning theory, and work to move every child to grade level and beyond;
  • Differentiate: They incorporate their students’ interests, experiential and content knowledge, learning styles, and individual needs into their planning and instruction work to move every child to grade-level and beyond;
  • Organize: They align their lessons to curricular goals and confirm their students’ progress towards conceptual understanding and mastery of high standards. They present academic content clearly, establish routines and structures to protect instructional time, and make the classroom experience relevant, interactive, and compelling for their students and themselves;
  • Assess & Persist: They frequently monitor student progress through multiple sources of evidence and relentlessly seek additional approaches, time, and resources to advance any student who is behind.


USC Teachers are reflective professionals who are committed to improving their own practice

  • Engage: They are committed to examining their assumptions about themselves, their students, and teaching;
  • Differentiate: They use data on each student’s learning to reflect on the effectiveness of their practice and their own learning needs;
  • Organize: They constantly seek emerging and proven practices, lessons and technology to increase learning;
  • Assess & Persist: They work independently and with colleagues, and view teaching as a transparent, public and collaborative endeavor.

A Compelling School of Education

We cannot hold our graduates to these standards without holding ourselves to them also. We have created an engaging and effective curriculum. We admit students with the highest potential for success and will support them throughout a year-long school placement designed to prepare them to be highly effective, accountable and caring teachers. We are committed to staying current with evolving research on teaching and learning and learning technologies, and will always hold ourselves responsible for the measurable impact of our teachers in classrooms everywhere.

What Does it Mean to be a USC Teacher?

Recently, many of our MAT@USC students joined Drs. Melora Sundt and Ronni Ephraim for a special webinar entitled “What Does it Mean to Be a USC Teacher?” which focused on the core principles of the program. Watch a recording of the webinar:

Click here to learn more about this groundbreaking program today.

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