The first course you take in the MAT@USC program is called The Framing Experience. It’s a four week (some cohorts get six weeks; the May 2010 cohort had to finish in four) introduction to the program during which you visit your assigned school several times, interview several people involved in the school (community leaders, a teacher, the principal, a parent) and spend a few hours making observational notes at various locations in and around the school. You also write four papers of between three and seven pages designed not only to make you reflect and report on what you are experiencing and learning, but are also a crash course in American Psychiatric Association (APA) writing style, which is the editorial style you’re expected to follow when writing academic papers.
You also must attend a weekly, live “Office Hour” with your course instructor, and a weekly, live Study Group session with your assigned study group partners.
During the course of your interviews and observations, you are asked to put aside any prejudice or pre-conceived notions you have about education and open your eyes and mind to what you are learning from the various people with whom you interact.
None of this is particularly difficult, but if you are a disorganized person who is prone to procrastination (like your faithful scribe), it is a wake-up call: “Hello! This is Grad School, Bucky! Time to step it up a notch.”
I was pleasantly surprised to find twenty years as a writer and editor had trained most of that disorganization and procrastination out of me (being 30 years older helps, too). Even though I had to cram all of my observations and interviews into three weeks (because the last day of classes for my school was three weeks into the course), not once did I find myself watching the clock tick down on the day a paper was due, wondering if I should rethink my next career choice.
I have a feeling The Framing Experience serves another, covert purpose in the MAT@USC curriculum. I have no proof of this, but I suspect this course is partially meant to weed out people who aren’t serious about the program. Getting through the MAT@USC in one year is no small accomplishment. If you think you’ll be able to breeze through it, guess again. There are only so many slots in each cohort, and if people are going to wash out, better to get them to wash out at the very beginning. There are lots of other places you can go to get a Master’s Degree or a teaching credential. There is only one place you can go to become a USC Teacher.
Tips for Getting Started: Get Organized. Ask Questions.
For those of you who are contemplating applying to the MAT@USC, or for those of you who have been accepted into the program and are waiting for your cohort to begin, here’s a little unsolicited advice — get organized. That’s number one. The more organized you are, the more you will enjoy the course. Those of you who are holding down a full or even a part time job, you will have to be even more organized. You will be doing a lot of other things while you go through the Framing Experience: getting your USCard, dealing with Financial Aid, getting your state security clearance so you can do your observations and guided practice later in the year, perhaps registering for and taking a Praxis or other state-required test, learning the ins and outs of the 2SC site, planning and attending study group sessions, registering and buying books for upcoming courses, etc. If you don’t decide right now to be organized, there’s a good chance you will find yourself overloaded by week two.
As soon as you can, read through the course syllabus and make note of all of the tasks you will need to accomplish: interviews, observations, writing papers. Start thinking about which community-based organizations you will be able to interview; you’ll need to find two. Call and visit your assigned school as soon as you can. Set up a meeting with the principal. Present him or her with all the tasks you will need to accomplish and when you will need to finish them. If possible, knock off as many things as you can early in the course.
Ask questions. Your instructor is there to help you. If you have a question about anything from what constitutes a “community-based organization” to how to cite something in APA style, e-mail your instructor. Get on the course “Wall” at 2SC and interact with your classmates, too. Almost everyone you meet at the 2SC site is friendly and willing to help. It’s a real community, especially within each cohort, so be sure to join in. The Student Support staff is available 24/7 to help you with any technical issues. Don’t be afraid to call them.
Get familiar with APA writing style by going to www.apastyle.com and checking out their basic tutorials. There are also some great, pre-recorded writing workshops you will have access to as part of the course. Make sure you view them as well.
The Framing Experience is indeed that — an experience — but it’s a great experience. You’ll be immediately and fully immersed in the MAT@USC program. You’ll meet many of your classmates and professors, and you’ll even start to make a few friends. Just be ready to get organized and get to work. This is not going to be easy, but it will be worth it.
Fight on!
