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Are the days of preparing teachers to teach ‘biology’ or ‘history’ or ‘3rd grade’ becoming a thing of the past? Increasing specialization is being seen in university teacher preparation programs nowadays. Some are predictable, such as digital technology education, or career preparation, but Marian University in Wisconsin has taken it to a new level. And they are fast-tracking it.
Marian University has developed an accredited 14 month, 100% online, master’s level program for, not just mainstream teachers, but also youth workers, social workers, and juvenile prison educators, who desire to be specialists in educating of-risk students. Marian had titled the new program beginning in September, the At-Risk and Alternative Education Program.
A second unusual facet of this program is that it does not require the usual teacher certification to enter the program. Professor Anthony Dallmann-Jones, lead teacher in the new program said, “All educators of at-risk youth learning together in the program greatly enriches the learning experience. Those responsible for educating in juvenile detention centers, home-visiting youth workers, social workers, or those running prison programs, are welcome – encouraged – to join the program along with mainstream teachers. Best practices are needed everywhere when working with a challenging group of students, no matter what the educational environment.”
The Marian University Master’s Degree Program starts on September 4th, 2017. The training will be held 100% online; the ten classes will take only 14 months for graduate students to earn an accredited Master’s Degree in Education.
For full details, interested parties are encouraged to view the website at https://www.marianuniversity.edu/degree/at-risk-and-alternative-education/
Areas of educating at-risk students more expertly that will be covered include:
Effectively educating at-risk children – Specialized teaching methods and techniques
Building on student’s strengths and talents – Assessing students to help develop optimal instruction
Resiliency training, health and nutritional training, and stress management – all aimed at helping children rise above their circumstances
When asked about the reasons behind the decision to provide this training on such an in-demand topic, Dr. Dallmann-Jones PhD explained, “For too long, schools have, consciously or unconsciously, encouraged ‘push-out’ programs for at-risk children/youth. Remember, these kids certainly never asked to be placed at-risk. And, it is well known that at-risk kids demand more time and certainly more understanding, as well as resources. In the schools’ defense, it is a challenge to truly comprehend what the inner world of a child who has been abused or neglected appears like to them. The ARAE Program teaches educators about differing mindsets of at-risk youth, and areas of resiliency, stress, mental and physical stress – as well as effective teaching and programming that reaches these kids where they are, not where they are supposed to be if they came from average situations.”
This unique program requires a bachelor’s degree but not a teaching license, as the At-Risk and Alternative Education Program is set up to attract – not just mainstream school teachers – but also personnel working with children on the streets, in jails, or in juvenile detention centers. “The ARAE Program is aimed at reaching the at-risk youth where they ARE, not where they should be,” says Dr. Dallmann-Jones. We are also taking it to the educators where THEY are, and that is why the At-Risk and Alternative Education Program is 100% online and open to educators in any situation across the planet.”
Marian University, with a physical campus in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, has various outreach campuses, but their “100% online campus” is growing in popularity. Their other online education program is in educational technology. The addition of the At-Risk and Alternative Education program will effectively double their 100% online offerings in the school of education at Marian.
Those desiring to know more about becoming specialists in at-risk and alternative education can find the most up-to-date information about this unique and new training at https://www.marianuniversity.edu/degree/at-risk-and-alternative-education/.
Release ID: 222709