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2003-04 University Catalog George Mason University

Initiatives in Educational Transformation Teaching (IETT)

Graduate School of Education

750 Studies in Language and Culture I (3:3:0). Students have the opportunity to consciously view how language shapes realities, including perceptions of children as learners. At the same time, they explore both the cultural constraints and the transformative possibilities embedded in language.

751 Studies in Language and Culture II (3:3:0). Building on their IETT 750 work, students investigate more closely academic discourses and the ways they frame lived realities. Exploring the theme of how language and culture shape and open interpretations of the world, students research language and culture in their practice.

752 Research in Practice: The Team Project (6:3:0). Concurrent with other courses, student teams refine their research topics and develop projects to investigate those topics. The design of the work-plan contains a detailed strategy involving children as partners rather than as subjects in research. The product of the project is a substantial piece of work submitted together with a plan for its dissemination in the school community.

753 Teaching and Learning (3:3:0). This capstone course aims to help teachers document and reflect on individual growth and transformation while participating in the IET school-based master's program. Through the development of a portfolio, teachers provide evidence to demonstrate their professional growth and provide documentation about themselves as teachers and learners in the two years of the program. As part of the documentation, teachers present their team research projects in the professional conference organized as the third summer session.