KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY
GRADUATE PROGRAM/CONCENTRATION PROPOSAL
FORM 02/25/04
PROGRAM OR CONCENTRATION NAME
Master of Education in Early Childhood Education
Concentration: Montessori Early Childhood Education 2.5-6 Year Level
PROPOSED EFFECTIVE DATE: _____Spring 2006
Check One or More of the Following and Complete the Appropriate Sections
_____New Program Proposal**
_____Change in Program/Concentration/Degree Requirements
___X__New Concentration Proposal
Sections to be Completed
All
III – VII, XII
I – VII, XII
**A new course proposal is required for each new course that is part of the new program
Submitted by:
Feland L. Meadows, Ph.D. ________________________________________________
Faculty Member
Date
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Department Curriculum Committee
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Department Chair
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School Curriculum Committee
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___ Approved ___ Not Approved
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School Dean
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___ Approved ___ Not Approved
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GPCC Chair
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___ Approved ___ Not Approved
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Dean, Graduate Studies
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___ Approved ___ Not Approved
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Vice President for Academic Affairs
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___ Approved ___ Not Approved
______________________________________________________
President
Date
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UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF GEORGIA
GRADUATE PROGRAM
CONCENTRATION PROPOSAL
MASTER OF EDUCATION IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
Concentration: Montessori Early Childhood Education 2.5 – 6 Year Level
Kennesaw State University
August 25, 2005
Department of Early Childhood and Elementary Education
BAGWELL COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Proposed Start Date: Spring, 2006
CIP:______
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I.
Program Description
The Master of Education program in Early Childhood Education at Kennesaw State University
prepares early childhood (P-5) teachers to become accomplished classroom instructional leaders.
This cohort model is designed to provide classroom teachers with opportunities to develop
exemplary skills in classroom management, exploration and development of unique and effective
strategies for teaching content areas for diverse populations, and development of effective ways
to facilitate parental involvement in the classroom. Coursework addresses content and
pedagogical strategies that represent best practices to enhance student learning including diverse
populations, ESOL, and students with disabilities. Topics and collaborative projects are
presented through instructional inquiry that includes exploration of excellence in teaching and
demonstration of instructional leadership.
The Master of Education in Early Childhood Education meets the Georgia Professional
Standards Commission (PSC) standards for the degree and is fully accredited by the National
Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).
The proposed Concentration in Montessori Early Childhood Education 2.5-6 Year Level further
supports the goals of the Department of Early Childhood and Elementary Education as well as
the Bagwell College of Education’s commitment to prepare educational leaders who have
developed the knowledge, skills and dispositions that make them competent to create
developmentally appropriate learning environments and to develop skills in guiding, scaffolding
and supporting higher levels of student achievement.
The Montessori Early Childhood Education 2.5-6 Year Level Concentration will provide
candidates with instruction, modeling and mentoring experiences through which they will
acquire the knowledge, skills and dispositions required to work successfully with young children.
This concentration will prepare candidates to offer children many more opportunities for selfdevelopment, within an enriched, scientifically designed prepared learning environment. Thanks
to the extensive fieldwork experiences that candidates will enjoy in this concentration, graduates
will be competent to expertly provide young children with developmentally appropriate
educational experiences which will significantly increase all levels of student achievement.
Unique Aspects of Program
This concentration will offer teachers the opportunity to develop new insights into the true nature
of the stages of childhood growth and development within the 2.5 to 6 age range. Candidates will
understand the research based, conceptual framework which serves as the foundation for the
implementation of a proven, scientific system of education for young children. Instructors will
model developmentally appropriate teaching strategies and materials presentations that research
and practice have demonstrated are especially effective in the education of young children.
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Candidates will practice in order to acquire skills in presenting many developmentally
appropriate manipulable materials that address the children’s needs in the following areas:
1) Motor Development and the Refined Control of Movement.
2) Sensorial Foundations of Intellectual Life and Music.
3) Acquisition of Language and Literacy Skills.
4) The Early Preparation of the Mathematical Mind.
5) The Introduction of Geography, Biology, Social Studies and the Arts.
Institutional Importance of the Program
Kennesaw State University has invested Feland L. Meadows, Ph.D. as the first Roberto C.
Goizueta Endowed Chair of Early Childhood Education. Both the University and the Goizueta
Foundation have charged the Goizueta Chair with responsibility for establishing a Regional
Center of Early Childhood Education 0-5. By offering the Montessori Early Childhood
Education 2.5-6 Year Level Concentration in the M.Ed. program, the University takes an
important first step toward the establishment of that Regional Center. This M.Ed. Concentration
will make a creative study and advancement opportunity available to teacher candidates from the
entire region.
The initiation of the Montessori Early Childhood Education 2.5-6 Year Level Concentration also
represents a landmark event in the state of Georgia. Up to now no public or private university
has offered a skill based, graduate degree program, designed to prepare teachers to serve children
from 2.5 to 6 years of age.
The implementation of an effective program that prepares teachers to serve young children
requires the availability of a Model Early Learning Center, where candidates can conduct their
fieldwork and be mentored by experienced master teachers. Dr. Betty Siegel, President of
Kennesaw State University, placed the construction of an Early Learning Center for 300 children
at the top of her list of priorities for the 2004-2005 year. In that time the University was able to
secure commitments from foundations for $5,000,000 with which to construct the Early Learning
Center. A search for the most appropriate site for the construction of the Center lead to the
purchase of the Town Point property with support from the Kennesaw Foundation. A request for
a matching fund of $5,000,000 from the State, with which to underwrite the construction of a
classroom building and parking facilities at Town Point, has also been submitted. The new
facilities, together with the existing four story building, will provide the Bagwell College of
Education with the additional campus space it requires to double its size, in response to the
Board of Regents’ instructions and challenge.
A new 0-5 Teaching Credential was established by the Professional Standards Commission
(PSC) as recently as September 14, 2004. The Professional Standards Commission has
contracted with the Bagwell College of Education to develop a 0-5 Year Teacher Education
Program with a significant amount of coursework to be made available on line. The introduction
of the Montessori Early Childhood Education 2.5-6 Year Level Concentration at this time will
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make it possible for the College to conduct research that will contribute to the development of
the program design it is charged with developing for the PSC.
The Montessori Early Childhood Education 2.5-6 Year Level Concentration also provides the
University with a new opportunity to extend its global influence in a new and important way.
Montessori Schools in Mainland China have expressed a great deal of interest in sending their
teachers to enroll in a M.Ed. program with a Montessori concentration. A School Director is
even now polling the schools in China in order to recruit a cohort of students that can start in the
Summer semester of 2006. The Universidad Latina of San Jose, Costa Rica has repeatedly
requested that KSU make this M.Ed. program, with its Montessori Early Childhood Education
2.5-6 Year Level Concentration available to both Universidad Latina faculty and to its graduates.
KSU's Strategic Plan
The proposed Concentration in Montessori Early Childhood Education 2.5-6 Year Level will
serve as one more outstanding example of the way in which Kennesaw State University
implements both its Vision and its Mission. The University’s strategic plan calls for it to be a
progressive and innovative institution of higher education that is prepared to design distinctive
graduate programs that promote higher levels of candidate achievement and success. The
proposed concentration design reflects several of Kennesaw State University’s Core Values:

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A commitment to expanding exceptional graduate programs with a distinctive
focus on professional development, community engagement, and empirical
research.
An emphasis upon Kennesaw State University’s distinctive achievements in
providing statewide leadership in the preparation of teachers.
A focus upon research, scholarship, and creativity, which bring more depth
and significance to learning and connects with real-life issues of our local,
regional and global societies.
A dedication to teaching, academic excellence, and student success.
A commitment to developing teachers who are subject matter experts,
facilitators of learning and collaborative professionals.
A focus on global and international perspectives.
A respect for diversity and individual differences.
System and State of Georgia Goals
The proposed concentration is closely aligned with the following University System of
Georgia/Board of Regents strategic goals:
o
Enhancing the curriculum to expand the intellectual, ethical and leadership quality of
University System of Georgia graduates;
o
Expanding participation in higher education by better serving the needs of non-traditional
students, increasing distance education opportunities, advancing the use of the state's
public libraries, and increasing marketing efforts regarding the advantages of higher
education.
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o
Improving the quality of the curriculum, research activities and international
opportunities in the System;
o
Increasing academic productivity via improved recruitment of new students, increasing
the number of current students who remain in college, improving the time it takes
students to earn a degree, increasing the number of credit hours students take,
augmenting continuing education opportunities and continuing the use of technology in
the delivery of instruction and student services;
o
Emphasizing the recruitment, hiring and retention of the best possible faculty, staff and
administrators;
o
Accelerating economic development by producing graduates and academic programs to
meet state need, and expanding marketing of the University System as an economic asset
of the state;
o
Identifying best business practices for potential replication in the operational and
administrative functions of the University System by benchmarking national peers;
o
Providing and maintaining superior facilities, funded by innovative mechanisms that
shorten the time that elapses between their approval and their use.
o
Making University System of Georgia education "seamless" with K-12, DTAE and the
state's private postsecondary sector;
o
Increasing, diversifying and strategically allocating funding for the University System;
and
o
Maximizing cooperation with other state agencies, boards, Office of the Governor and
General Assembly while maintaining the Constitutional authority of the Board of
Regents.
Staffing, Facilities and Enrollment
The Department of Early Childhood and Elementary Education has 22 faculty members of which
11 currently teach and direct the M.Ed. program. They will collaborate with Dr. Feland
Meadows, the Goizueta Endowed Chair, who has extensive experience in preparing teachers to
serve young children. The proposed Montessori Early Childhood Education 2.5-6 Year Level
Concentration will be staffed further by adjunct faculty on a need basis. The Department plans to
grow by adding at least one or two faculty members per year to support program growth. The
revenue generated in this program will be able to underwrite the cost of additional faculty as they
are required.
The Model Montessori Early Childhood Education Classroom that will be used to offer this
concentration is being prepared in the building currently being acquired by KSU at Town Point
Parkway. Other KSU facilities that are currently used for the M.Ed. program will continue to be
available as well. State of the art computer labs, professional libraries, and on-line resources are
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available on campus. Other support facilities are widespread in the community at large, and in
the school districts where the candidates will conduct their field service and practice teaching
activities. The Bagwell College of Education has several partnerships with counties that we
currently being served.
At the beginning the program will draw candidates from the Atlanta Metropolitan Area, in
particular from the DeKalb County School System, where the Goizueta Chair has already
prepared Montessori teachers to serve 600 children in three public Montessori schools. As noted
above, candidates will also be drawn from Latin America and Mainland China. The program
would like to admit at least one cohort of 25 candidates each year.
II Objectives of the Program
The objectives of the M.Ed. Montessori Early Childhood Education 2.5-6 Year Level
Concentration are expressed in terms of teaching outcome competencies that the faculty expect
successful candidates of the program to demonstrate upon graduation:
OUTCOME COMPETENCIES TO BE ACHIEVED BY GRADUATES OF
THE MONTESSORI EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
2.5 – 6 YEAR LEVEL CONCENTRATION
I.
II.
Demonstrates the ability to analyze and apply philosophical and scientific principles
derived from the conceptual framework which serves as foundation for a Scientific
System of Education for children ages 2.5 - 6.
A.
Presents and explains philosophical and scientific principles to parents, staff and
community.
B.
Applies these principles in the design and maintenance of the prepared learning
environment.
C.
Applies these principles in the implementation of the teaching/learning process.
D.
Incorporates these principles into personal attitudes and professional practice
Demonstrates knowledge of human growth and development in education.
A.
Assesses children's developmental needs through observation, developmental
scales, the use of classroom materials, case studies, and tests.
B.
Provides learning activities which are appropriately matched to the assessment of
each child’s developmental needs.
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C.
Provides continuity in the learning experiences offered to children in the 2.5 to 6
age range.
D.
Accommodates activities and instruction to children’s varied learning styles.
E.
Interprets child development and early education concepts to parents, staff and
community.
III. Demonstrates the ability to establish and maintain a child centered, materials driven,
teacher responsive, prepared learning environment in which every child has the opportunity
to develop to his or her fullest potential.
IV.
A.
Selects child-sized furniture and developmentally appropriate, scientifically designed,
manipulable learning materials.
B.
Arranges materials in classified, structured and sequential order, according to the area of
development, interest, or skill to which they relate.
C.
Maintains the classroom order and design on a day to day basis, making sure that all
materials are clean, in their places, complete and ready to be used by the children.
Demonstrates a broad repertoire of research based, developmentally appropriate,
teaching/learning strategies with both individuals and groups.
A.
Observes children and assesses their developmental needs.
B.
Selects and demonstrates developmentally appropriate manipulable materials, models
behaviors, works with individuals, leads group activities, and uses a rich variety of
appropriate verbal strategies.
C.
Supports sensory-motor activities and development.
D.
Supports the acquisition of language and literacy skills.
E.
Supports the acquisition of numeracy and mathematics skills.
F.
Supports the development of art, music, movement, geography, and science.
G.
Provides opportunities for choice, problem-solving, decision-making, and responsibility
for learning on the part of the children.
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Candidates must also demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and dispositions as prerequisite to the
presentation of the final capstone experience:
V.
VI.
Demonstrates competence as a professional by completing all of the required teacher’s
manuals and instructor-made teaching/learning materials.
A.
Uses computers and other equipment to prepare research papers, teacher’s manuals and
to manufacture materials required in a 2.5-6 Year Level classroom.
B.
Has completed texts and illustrations for 5 teacher’s manuals.
C.
Has manufactured all of the required classroom materials.
Demonstrates the personal characteristics and qualities of a person who is qualified to
work with young children.
A.
Lays aside pre-conceived and prejudicial notions regarding how young children “ought”
to behave.
B.
Lays aside developmentally inappropriate notions regarding how young children should
be “managed” or “taught”.
C.
Respects each child as an individual, who has rights and who is capable of assuming a
great deal of responsibility for his or her own development and education.
D.
Responds to each child’s demonstrated needs with caring, developmentally appropriate
actions and activities.
E. Interrupts and redirects with equanimity any inappropriate activity or negative behavior on
the part of a child, without resorting to a prideful or angry response, in the sure knowledge
that “pride and anger are the cardinal sins of teaching.”
F. Demonstrates the personal attitudes which reflect the principles and practices that have been
explained and modeled by the faculty as requirements for the successful development and
implementation of a 2.5-6 Year Level learning environment.
III Justification and Need for the Program
The need for sufficient and effective services for children from birth to five years of age continues to
grow. The last census recorded that 63.9 percent of the women who have children under 6 years of age
in this state are in the labor force. Those women are currently using the services of child care centers
and Pre-Kinder Classrooms in order to be able to work and support their families.
The statewide Pre-Kinder Program, which serves more than 65,000 children, has generated an urgent
need for the preparation of teachers who are specifically prepared to serve 4 year old children in both
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public and private centers and schools throughout the state. Although some of the P-5 teacher education
programs offered by universities in Georgia provide some preparation at the preschool level, it is evident
that most P-5 teachers are not adequately prepared to serve young children and most prefer to work in
the elementary grades.
Because the state of Georgia does not provide a program to prepare teachers to serve children from birth
to five, many teachers who hold the P-5 credential, have been pressed into service in Pre-K classrooms.
Many of those teachers now want to learn how to better serve young children. This Masters program is
designed for them. It also will serve teachers from other states in the region, from China, from Latin
America and from other countries who want to become competent Montessori teachers while earning an
advanced degree.
Unfortunately, the number of teachers, who have received specialized preparation in a university which
qualifies them to serve children from birth to five year of age effectively in the state of Georgia, is
minuscule! Those who are here have come to Georgia from other states where this preparation has been
available for many years. Perhaps the most telling evidence that the state of Georgia has no programs
which prepare teachers to serve children from birth to five years of age effectively is the fact that in
Georgia the term “Early Childhood” is universally applied to children from five to eleven years of age
who attend the state’s elementary schools! In every other state of the union “Early Childhood” refers to
children from birth to six years of age.
A well designed, graduate teacher education program that prepares candidates to serve children from 2.5
to 6 years of age effectively is urgently needed in Georgia. This M.Ed. specialization is the first
program that will begin to meet that need.
Appropriate specialization
Thousands of learned articles on Early Childhood Education topics universally affirm that teachers who
serve young children should offer them “developmentally appropriate” experiences through the use of
“best practices” in the classroom. Unfortunately, none of those articles ever describes or explains what
exactly these two terms actually mean. For the first time, candidates in this specialization will observe
their instructors demonstrating hundreds of skill based presentations with scientifically designed
“developmentally appropriate” materials. They will observe their instructors modeling teaching
strategies, proven to be effective as “best practices” in the education of young children. In this course,
candidates also will develop a thorough understanding of the research based Conceptual Framework of a
proven, Scientific System of Education designed to serve children from 2.5 to 6 years of age. This
specialization will establish a new benchmark for the preparation of Early Childhood 2.5-6 Year Level
teachers in Georgia.
Quantity of graduates
The program concentration can begin with a cohort of 25 students the first year. By the second year, the
concentration program will be able to enroll two cohorts per year. The concentration will eventually be
able to produce 40 to 50 graduates each year.
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Productivity
For the first time in the state of Georgia candidates will emerge from a university graduate degree
program which actually prepares them to serve children from 2.5 to 6 years of age effectively. This
M.Ed. program concentration will provide candidates with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions they
will need to help transform childcare centers, many of which only provide all-day baby sitting by
untrained personnel, into early learning child development centers. The graduates of this concentration
will provide children with many opportunities to interact creatively with a rich array of materials, in a
carefully prepared learning environment in which they will be free to pursue the very activities that they
need in support of their concentrated efforts to realize their highest potentials.
Partnering
The Bagwell College of Education’s M.Ed. Early Childhood 2.5-6 Year Level Concentration program
will be linked with the DeKalb County School System schools, where candidates will conduct their field
experiences and with the Professional Standards Commission through its research into creative ways to
offer significant parts of this preparation on the Internet.
Placement
Untrained persons who attempt to work with groups of 20 or more 3, 4 or 5 year old children soon find
that it is a very daunting and frustrating task. That is the reason for the “revolving door” personnel
problem experienced by most childcare centers. Unprepared candidates that apply for the positions are
only able to stick it out for five or six months and then they resign. Thus, the center finds itself forced to
try to find replacements on an almost ongoing basis. There will be a great demand for graduates of this
program, because they will know what to do to serve young children effectively. Its graduates will be in
demand because this will be the only program of its kind in the state of Georgia for some time to come!
IV Procedures Used to Develop the Program
The Roberto C. Goizueta Foundation’s Endowment of the Goizueta Chair of Early Childhood Education
lead the University Search Committee to identify Feland L. Meadows, Ph.D. as the best candidate to fill
that position. As an experienced Early Childhood 0-6 specialist, Dr. Meadows proposed that course
offerings be prepared at both the undergraduate and graduate levels to prepare teachers to serve young
children effectively. He also sought and received support from the KSU Administration and faculty for
the construction of the necessary Early Learning Laboratory School.
A Campus-wide Early Education Advisory Committee was established, with the participation of faculty
from many colleges and disciplines. That Committee began the process of reviewing concepts related to
the creation of a University Early Learning Laboratory School, where 0-5 teacher education candidates
could serve their apprenticeships under master teachers. These discussions set the tone for the design of
the field components that would later be incorporated into this program concentration.
The long term mission goals of the Bagwell College of Education, to double its size and diversity, as
mandated by the Board of Regents, also lead to the develop this concentration.
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An Early Childhood, 0-5 Faculty Curriculum and Program Development Committee has conducted a
number of strategic planning meetings related to the establishment of a Bachelor’s program in 0-5 Early
Childhood Education that will prepare candidates to qualify for the new 0-5 Credential established by
the Professional Standards Commission on September 14, 2004. Their support also made the
submission of this concentration feasible.
The M.Ed., with a Montessori Teacher Education 2.5–6 Year Level Concentration, was conceived by
Dr. Yiping Wan, Dean of the Bagwell College of Education, when he and Dr. Feland Meadows were
approached by a Chinese School Director interested in offering such a program to a cohort of candidates
from Mainland China. A subsequent visit by Dr. Wan and Dr. Meadows with the leadership of the
Unversidad Latina in San Jose, Costa Rica lead to the requests by that University to participate in this
program as well.
The development of the curriculum for the concentration also was carried out as part of the studies and
research required by the contract that the BCE has with the PSC.
The Montessori System of Education is one of four curricula selected by the Georgia Department of
Education, the Office of School Readiness and Bright from the Start, Georgia to serve four-year-old
children in the state-wide Pre-K program.
This Early Childhood Education 2.5-6 Year Level
Concentration also was prepared in response to the enormous need that the state of Georgia has to
provide competent teachers who can effectively serve more than 65,000 four-year-old children in the
State Pre-Kinder program classrooms.
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V Curriculum: Degree Program Requirements
Through a cohort model, the Master of Education program in Early Childhood Education prepares early
childhood teachers to become accomplished classroom instructional leaders. Examples of leadership for
the classroom teacher may include the development of exemplary skills in classroom management,
exploration and development of unique and effective strategies for teaching content areas for diverse
populations, and development of effective ways to facilitate parental involvement in the classroom.
Outside the classroom, accomplished classroom instructional leaders may share their knowledge and
skills through conference presentations, collegial exchanges, published articles, and mentoring.
Coursework will address content and pedagogical strategies that represent best practices to enhance
student learning including diverse populations, ESOL, and students with disabilities. Topics and
collaborative projects will be presented through instructional inquiry that includes exploration of
excellence in teaching, and demonstration of instructional leadership. Candidates will engage in a
variety of classroom projects focused on curriculum decision making to improve student achievement.
Many of the processes and explorations in which candidates are involved will provide the groundwork
for future development for National Board Certification.
Program Admission Requirements:
The M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education, with a concentration in Montessori Early Childhood 2.5-6
Year Level is designed for accomplished classroom instructional leaders and is limited to teachers who
have completed at least one year of full time teaching. To be considered for admission to this Master of
Education Program of Study, candidates must possess the following:
1.
a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution
2.
an undergraduate cumulative grade point average of 2.75 (on a 4.0 scale)
3.
a professional resume documenting education, teaching experience, volunteer and service
accomplishments, and record of leadership activities
4.
a completed evaluation and statement of support form from a current administrator
5.
a written personal statement on appropriate Kennesaw State University form
6.
a one year full-time successful teaching experience
7.
a signed letter of commitment to enter and complete the program within the prescribed period.
International applicants must fulfill the TOEFL, Immigration Documentation and the Evaluation
of Foreign Credentials requirements detailed on pages 19 and 20 of the KSU Graduate Catalog.
Admission to a cohort group is competitive and is open to a limited number of candidates. An applicant
will not be considered for admission until all application requirements are met by the specified deadline.
Admission decisions are competitive and are made by the Department of Early Childhood Education
Graduate Admissions Committee.
8.
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Course Offering Schedule and Plan-of-Study
Block and sequence scheduling of all coursework for the program will be scheduled over a three or four
semester period, including summers. The entire program encompasses a total of 36 semester hours.
New/concentration courses are indicated with an *.
FIRST PHASE: INTEGRATED INSTRUCTIONAL INQUIRY
(Total 9 semester hours)
Clock
Hours
ECE 7811
ECE 7812
ECE 7814
Inquiry: Educational Research and Prospectus
Inquiry: Best Instructional and Curricular Practices
and Multiple Assessment Strategies
Inquiry: Essentials of Technology and Introduction to Portfolio
Semester
Hours
3
3
3
9
SECOND PHASE: TEACHING EXCELLENCE
(Total 18 semester hours)
ECE 7700
Scientific Foundations of Early Childhood Education *
Related field work experiences
ECE 7710
Motor Development and Refined Control of Movement *
Related field work experiences
ECE 7720
Sensorial Foundations of Intellectual Life *
Related field work experiences
ECE 7730
Development of Language and Literacy Skills *
Related field work experiences
ECE 7731
Language Materials Making Seminar *
Related field work experiences
ECE 7740
Early Preparation of the Mathematical Mind *
Related field work experiences
125
3
125
3
125
375
3
9
125
3
3
125
3
125
375
9
THIRD PHASE: ACCOMPLISHED CLASSROOM INSTRUCTIONAL LEADER
(Total 9 semester hours)
ECE 7850
ECE 7851
ECE 7860
Prospectus Completion
Portfolio Completion
Accomplished Instructional Leader
3
3
3
9
M.ED. In Early Childhood Education Program, Montessori Early Childhood
Education 2.5-6 Year Level Concentration
PROGRAM TOTALS
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750
36
Growth and Flexibility
As awareness of this new program concentration increases both in the region and abroad, the demand
for the program will grow. Increased demand may result in the admission of two cohorts per year.
Additional opportunities may arise to customize this program to meet the needs of a cohort from a
particular area or country. Another flexible response would be to offer candidates different entry times
and the opportunity to complete the program in 3 or 4 semesters.
Course Descriptions
ECE 7700 Scientific Foundations of Early Childhood Education * 3
Students will develop an understanding of the research based Conceptual Framework of a proven, Scientific
System of Education designed to serve children from 2.5 to 6 years of age. Students will learn the importance
of the Prepared Environment, which serves as the essential third element for effective learning. They will
discover that the Sensitive Periods provide the most powerful times for learning. They will develop new
insights into the nature of child development and will learn that respect for the child’s inner teacher serves as
the integrating principle for the effective education of young children.
ECE 7710 Motor Development and Refined Control of Movement * 3
Students will learn how essential movement is to the physical, emotional and cognitive development of
children. They will learn to present children with motives of activity in which action and interest combine to
provide irresistible activities which children love to repeat spontaneously. Students will discover that work
with practical life materials is the most effective way for children to develop independence and to achieve
concentration -- the essential prerequisite in the process of normalization. Students will learn to implement
teaching strategies which enhance the child’s physical, cognitive, emotional and social development.
ECE 7720 Sensorial Foundations of Intellectual Life * 3
Sensorial experiences provide the foundations for all cognitive growth. Sensorial development can be richly
enhanced through the use of scientifically designed, developmentally appropriate materials which address a
child’s need to refine skills related to each of the senses. Work with these materials promotes the sensorial
development required for the successful mastery of writing, reading and mathematics skills. In addition,
students will learn to help children develop listening, sight singing and musical notation skills with the
Montessori bells and boards. Students will learn to present materials related to geometry, botany, geography
and the Peace Curriculum.
ECE 7730 Development of Language and Literacy Skills * 3
The structured sequence of language activities offered in this course will prepare students to help children
achieve maximum development of language and literacy skills. Students will learn to provide children with
vocabulary building opportunities by introducing classified vocabulary related to the child’s life experiences at
home, in school and in the community. The classified nomenclature of Geography, Zoology, History, Science
and the Arts will also expand the child’s vocabulary and world view. Students will learn to help children
develop phonemic awareness and sound-symbol association as steps toward the development of writing and
reading skills. The use of writing which facilitates the child’s development of reading skills will be presented.
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ECE 7731 Language Materials Making Seminar * 3
This seminar is devoted to the manufacture of language materials that have been designed by language
specialists for use in offering developmentally appropriate language arts presentations to young children.
These materials are not available from any supplier, consequently, they have to be manufactured by each
teacher for his/her classroom. Students will develop skills in the careful manufacture of the instructor-made
language materials that have been presented in ECE 7730. Students will create a portfolio of selected
examples of more than 70 language materials that can be duplicated for use in the classrooms where they will
be employed.
ECE 7740 Early Preparation of the Mathematical Mind
* 3
The conceptual framework for the presentation of numeration and mathematical activities to young children
will be studied. The use of materials that provide children with multiple opportunities to develop numeration
skills, to understand the decimal system and to practice the four operations will be presented and practiced.
Students will learn to present numerous math activities and exercises with a wide variety of different,
scientifically designed manipulable materials. Students will learn to present specialized memorization
materials with which children can review and enhance their ability to recall all of the number facts they have
assimilated from the previous presentations and activities.
VI INVENTORY OF FACULTY DIRECTLY INVOLVED
COURSE/INSTRUCTOR SUPPORT DEPTH
Feland L. Meadows, Ph.D. The Goizueta Endowed Chair for Early Childhood Education has been
charged with the primary responsibility for establishing this master’s level concentration in
Montessori Early Childhood Education. Dr. Meadows invested 30 years of his life in the preparation
of teachers to serve children from birth to six years of age. He has prepared more than 2,500 teachers
in California, Florida, Georgia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, France and Switzerland. Because of
his exceptionally broad experience in preparing teachers to serve children at this level, Dr. Meadows
will be the primary Instructor for the six courses identified with asterisks in the Teaching Excellence
Phase of the program when they are first offered.
Carmen Renjifo recently collaborated with Dr. Meadows in the preparation of credentialed teachers
and administrators to serve children from 3 to 6 years of age in the DeKalb County School System.
Ms Renjifo has submitted her documentation to the University and is now being considered for
employment as an Instructor to assist in the establishment of this creative new program of studies.
Eleven current members of the Graduate Teaching Faculty are also highly qualified to provide
instruction to candidates in the other phases of the M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education program.
FACULTY DEVELOPMENT
Seminars For Faculty will be offered to those faculty members that are interested in participating in
this program. Two faculty members have already expressed their interest in participating in the
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courses themselves, in order to acquire the additional knowledge and skills they will need to assist in
offering this concentration in the future.
Hands On Workshops with the manipulable materials that are used in these courses will be offered to
interested faculty who wish to develop additional resources with which to enrich their own courses,
Research Projects will be conducted by both faculty and the students in this course of study.
Attendance at Early Childhood Conferences at local, regional and national levels, will provide faculty
with rich opportunities to learn from other 0-5 specialists and practitioners.
The Modeling and Mentoring of Best Practices through collaboration with experienced faculty will
provide another source of development for new faculty.
The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning workshops continue to be excellent venues for
professional development of faculty.
FACULTY RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP
Dr. Feland L. Meadows recently published an article entitled So, You Want to Teach Reading, Right?
on the University Website at www.kennesaw.edu/education/CFEP/forms/teach_reading.pdf
Dr. Meadows’ article entitled: Young Children Are Different, Have You Noticed? – What is essential
is invisible to the eye, will be published in the first issue of Taking Teaching Seriously, the Early
Childhood and Elementary Education Department’s new on-line Journal.
The implementation of this M.Ed. Concentration in Early Childhood Education at the 2.5 to 6 Year
Level will provide the teaching/learning environments in which to conduct the research required by
the Grant recently awarded to the Bagwell College of Education by the Professional Standards
Commission.
Additional Incentive Grants dealing with the education of young children will be sought with which
to fund further research.
The Department of Early Childhood and Elementary Education schedules research presentations by
faculty to their peers on a bimonthly basis.
VII OUTSTANDING PROGRAMS OF THIS NATURE AT OTHER INSTITUTIONS
Survey and comparative analysis.
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
The Steinhardt School of Education at New York University offers a Master of Arts in Montessori Early
Childhood Education.
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The Program description states:
Montessori Teacher Education is a sequence of courses and field experiences integrating
Montessori theory and practices with current issues in education that prepares teachers to work
with children ages 2-5 in a variety of Montessori environments. Matriculants can combine these
courses with study toward the M.A. degree or integrate them with special education or early
childhood. The sequence is accredited by the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher
Education (MACTE) and affiliated with the American Montessori Society (AMS).
The New York University Web Site contains 26 references to Montessori in a variety of settings from
course listings and descriptions to research and publications related to Montessori Education. NYU also
provides students in the Montessori MA program with creative ways to fulfill additional graduate school
requirements. Students can use the MA in Montessori Teacher Education Sequence to fulfill
requirements in the university’s Drama Therapy MA program, which is accredited by the National
Association for Drama Therapy.
LOYOLA COLLEGE
Loyola College in Maryland offers a unique graduate program in Montessori Education at the 3-6 level.
Students enrolled in the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) society’s Washington Montessori
Institute can earn a Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree together with an international certificate from
AMI.
The on-line catalog states:
This program provides the internationally recognized AMI teacher training within a graduate
program which seeks the highest levels of preparation and professionalism for Montessori
teachers.
The Loyola College web site indicates that the curriculum of this M.Ed. program is composed of ten 3
hour courses and one 6 hour practicum. It also states that:
These training courses are presented in two components including a.) the Montessori
concentration offered in either an academic year or multi-summer format taken at the AMI
training center (format offerings may vary year to year) and b.) the Education Core taken in
residence on Loyola's Baltimore campus during an intensive 25-day summer session. Upon
completion of the program, graduates receive both the internationally recognized Association
Montessori Internationale (AMI) diploma and the Master of Education degree from Loyola
College in Maryland.
Loyola is affiliated with the following AMI Institutes:

Montessori Training Center of Minnesota, Inc. (St. Paul, Minnesota)

The Montessori Institute (Denver, Colorado)

The Montessori Institute of San Diego (San Diego, California)

Montessori Education Center of Arizona (Phoenix, Arizona)
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
Montessori Training Center of St. Louis (St. Louis, Missouri)

Montessori Institute Northwest (Portland, Oregon)
Students are permitted to take the one-year 3-6 Montessori training at one of the above free standing,
regional AMI affiliated institutes, whose courses ore not offered by college faculty. The college then
awards them 27 semester hours of credit for that training when they enroll for the Education Core taken
in residence on Loyola's Baltimore campus during an intensive 25-day summer session.
Loyola College received its accreditation from NCATE in 2003. However, this Montessori program is
NOT accredited by the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE).
KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY
Kennesaw State University is prepared to offer a rigorous, M.Ed. program, with a Montessori Early
Childhood Education 2.5-6 Year Level Concentration, in which all of the courses will be offered by
fully qualified university faculty. This program also will meet all of the program and course
requirements established by the BOR for this state university. Fieldwork experiences and practicums
will be programmed as part of each of the courses that require them, without additional credit being
offered.
Unique Features of KSU’s program/concentration:
The unique features of KSU’s M.Ed. program in Early Childhood Education with a Montessori Early
Childhood Education 2.5-6 Year Level Concentration are highlighted below:
Title
Description
Date

It is the FIRST program of its kind in the State of Georgia!

There is currently NO other comparable program in any private or public college or
university in the state of Georgia!

It prepares teachers to provide developmentally appropriate experiences to young
children through the use of best practices as set forth in the standards of the National
Association for the Education of Young Children NAEYC.

It is aligned with the Standards and Criteria established by the Commission on
Accreditation of the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE)
and it is accredited by MACTE.

It models best practices of educational technology by utilizing both face-to-face and online instructional formats.

It has been uniquely developed for teachers who desire advanced studies designed to
prepare them to effectively serve children from 2.5 to 6 years of age.
Page 19 of 24

Its effectiveness will be enhanced by the establishment of the Early Learning Center that
will serve as a laboratory school in which candidates can conduct field work and have
practice teaching experiences, under the supervision of master teachers.

It prepares candidates to pursue higher levels of academic studies.

After passing an additional Practical Oral Examination, graduates will qualify for
International Certification by the Pan American Montessori Society (PAMS).

Kennesaw State University will break new ground and will provide statewide leadership
in the preparation of teachers to serve young children with this M.Ed. in Early Childhood
Education with a Montessori Early Childhood Education 2.5-6 Year Level Concentration.
VIII Inventory of pertinent library resources
Many of the resources required for this program are listed below. A good number of these books are
already available in the University Library and in the Goizueta Chair’s office. A specialized Early
Childhood 0-5 Library is being set up on the fourth floor of the Town Point building. The room has
already been equipped with shelves, tables and chairs and the necessary books are being ordered with
foundation funds. A cataloging system has been set up on computers in the Goizueta Chair Offices.
Berk, L. E. & A. Winsler. 1995. Scaffolding Children’s Learning: Vygotsky and Early Childhood
Education. Washington, D.C., NAEYC
Brainerd, C. J. 1978. Piaget's Theory of Intelligence. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc.
Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L. and Cocking, R. R. Eds. 2000. How People Learn: Brain, Mind,
Experience, and School. National Academy Press.
Bruner, J. 1960. The Process of Education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Bruner, J. 1966. Toward a Theory of Instruction. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Bruner, J. & Maya Pines. 1971. The Development of Intelligence in Babies, in Segal, J. (Ed.)
Mental Health Program Reports, Washington, D.C.: U.S.D.H.E.W.
Bruner, J., K. Kaye, & K. Lyons. 1971. The Growth of Human Manual Intelligence in Maya Pines,
Bruner, J. 1973. Going Beyond the Information Given. New York: Norton.
Bruner, J. 1983. Child's Talk: Learning to Use Language. New York: Norton.
Bruner, J. 1986. Actual Minds, Possible Worlds. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Bruner, J. 1990. Acts of Meaning. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Bruner, J. 1997. Celebrating divergence: Piaget and Vygotsky in Human Development,
Vol. 40, No.2, pp 63-73.
Bruner, J., J. Goodnow, & A. Austin 1951. A Study of Thinking. New York Wiley.
Dolson, David P. Ed. 1986. Schooling and Language Minority Students: A Theoretical Framework.
Los Angeles, CA: Evaluation, California State University, Los Angeles.
Evans, R. 1973. Jean Piaget: The Man and His Ideas. New York: E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc.
Flesch, Rudolf 1981 Why Johnny Still Can’t Read – A new look at the scandal of our schools.N.Y.:
Harper and Row, Colophon Books.
Fowler, William, 1962. Cognitive Leaning in Infancy and Childhood in Psychological Bulletin
Vol. 59, No.2, pp. 116-152. American Psychological Association.
Title
Description
Date
Page 20 of 24
Freire, Paulo 1985 The Politics of Education. Bergin and Garvey, Publishers.
Gardner, H. 1983. Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligence. N.Y.: Basic Books
Gatto, John T. 1992 Dumbing us Down – The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling. New
Society Publishers.
Gindis, B. 1999 Vygotsky’s Vision: Reshaping the Practice of Special Education for the 21st Century; in
Remedial and Special Education, Vol.20, No. 6.
Kramer, R. 1988. Maria Montessori, A Biography. N.Y. Addison-Wesley.
Lillard, A.S. 2005 Montessori, the Science Behind the Genius. Oxford University Press.
Lillard, Paula Polk 1973 Montessori, a Modern Approach. N.Y.: Schocken Books
Meadows, F. 1993 Evaluation of a Model Early Childhood Education Program for At-Risk Children in
California, IUSD Monograph.
Moll, L. (Ed.) 1990. Vygotsky and education: Instructional implications and applications of
sociohistorical psychology. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.
Montessori, Maria 1994 The Absorbent Mind. Oxford, England: Clio Press
Montessori, Maria 1995 The Discovery Of The Child. Oxford, England: Clio Press
Montessori, Maria [1914] 1965. Dr. Montessori’s Own Handbook. N.Y.: Schocken Books.
Montessori, Maria 1915. The California Lectures of Maria Montessori, 1915. Oxford: Clio Press
Montessori, Maria [1936] 1989. The Secret of Childhood. N.Y.: Ballantine Books
Montessori, Mario M., Jr. 1976 Education for Human Development, Schocken Books
Montessori, M. [1936] 1988. The Secret of Childhood. N.Y., Ballantine Books
Mooney, Carol G. 2000 Theories of Childhood, Redleaf Press.
Piaget, J. 1972. To Understand Is To Invent. New York: The Viking Press, Inc.
Pinker, Steven 1994. The Language Instinct. New York, N.Y.:William Morrow & Company Inc.
Rogoff, B. 1990. Apprenticeship in thinking: Cognitive development in social context.
N.Y.: Oxford University Press.
Sigel, I. and R. Cocking. 1977. Cognitive Development from Childhood to Adolescence:
A Constructivist Perspective. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Singer,D. & T. Revenson. 1978. A Piaget Primer: How a Child Thinks. New York: International
Universities Press, Inc.
Spalding, Romalda B. 1990. The Writing Road to Reading, New York, N.Y.: Harper-Collins
Standing, E.M. 1984. Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work. New York: New American Library /
Plume Books
Vygotsky, L. S. l997. The Collected Works, Volumes 3 and 4. M. Hall, trans., R.W. Rieber, Ed.
Vygotsky, L. S. [1930-1935] 1978 Mind in society: The development of higher mental processes,
Eds. & trans. M. Cole, V. John-Steiner, S. Scribner, & E. Souberman. Cambridge, MA: Harvard
University Press.
Vygotsky, L. S. 1956. Selected Psychological Investigations. Moscow: Izdstel’sto Akademii
Pedagogicheskikh Nauk SSSR.
Vygotsky, L. S. 1962. Thought and Language. Cambridge, MA. MIT Press.
Warner, Sylvia Ashton 1963 Teacher, Simon & Schuster
Title
Description
Date
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Wertsch, J. V., ed. 1985 Culture, Communication and Cognition: Vygotskyan Perspectives.
N.Y.:Cambridge University Press.
Wertsch, J. V., & B. Rogoff 1984. Eds. in Children’s learning in the “zone of proximal
development”, 1-6. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Wittmer, D.S., & A.S. Honig. 1994. Encouraging positive social development in young children.
Young Children 49 (5): 4-12.
Wolery, M., & J. S. Wilbers, eds. 1994. Including children with special needs in early childhood
programs. Washington, D.C.: NAEYC.
Readings on the Web:
http://www.developingchild.net/reports.shtml
http://www.bgcenter.com/Vygotsky_Vision.htm
http://www.psy.pdx.edu/PsiCafe/KeyTheorists/Vygotsky.htm
http://copland.udel.edu/%7Ejconway/EDST666.htm#dislrn
IX Facilities
The offering of a program designed to prepare teachers to work with children from 2.5 to 6 years of age
requires a very specialized prepared environment. The University has foreseen the need for this
exceptional classroom by remodeling a large space on the fourth floor of the Town Point building,
according to the requirements drawn up by the Goizueta Chair. Once the remodeling is completed
(floor and sinks) new, low, child level shelves will be moved in and the extensive array of classified,
scientifically designed, manipulable learning materials, that the Goizueta Chair has had in storage since
his arrival a year ago, finally will find a home.
X Administration
The M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education with a Montessori Early Childhood Education 2.5-6 Year
Level Concentration will be administered by the same faculty team which administers the current M.Ed.
in Early Childhood Education program.
XI Assessment
Each project and assignment in the First and Second Phases of this program will be assessed according
to the detailed assessment standards described in each course syllabus. The candidate’s culminating
evaluation will occur during the Third Phase of the program when s/he will demonstrate competence in
presenting randomely selected materials to a virtual child and will submit a final portfolio of materials
which demonstrates a thorough understanding of the concepts and practices acquired in the program.
XII Accreditation
Business Content Audit:
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Referencing the Business Content Worksheet, does this program or concentration, incorporating the
information proposed herein, have “traditional business subject” content delivered by faculty or
programs administered by the Coles College of Business? *
_____ Yes
If “yes,” complete a Business Content Worksheet and obtain necessary
approvals as indicated.
__X___ No
_____ Exempt Graduate programs administered by the Coles College are exempt.

All graduate programs exceeding 50% business content are automatically required to meet AACSB
International business accreditation standards. The purpose of the audit is to prevent the unintended,
undesirable compulsory inclusion of programs subject to AACSB standards.
Accreditation:
The Master of Education in Early Childhood Education meets the Georgia Professional Standards
Commission standards for the degree and is fully accredited by the National Council of Accreditation of
Teacher Education (NCATE).
The proposed Montessori Early Childhood Education 2.5 to 6 Year Level Concentration is accredited by
the Commission on Accreditation of the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education
(MACTE), a national accrediting agency that, like NCATE, is recognized by the U.S. Department of
Education.
XIII Affirmative Action Impact
There are hundreds of childcare centers in which good hearted, well intentioned people are doing their
best to care for young children without having had any adequate preparation to do so. This program is
the first of several programs that Kennesaw State University will establish to redress this significant lack
of essential preparation for teachers of young children in the system of higher education in Georgia.
The establishment of this M.Ed. program, with its Montessori Early Childhood Education 2.5 to 6 Year
Level Concentration, will open doors of opportunity to candidates from Asia and Latin America as well
as to many Latino and African American teachers in this state.
XIV Degree Inscription
XV Fiscal and Enrollment Impact, and Estimated Budget
1. ENROLLMENT PROJECTIONS
Expected enrollment is from 12 to 25 candidates in the first cohort and 25 candidates in each cohort
in subsequent years.
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2. COSTS
A. Personnel -- reassigned or existing positions
Cost of existing positions currently assigned to the M.Ed. program will continue.
B. Personnel -- new positions
One Instructor position will be added to the program at the outset. This position will be funded
from grant funds that have already been committed to the College of Education.
C. One-Time Startup costs
One time startup costs will come from foundation sources.
D. Operating Costs
Operating costs will be assigned from foundation resources.
2. REVENUE SOURCES
Currently encumbered faculty salary costs.
PSC Research Grant Funds
Goizueta Foundation Grant Funds
KSU Foundation Grant Funds
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