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Student/Teacher: Exploring HGSE Doctoral Modules

For Ed.D. candidate Liz Dawes Duraisingh, Ed.M.'07, the opportunity to devise and teach her own course at HGSE was a privilege and challenge.

"I wanted to see if there was something I could bring to the table," Duraisingh says reflecting on her reasons for proposing the doctoral module, Developing Students Historical Understanding. As a former history teacher, Duraisingh said she longed to connect with HGSE students on the topic and get back in front of a class.

Although there is a long history of doctoral students acting as teaching fellows, about 10 years ago, HGSE began to look to its doctoral cohort to teach modules -- six-week courses -- aimed at filling specific niches in the curriculum.

"They are teaching topics that resonate with students," says Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs Matthew Miller, Ed.M.'01, Ed.D.'06. "The modules are developed to focus on specific topics [that are] not otherwise well represented in the curriculum. The range of expertise and commitment to excellent teaching among our doctoral students is really breathtaking."

This year's modules included Race, Law, and Education: Six U.S. Supreme Court Cases, taught by Liliana Garces, Ed.M.'06; and Teaching Literacy for Equity: Situated Learning, co-taught by Sky Marietta, Ed.M.'08, and Sabina Neugebauer, Ed.M.'05.

For many Ed.D. students, the opportunity to teach their own courses is particularly alluring, despite the extra work they take on in the process.

Some, like Sherry Deckman, Ed.M.'07, find it difficult to focus energy on doctoral work while teaching modules. "I find that I'm so invested in planning of the module and ensuring a meaningful learning experience for the class that I spend time I should be working on my dissertation, working on the module," says Deckman, who taught Gender and Sexuality in Schools: School Climate and the Hidden Curriculum. "I might have chosen a module topic that was a bit more centrally integrated with my dissertation topic. But, I couldn't pass up a chance to address what I see as a key social justice issue in our society."

Not all Ed.D. candidates who want to teach a module are able, as there are generally only three to five slots available each year. Interested students must pitch their ideas to the faculty members on the Committee on Curriculum and Instruction by first submitting memos detailing their interest in teaching, then following with official proposals and course syllabi. It is a competitive process, which, Miller says, involves difficult choices about which modules can be offered. "Every year, the committee tries to stretch as far as it can," he says. "I have never seen a module proposal that the faculty reviewers didn't think was interesting."

The decision comes down to several criteria including how attractive the modules would be to students, as well as how well they would fill gaps in the existing HGSE curriculum offerings. In general, the modules tend to attract between 10 and 20 students.

Ed.D. candidate Mara Tieken, Ed.M.'06, says her biggest motivation to teach was the opportunity to provide a course offering on a subject that had never been taught. Thus, her module, Rural Schools and Rural Communities, looked at the 20 percent of the nation's children in rural education environments. "It's something that is not a big part of the education dialogue," she says. "I felt like it was something I could offer. I was pretty sure that people would be interested in taking it, but, never having done this before, I wasn't sure."

This uncertainty about the appeal of their courses is common among the Ed.D. module instructors. Similar to HGSE teaching faculty, doctoral students teaching modules participate in class shopping, which is an opportunity for students to preview potential classes for the semester. "I was nervous about how many people would show interest in the course during class shopping," admits Duraisingh.

For Tieken, the nervousness was unfounded. By the end of the shopping session, 18 students enrolled in her module.

There is also some uncertainty for the students shopping, but master's candidate Danielle Pickens, who enrolled in Tieken's rural education module, says that any reservations she had quickly faded. "Mara's excitement for rural schools and issues is infectious," she says. "She seemed so excited to learn along with us. I knew that she would go above and beyond to create a really fantastic course - and she did."

The excitement and enthusiasm from doctoral candidates teaching courses also brings a new understanding of their research subject matters.

As Tieken explains, she spends a lot of time writing and thinking about rural education but had to re-evaluate the approach of teaching the subject matter. "I wanted people to come away with a deep knowledge of rural education, and that expectation and the work it required to convey that depth brought my understanding to another level. Ultimately, I think that my dissertation will be stronger because I now have a clarity of thinking and I am also able to tell story about rural schools," she says.

For Deckman, who plans to pursue a career as a professor, her module was a stepping stone. "Teaching a module now as a doctoral student has allowed me to get feedback on my teaching from colleagues and professors in order to develop my practice further in a way that might not be quite as available to me as a full-time junior faculty member," she says.

Duraisingh recommends most doctoral candidates consider designing a course. "It's something you are excited about and in such a way that will push your own understanding," she says. "This was one of the most rewarding, interesting, and challenging things I've done at HGSE."

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