WATERVILLE, MAINE, September 2017 — This fall, Thomas College announces the official launch of a new School of Education, which will join the School of Arts and Sciences and the H. Allen Ryan School of Business at Thomas.
Thomas College has a long history of preparing teachers for the classroom that stretches back to preparing business education teachers led by Professor Philomena McPhee-Brown. And now, Thomas College’s new range of preservice teacher education programs certification reflects the current emphasis on proficiency-based education, STEAM education, and digital literacies, and students can seek certifications in Early Childhood Education and Management, in Elementary Education, and in a variety of Secondary Education fields.
“The opening of the School of Education recognizes the emergence of a professional school design to prepare our students to be the teachers of tomorrow,” said Provost Thomas Edwards.
Dr. Pamela Thompson, who has been a professor at Thomas for nine years, was named Chair of the School.
“Our vison for the school is to develop highly skilled 21st century teachers and thinkers,” said Thompson. “Our faculty is committed to engaging preservice teachers in both the art and science of teaching by demonstrating practices that inspire creative problem solving and delivering content through integrated pathways, like educational gaming, proficiency based learning and cross disciplinary approaches like STEAM .”
With the generous support of the Lunder Foundation, Thomas launched its Center for Innovation in Education in the fall of 2015 to offer professional development opportunities for students and practicing teachers in the field including the Summer Institute. The CIE also collaborates with Maine Cohort for Customized Learning, Educate Maine and its Maine Teacher of the Year program, Maine Arts Leadership Initiative, and Americans Who Tell the Truth/Samantha Smith Challenge.
Kelsea Carter, a 2017 graduate, already has a job at Lake Region Middle School in Naples, Maine as an English Language Arts teacher.
“It is one thing to learn, it is another to directly observe, and Thomas has their students directly observe from the start,” said Carter. “We had field outings, and authentic practices within each course.”
To learn more about Thomas College’s new School of Education or its Center for Innovation in Education, please visit wwwold.thomas.edu/cie or set up a campus visit by contacting Admissions at 207-859-1101 or admiss@thomas.edu .
About Thomas College: Founded in 1894, Thomas College offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in programs ranging from business, entrepreneurship, and technology, to education, criminal justice, and psychology. Its Guaranteed Job Program, the first of its kind in the nation, is built on student’s academic, career, and leadership preparation. Thomas is also home to the Harold Alfond Institute for Business Innovation and the Center for Innovation in Education. Money Magazine recently ranked Thomas 23rd in the Country for adding the most value to their degrees, and data reported by the New York Times ranks Thomas in the top 15 percent of all college and universities in the U.S. for upward mobility of its graduates. For more information, visit wwwold.thomas.edu or contact MacKenzie Riley at rileym@thomas.edu or 207-859-1313.