College’s MAT Program Attracted New Visiting Professor
Posted on 10/7/2009
Jennifer Beasley knew from the moment she talked with Marcia Imbeau about the University of Arkansas' Master of Arts in Teaching program that she wanted to be a part of it.
An elementary school teacher for 17 years, Beasley met Imbeau, associate professor of special education, while Beasley was working on a doctorate at the University of Virginia.
"From the moment I met Marcia Imbeau and she talked about what was happening here in the MAT, I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up," Beasley joked. "I felt my philosophy for how to prepare pre-service teachers matched well with what's being done here.
"In other programs, pre-service teachers don't take any education courses until their fifth year," she continued. "They don't spend nearly as much time in the classroom during that fifth year as our MAT students, and they don't have the same supervision and mentoring that we give them."
Beasley joined the faculty this fall as a visiting assistant professor of curriculum and instruction. She teaches at both the Fayetteville campus and the Global Campus in Rogers. She meets every week with student interns and their mentor teachers at Harp Elementary School in Springdale.
"I know the environment the interns are in," she said. "I don't merely show up occasionally and observe. We're in constant communication. I know what's happening in the school all the time, and the interns know they have my support. The MAT program is structured so that our faculty have a close relationship with the student interns and the teachers and principals in their schools."
Beasley taught first, third and fifth grades in the Blue Valley School District in Kansas City before leaving to attend the University of Virginia. While in Kansas, she earned a master's degree in administration and supervision from Wichita State University, a gifted endorsement from Emporia State University and a principal's certificate. In addition to being a classroom teacher, she also worked as a facilitator for gifted education at two elementary schools.
Beasley wanted to attend the University of Virginia so that she could study with Carol Tomlinson, a leading educator of differentiated instruction. Tomlinson was a keynote speaker at the 2007 literacy symposium in Fayetteville conducted by the curriculum and instruction department.
At Virginia, Beasley conducted research at the Curry School of Education's National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. She looked at ways of identifying a wider range of students for gifted and talented programs. White, middle-class boys are over-identified in most schools, she said.
"We looked at how teachers identify students and what they can do to provide challenges for all students' needs," she said.
Beasley is also involved in expanding professional development opportunities for teachers beyond the traditional "set and get" format. In focusing on using technology for this effort, she created a Web site called Differentiation Central that gives teachers a space to talk with each other and share documents. Resources are posted there, and videos of interviews with leading educators are also in the works. The Web site grew from a conference hosted by the University of Virginia and builds on the concept of professional learning communities.
When she finds some spare time on her hands, Beasley enjoys mountain biking. She's ridden at Devil's Den State Park and on the Scull Creek Trail in Fayetteville.
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