Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education (TLTE)

ED.D., PH.D. 

The Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education program prepares students to serve as researchers and teacher educators in universities and colleges, curriculum developers and evaluators in educational agencies, curriculum specialists in school districts and state departments of education, and instructional leaders and classroom teachers in K-12 schools.

Coursework and research experiences address a range of practice-based and theoretical problems in schools and community settings from sociopolitical, cultural, philosophical, psychological, and historical perspectives. Taking an interdisciplinary stance, faculty and students explore issues of equity, social justice and educational change in a range of formal and informal educational settings. Through their programs of study, students select focal areas such as teaching and learning, research and practice in teacher education, mathematics or science education, and the study of urban education and urban contexts. Applicants interested in the focal area of literacy are encouraged to consider the doctoral program in Reading/Writing/Literacy.

Because of the significance we attach to the building of knowledge from experiences as educators, we expect most students to have, on admission to the program, teaching or relevant educational experiences in or outside of school settings. Students build a program of study that includes courses in teaching and learning, social foundations, and research methods. Field-based research and collaborative projects with practitioners in schools or other educational settings are key components of the TLTE program. Students learn not only from a rigorous program of study, but also from active participation in a community of learners including practicing and prospective teachers.

The Ph.D. in Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education focuses on the preparation of researchers in education. The program includes formal courses, mentored research, and informal seminars. Students take several core courses, required research methods courses, and additional specialization and elective courses as determined by their individualized planned program of study. All doctoral students take a set of written examinations in the area of specialization and complete a dissertation to complete the course of study. The program will accept up to eight course units of relevant graduate-level coursework towards the degree taken prior to enrollment at Penn GSE.

Sample Ph.D. Course Plan

Core Courses:
EDUC 646 Education, Culture, and Society
EDUC 664 Foundations of Teaching & Learning
EDUC 621 Doctoral Proseminar
EDUC 545 Social Theory and Educational Research

Introductory Research Methodology Courses:
EDUC 545 Qualitative Modes of Inquiry
EDUC 667 Introductory Statistics for Educational Research

Additional Research Methodology Courses, as determined by individual program plan, such as:
EDUC 517 Classroom Discourse and Interaction
EDUC 645 Methods of Discourse Analysis
EDUC 672 Ethnographic Research Methods
EDUC 700 Advanced Ethnographic Research Design
EDUC 845 Seminar in Microethnography

Two TLTE Courses, as determined by individual program plan, such as:
EDUC 590 Gender and Education
EDUC 619 Critical Perspectives in Contemporary Urban Education
EDUC 665 Research on Teaching
EDUC 620 Seminar in Teacher Education
EDUC 655 Fieldwork and Mentoring
EDUC 545 Video Games and Virtual Worlds as Designs for Learning

Additional electives as determined by individual program plan

The Ed.D. program has a strong commitment to educational practice and preparing scholar-practitioners. Ed.D. applicants are required to hold a master’s degree and are expected to have experience in educational practice. Students take a minimum of 20 course units, which include a set of core courses, research methods courses, specialization courses, and electives. All Ed.D. students take part in courses and seminars specifically designed for Ed.D. students across GSE and select an Ed.D. cognate. The program will accept up to eight course units of relevant graduate-level coursework towards the degree taken prior to enrollment at Penn GSE. Doctoral students take a set of written examinations in the area of specialization and complete a dissertation on a problem of educational practice to complete the course of study.

Sample Ed.D. Course Plan

Core Courses:
EDUC 664 Foundations of Teaching & Learning
EDUC 621 Doctoral Proseminar
EDUC 646 Education, Culture, and Society

Three Research Methodology Courses, typically:
EDUC 545 Qualitative Modes of Inquiry
EDUC 667 Introductory Statistics for Educational Research
EDUC 669 Practitioner Inquiry

Two TLTE Courses, such as:
EDUC 590 Gender and Education
EDUC 619 Critical Perspectives in Contemporary Urban Education
EDUC 665 Research on Teaching
EDUC 620 Seminar in Teacher Education
EDUC 655 Fieldwork and Mentoring
EDUC 545 Video Games and Virtual Worlds as Designs for Learning

Elective Courses
Students choose graduate-level elective courses totaling the required number of course units for their degree program.

Program Faculty:

Yasmin Kafai, Ed.D., Harvard University
Sharon Ravitch, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
Janine Remillard, Ph.D., Michigan State University
Katherine Schultz, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
Susan Yoon, Ph.D., OISE/University of Toronto