“The Teacher Education program at Claremont Graduate University taught me how bringing real-life connections into the curriculum enhances critical as well as creative thinking.”

Brenda Dougan (MA in Education, 2007)
6th Grade Teacher, Fontana Unified School District

“The Teacher’s Education program at Claremont Graduate University has inspired me to promote academic fervor among all of my students,” says Brenda Dougan, a 6th grade teacher in Fontana and a recent graduate of the School of Educational Studies’ Teacher Education program. “This exceptional program taught me that there is a higher propensity for students to achieve academic excellence when they are able to make the connection between what they learn in the classroom and how it can be transferred to real- life experiences. I frequently hear my students ask, ‘Are we ever going to need this in real life?’ This is why I find it essential to make those real life connections through skits that allow my students to expand their thinking in regards to the subject matter. In other words, Claremont has encouraged me to bring realia into the classroom.

“This program has taught me that embedding realia into the curriculum enhances critical, as well as creative thinking. As a Math and Science teacher, it is imperative that I promote higher level thinking among all of my students. I, strongly, believe that when my students are able to cognitively process the connection between the mathematical concepts learned in the classroom and their personal lives, they have engaged in higher level thinking.”