The MAT Capstone Project represents the intersection of scholarly research and classroom reality. As the final milestone of the Brown Master of Arts in Teaching program, this project challenges candidates to move beyond the role of "student" and step fully into the role of "reflective practitioner." Throughout their yearlong residency in Rhode Island’s secondary schools, MATs conduct a deep dive into their own teaching, using their daily interactions with students to drive a sustained cycle of instructional design and critical reflection.

Each candidate selects a pedagogical lens specific to their discipline, analyzes the latest educational research, and builds a standards-aligned unit from the ground up. By using a variety of assessment tools to track student growth, they are able to see exactly how their choices impact learning, allowing them to adapt and refine their approach in real-time.

“Watching this cohort bridge the gap between theory and practice has been a highlight of the year,” says Professor Katie Rieser, Director of the MAT Program. “They’ve gone above and beyond to meet students where they are—whether by building classrooms that foster student collaboration and community, using visualization as a tool for model-building, or developing scientific questioning skills in students. Their work proves that they aren't just prepared to teach; they are prepared to innovate.”

Rieser concludes, “The Capstone is a launchpad. By grounding their first year of teaching in a cycle of inquiry and a commitment to equity, these educators are graduating with the tools to be lifelong learners and leaders in their schools.”

Below is a list of MAT students from the Class of 2026 and the titles of their presentations.

• Happy Ruth Jara: Breaking the Cycle of "One-Sentence Analysis": Using an Adapted Single Paragraph Outline (SPO) to Deepen Student Writing
• Joyce Li: Building Classrooms That Foster Student Collaboration and Community
• Adnan Aldabbagh: I Have a Vision: Visualization as a Tool for Model-Building
• Sarath Suong: Students as Civic Actors: Using Multi-Perspective Role Play to Challenge and Negotiate Power
• Yusra Ali: Transforming Ideas into Effective Paragraphs
• Aaron Hardy: Taking Positions: Strengthening Evidence-Based Arguments with Structured Writing
• Ava Nemerovski: What Questions Do You Have?: Developing Scientific Questioning Skills in Biology Students
• Owen Harris: Freewriting for Writing Fluency and Confidence
• Braelen Head: CER Gradual Release with Graphic Organizers
• Eliana Lopez: Reimagining Freedom: Using Music to Reignite Student Engagement in African American History
• Anna Ryu: Supporting Students’ Creation of Concept Maps in the Chemistry Classroom
• Jameson Peckham: How Structured Scaffolds Enhance Student Reasoning and Sense Making in Statistics
• Angel Arrazola: What Is That? Using Notice & Wonder to Encourage Student Participation
• Evan Stein: Students as Smarter Citizens: Using Media Literacy Tools in the History Classroom
• Anne Overton: Hey, What's the Big Idea? Summarizing with Purpose in the ELA CLassroom
• Silvia Carias-Centeno: Storyboarding into Social Justice: Visualizing Historical Reasoning for MLL Students
• Molly Lederer: A Way to Play with Words: Using Quick Writes to Gain Momentum, Build Confidence, and Spark Reflection
• Isabel Heider: Building Trust, Risk-Taking, and Engagement: The Impact of Groupworthy Tasks in the High School Math Classroom
• Madeline Wachsmuth: Developing Students’ Scientific Observation Skills Through Repeated, Place-Based Field Experiences: A Disquisition on the West River
• Tiago Sachs Negreiros Vicente: Practicing Evidence Analysis Through C-E-R Structures
• Alexa Kastner: Collaboration and Participation: Equity and Engagement in the Math Classroom
• Rigo Martinez: Students as analyst: Using media literacy to Improve Primary source analysis In world history
• Tessa Levenstein: Incorporating Visual Representations of Functions: Improving Graphing Skills in Algebra 2
• Meg Henning: Eye Spy!: Using Graphic Organizers with MLLs to Scaffold Scientific Visualization
• Conor Mynahan: Teaching Discussion as a Civic and Life Skill: Scaffolding Student Voice Through Graphic Organizers and Socratic Seminars
• Holly McCauley: Thinking Out Loud: Using Discussion to Scaffold Literary Analysis
• Baowei Wan: Mapping It Out: Using Iterative Concept Map to Deepen Students’ Understanding of Chemistry Concepts and Connections
• Kenia Mendoza: Constructed What?: Improving Students’ Evidence-Based Writing in Constructed Responses
• Logan Rulloda: Reclaiming ‘Math Person’: Journaling to Strengthen Math Identity