New Mexico Highlands University
School of Education
A Cooperating Teacher’s Guide to Educational Field III Experiences
Program Guidelines
FALL 2008
NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
A COOPERATING TEACHER’S GUIDE TO EDUCATIONAL FIELD 111 EXPERIENCES
PROGRAM GUIDELINES
The field-Based III (FB-3) Student Teaching experience is vital to a student’s future career in the teaching profession. FB-3 runs the full length of the semester and must be viewed as a full-time commitment. Students are expected to be at their school site for the full school day as well as participate in before school and after school activities.
Student Placement
Placement of a prospective teacher in a school is a cooperative decision between that prospective student teacher, university personnel and school district officials. Students must keep in mind that they are GUESTS in the schools and that school officials may terminate their field experience at any time. NOTE: A school official does not have to demonstrate a cause nor provide a justification for termination of the field experience.
In addition, the University has no obligation to provide another placement for the student. The University Supervisor and the Coordinator of Field Experiences will decide on appropriate action for that semester. In the case of a withdrawal, the university has no further obligation to provide the student teacher with a chance to complete the field experience sequence. The student would have to reapply and, if approved, accept the conditions determined necessary by the School of Education.
Any practicum/field-based (1,2 &3) intern may be terminated or removed from their experiences for any violation of the Code of Ethics of the Education Profession (NM State Board of Education Regulation No. 93-16)
Selection of Cooperating Teachers
The cooperating teachers for the field experience sequence are selected and assigned by district administrators and approved by the School of Education. The cooperating teacher should be one who:
· Has a minimum of three years classroom experience with at least at a Level 2 license.
· Is outstandingly successful in teaching.
· Commands the professional respect of colleagues.
· Manifests an interest in the advancement of the teaching profession through a willingness to assist in the preparation of prospective teachers.
· Has a sincere interest and desire to guide the pre-service teacher to a successful completion of his/her field experience.
· Has a thorough knowledge of his/her teaching field(s) and is experienced in using a variety of teaching methods.
· Is flexible enough to allow the prospective teacher to try a variety of methods and materials even if those may differ from ones commonly used.
· Is a lifelong learner, endeavoring always to improve his/her own competency.
· Knows how to work effectively with prospective teachers in the classroom and is able to teach through the pre-service teacher.
Getting Started
The student is expected to visit the cooperating school for a full day before the field experience actually begins. The reasons for this visit, which is especially important for a Level III student, are to:
1. Meet the school officials and the cooperating teacher.
2. Visit the class or classes to which he/she will be assigned.
3. Obtain course outlines, class schedules, school regulations, textbooks, and any other necessary materials.
The Student Teacher’s Transitional Period
The prospective teacher should have a minimal transitional period of observation from one to two weeks to be determined by the cooperating teacher. The length of time will vary according to the student’s previous experiences, his/her alertness to the various phases of the instruction program, his/her personality, and his/her general feeling of security. The cooperating teacher should work closely with the university supervisor and prospective teacher as the latter proposes to assume direct responsibility for a group of children in a school situation.
Observation should precede and also continue simultaneously with actual teaching experiences and should reach beyond the classroom. Examples include such activities as observation of other teachers, parent meetings and conferences, school wide events, sporting events, etc. The purpose of observation is to learn the methods, devices, techniques, and procedures used by successful teachers in actual classroom situations. It also provides opportunities for learning more about children and how to help them in a school setting in concert with standard district policies.
Through guided observation, the prospective teacher will acquire knowledge, practical information, and skills that will help him/her become a competent teacher. He/she should, therefore, prepare carefully for these observations, record them accurately and, if required, share them with the University Supervisor as a reflective journal. Having a fairly definite idea of the situations to which he/she will direct his/her attention will help to crystallize, for the university student, the major elements to be observed, recorded, and evaluated.
Clarifying Role Expectations
By the end of the first two weeks of a field experience, the student and the cooperating teacher need to develop a comfortable working relationship. Part of this process is establishing a clear understanding of the expectations and responsibilities each holds for the other. This is especially true for Level III experiences since the cooperating teacher has a major role and responsibility in evaluating the performance level of the student teacher.
Appendix A (Initial Conference) in the Student Teaching Manual should be used to assist with the task of setting expectations. In addition Appendix C (Student Teaching Contract) and Appendix D (Student Teacher Assignment Sheet) should also be completed within this timeframe. The Cooperating Teacher should be familiar with the Student Teaching Time Line of Experiences (Appendix E) in planning the student teaching sequence of experiences with the prospective teacher.
Participation
From the very beginning of the field experience, the student should consider him/herself part of the group, not just a spectator or visitor. Even during the first few days there will be opportunities to participate in the life of the classroom and the school. The cooperating teacher will place responsibilities upon the student as he/she shows him/herself ready and able to accept them. Such assistance with classroom activities should create a favorable background for teaching.
Participation should include involvement in school activities other than those directly related to the classroom. Examples follow:
■ Activity sponsorship ■ Cafeteria detail ■ Hallway monitoring
■ School grounds supervision ■ Games and activities ■ Dance chaperoning
■ Test monitoring ■ Assembly supervision ■ Record keeping
■ Meetings: general staff, grade level, department, curriculum, parents, workshops, etc.
These are only some of the many demands that are placed on regular teachers, in addition to classroom instruction. Student teachers should expect to undertake these responsibilities as part of field experiences.
Genuine interest and willingness to help will give the student the feeling of belonging to, and contributing to the group. This interest, willingness to help, and initiative will lead naturally into more work with pupils and will contribute to the gradual professional growth of the student and increased responsibility for the classroom. Below is a list of some specific activities in which student teachers should have experienced before assuming responsibility for the total classroom for an extended period of time:
1. Checked pupils’ papers with them and helped them understand correct responses.
2. Read to the class.
3. Accompanied pupils to the playground, assembly, etc.
4. Aided individual pupils and small groups in a math class in understanding difficult problems and concepts.
5. Assisted pupils in laboratory activity settings.
6. Helped a group of pupils prepare a demonstration to be presented to the class.
7. Helped the clarinet section of the orchestra with a new selection.
8. Assisted the cooperating teacher in working with small groups.
9. Assumed responsibility for carrying out activities with the total class for short periods of time. (This was done with the cooperating teacher present and also when he/she was called from the room for short periods of time.)
RESPONSIBILITIES OF PERSONNEL
Role of the Cooperating Teacher
As a teacher of prospective teachers, the cooperating teacher occupies a most important role in the preparation of new teachers. At the same time, he/she holds the primary legal responsibility for the welfare of his/her pupils. In this strategic position, the cooperating teacher can influence critically the ideals and the attitudes of a prospective teacher. Because student teaching is placed at the end of the teacher education program, the cooperating teacher may exert one of the last professional influences on the student before he/she enters the profession.
As is true of all successful teaching, human factors are vital in determining the relationship between the cooperating teacher and the student. Student teachers, especially, are frequently under a great deal of stress in this new situation, and they will appreciate friendship and assistance. Thus, the cooperating teacher should strive to establish a cordial relationship between the student and him/herself. The student should be led to feel him/herself a “junior partner” in a common enterprise, equally interested in and responsible for the progress of the students. Note: It is important to remember that student teachers do not come to the classroom fully prepared to teach. The cooperating teacher should discover through interaction with the student teacher what skills the student has acquired before deciding on teaching activities for which the student can safely assume responsibility.
The student teacher should be absolutely reliable in such matters as attendance, promptness, and daily preparation. The cooperating teacher should assign a place for the student’s coat and teaching materials; he/she should also give the student information about such things as appropriate dress, lunchroom procedures, parking and smoking regulations, use of teachers’ lounge, the educational philosophy of the school, its organizational and scheduling procedures, the record and reporting system used, and any other pertinent information. The culture of every school is very complex and often requires considerable guidance to learn.
The cooperating teacher has four main areas of concern: Orienting, Planning, Conferring and Evaluating. Some critical steps in fulfilling these responsibilities include the following suggestions:
· Offer direction to learning in the classroom; provide the best possible instruction for the pupils as well as for the student teacher.
· Become thoroughly acquainted with the student teacher as a person and as a prospective teacher.
· Induct the prospective teacher into the teaching process.
· Provide a model for professionalism
· Help the student prepare daily lesson plans, weekly plans, unit plans and long-range plans.
· Help the student teacher through daily, weekly, and monthly conferences, including those related to completion of mid-term and final evaluations.
· Complete the monthly student teacher evaluations (using the appropriate form of Appendix G) with the student and Cooperating Teacher providing feedback and direction for professional growth
Suggested Sequence of Activities
The field experience begins the first moment the university student enters the school building. As noted above, there should be a transition from observation functions to those of initiative and responsibility, but the pace of this transition depends greatly on each specific situation. Therefore, what follows can only be a guide for the student and the cooperating teacher.
1. Orientation to the field site:
· Touring the school plant.
· Visiting staff members and administrative personnel and becoming aware of their functions.
· Becoming acquainted with the socio-economic backgrounds of the pupils and the community.
· Becoming aware of the special instructional tools and services available to the school.
2. Initial activities requiring minimal planning:
· Routine administrative duties, such as (a) Checking papers, (b) Putting material on the chalkboard,
(c) Collecting and distributing materials, (d) Monitoring tests, and (e) Giving vocabulary words and
spelling tests.
· Minor teaching duties, such as (a) Assisting individual students, (b) Working with small groups, and (c) Reading instructions and clarifying directions.
3. Daily lesson planning:
· Lessons planned with the cooperating teacher, including: review, developmental and reinforcing lessons and/or lessons planned independently and reviewed with the cooperating teacher.
· Please be reminded that at this stage, lesson plans should be as robust as possible which may include objectives, benchmarks, modifications, activities and evaluation criteria depending on the requirements of the school and the University Supervisor.
4. Planning a unit in one area, including the daily lesson plans necessary to implement the teaching unit in the classroom.
5. Independent grading of pupils’ work, comparing results with the teacher’s and understanding any discrepancies. Evaluative techniques such s rubrics and checklists should be modeled.
6. Responsibility for planning and executing weekly schedules. The role of a student teacher entails more than teaching an occasional lesson for comments by the cooperating teacher and the university supervisor. It involves total growth in all aspects of a teacher’s daily responsibilities. Consequently, the student should develop the necessary rapport with the cooperating teacher, the school and pupils to include as many of these activities as possible.
Role of University Supervisor
Among the many responsibilities of the university supervisor, the following directives are particularly significant:
1. Act as liaison in acquainting public school personnel with the nature and purpose of the field experience program.
2. Keep the Coordinator of Field Experiences or Branch Director informed about the various placements and any issues that arise. (Early intervention can alleviate greater problems later.)
3. Orient the student to his/her responsibilities toward the cooperating teacher and school.
4. Assist the cooperating teacher by guiding the student to interpret his/her experiences in the light of sound educational practices.
5. Observe the student at work in order to assist him/her and to keep him/her informed of his/her progress.
6. Hold individual and joint conferences with the student and cooperating teacher, and counsel the student
regarding his/her professional growth.
7. Collect evaluative reports and other relevant information required by the Coordinator of Field Experiences
or Branch Director. (Reports and other information are maintained in the student file).
8. Act as an on-going liaison between the University and the School Administrator and Cooperating Teacher.
Role of the School Administrator
One of the major responsibilities of the cooperating school administrator is the selection of prospective teachers who will best be able to nurture the growth of the student.
In working with the field experience program, the school administrator assumes a leadership role of a significantly different dimension. His/her participation in the program offers sound evidence of a commitment to the teaching profession.
Among his/her resulting responsibilities are