School Visit Information

Scheduled Weekly School Visits: Please refer to the STEP School Experience Schedule in this Field Guide for details regarding the dates and objectives for the school visits. On school visit days, teacher candidates are to dress professionally, arrive at their designated schools no later than 30 minutes before the start of classes, and sign in at the front office. Teacher candidates should remain at the school and under the supervision of a designated staff member for the duration of the school day. In addition, teacher candidates should remain at the school until at least 30 minutes after the pupils are dismissed to assist practicum school staff with tasks as needed.

Missed School Visits: Attendance is mandatory during school visits and teacher candidates, as junior members of a school staff, are accountable for their attendance. If a teacher candidate is required to miss a school visit due to illness or emergency, he/she must immediately notify the School Experience Coordinator (by phone or email). The practicum school must also be notified and the teacher candidate can do this either by phoning the school office (or the attendance line if the office is closed) or by emailing the mentor teacher (and cc-ing the principal and office secretary).

Personal communication during school visits: Cell phones, personal email or other social networking tools (e.g. Facebook) should not be used by teacher candidates during instructional time. As with any other place of work, visits from family and friends must be limited to urgent business or emergency matters only and preferably during non-instructional time (before or after school, lunch). If family members or friends need to contact the teacher candidate, they can do so by phoning the school office and leaving a message.

Concerns during School Visits: If concerns or questions arise during the weekly school visits and/or prior to the commencement of the practicum, it is important that the mentor teacher, in consultation with the school administrator, immediately communicate, in writing (email is acceptable), the specific concerns to the School Experience Coordinator. If a teacher candidate is experiencing difficulties during the school visits and/or prior to the start of practicum, he/she should make an appointment with the School Experience Coordinator to discuss the concerns or questions as soon as possible. NOTE: The faculty advisors will not become directly involved until the Practicum Introduction Week.

Full Week in Sponsor School: Toward the end of Winter Term 1, teacher candidates will spend a full week in their practicum schools. This extended time in the practicum school will enable teacher candidates to become familiar with the weekly routines and procedures in their practicum classes and in the school community in general. Prior to the full week in school, teacher candidates will prepare a week overview of key tasks and responsibilities including the dates/times for at least two 30 – 40 minute lessons they will prepare/teach during the week. Co-teaching, working with students in small groups or individually, taking on basic class routines (attendance, homework check, marking etc.) should be integral components of each day. A copy of the week overview will be emailed to the teacher candidate’s faculty advisor. During the full week in school, the teacher candidate’s faculty advisor will observe a lesson and provide feedback in a post-lesson conference. Teacher candidates will also collaborate with their mentor teachers and begin to draft their Practicum Instructional Plan (PIP). This plan is an overview the teacher candidate’s teaching responsibilities during the extended practicum. Please refer to the Field Guide for instructions regarding how to develop a Practicum Instructional Plan (PIP).

Practicum Preparation: Guidelines

Required Preparation for Practicum
When teacher candidate/mentor teacher matches are finalized, teacher candidates are expected to collaborate with their mentor teacher(s) and together determine the teacher candidate’s practicum teaching load and other responsibilities in accordance with the parameters outlined in this section of the Field Guide. While these parameters and guidelines are intended to help clarify the practicum preparation process, given the wide variation of practicum contexts, it is assumed that the specific details regarding planning and preparation will be negotiated by the teacher candidate and the mentor teacher as they work collaboratively together.

General parameters

Progression/Composition of Teaching Load during Practicum:

The required teaching load and composition of teaching responsibilities for the STEP practicum is as follows:

Practicum Week / % Teaching load ** / Instructional time◊ per week:
Weeks 1 & 2
Feb 3-7
Feb 10* - 14 / Co-teaching with mentor teachers / Observe mentor teacher and co-teach: take responsibility for specific aspects of the class/es (e.g. warm up, lab, quiz, readings, homework, and attendance) but do not take full responsibility for a whole class.
Weeks 3 &4
Feb 17-21
Feb 24-28 / Teach up to 50% / Take responsibility for most of a class (or classes) including teaching the lessons, management, marking etc., but not more than 50% of a teacher’s load (normally 4/8 or 2/4 blocks)
Week 5
Mar 3-7 / Teach up to 80% / Transition to taking responsibility for 75-80% of a teacher’s load (normally 6/8 or 3/4 blocks)
Weeks 6- 11
Mar 10- May 2 / Teach 80% / Take responsibility for75-80% of a teacher’s load (6/8 or 3/4 block)
Week 12
May 5-9 / Conclude Teaching / Begin teaching load reduction- complete units, transition teaching load from teacher candidate to sponsor teacher, continue supporting classroom learning, co-teach, complete all assessment and record-keeping

** Teaching load: Some teacher candidates may wish to teach at a 100% teaching load during their practicum. This option may be granted for a defined period of time (e.g. a few days, one or two weeks) during Weeks Five to Eleven of the practicum if the following conditions are met: 1. The teacher candidate must teach at the prescribed teaching load for Weeks 1-4 of the practicum and fully meet expectations for competence in planning for learning, instructional delivery, assessment and classroom management during that time; 2. At the Mid-term Triad, the faculty advisor and mentor teacher agree that the teacher candidate is ready to assume additional teaching responsibilities; 3. The teacher candidate is not feeling pressured or coerced into taking on additional teaching responsibilities; and 4. The timeframe and other parameters for 100% teaching load are approved by the School Experience Coordinator.

Extra-curricular Responsibilities during Practicum

The primary focus of the practicum is developing teaching competence in the classroom and extra-curricular responsibilities are not a required component of the practicum. However, during practicum teacher candidates are full-time members of the school staff and, therefore, are strongly encouraged to become involved in the larger school community and take on either lead or support roles in some of the extra-curricular programs or events at their practicum schools. Extra-curricular responsibilities do not constitute part of the prescribed teaching load.

Practicum Preparation: Key Tasks

There are several tasks that must be completed by teacher candidates, in collaboration with their mentor teachers, in order to be sufficiently prepared to begin practicum. These tasks are:

  1. Practicum Instructional Plan (PIP): In collaboration with the mentor teacher, each teacher candidate is required to develop a working plan of his/her teaching responsibilities during practicum. The suggested school visit dates to work on this are outlined in the School Experience Schedule. Sample PIPs are included in Appendix 1 of this Field Guide. A template will be provided.

Teacher candidates: the method for constructing a PIP is as follows:

  1. Begin to develop your month-at-a-glance:
  2. Print off a copy of your school’s bell schedule(s)- or make a note of it on the back of your summary sheet.
  3. Using the template provided, make a notations in the ‘Notes’ column of each week as follows: note the week # of practicum (e.g. Prep. Week, Week One, Week Two etc.). In addition, note the teaching load for each week (Intro, 50%, 80%, Conclusion).
  4. Look at the school calendar and note the Day (Block Rotation/Schedule) and any FYI’s (any important dates on the relevant days/weeks of your practicum plan such as staff meetings, early dismissals, Pro D days, special assemblies etc..)
  5. Determine the subjects/grades you will teach: In collaboration with your mentor teachers, determine the subjects/grades you will teach following the progression for teaching load outlined in the General Parameters. Work with your mentor teachers to ensure that there is an appropriate mix of new preparations and repeat lessons within teaching loads. During Practicum Introduction, you should be co-teaching the classes you will end up taking over in Weeks 3&4. By the beginning of Week 4, you should be teaching 4/8 or 2/4 blocks. By Week 5, you should be increasing your teaching load to 6/8 or 3/4 blocks and should remain at that % teaching load until around the end of Week 11. Ideally, at least 50% of your teaching load during Weeks 5-11 should be in the area of your specialization ‘major’. You may only teach in the area of your secondary specialization(s). Every mentor teacher approaches assigning teacher candidates’ duties slightly differently… so be flexible- but also be willing to suggest subject(s) and/or topics you’d be interested in teaching. Your teaching load and the subjects you teach must complement the class program established by your mentor teacher.
  6. Map your teaching responsibilities on your monthly calendars: Note the classes/subjects you will be teaching on each day of each month.
  7. What else should you know about the subjects you will teach? You will need to know the specific PLO(s) that your mentor teachers expect you to teach. The PLO(s) help to define the focus of the teaching/learning… You cannot start planning your unit overviews until you have this information. Your mentor teachers should also provide some resources for you to ‘adopt and adapt’ as you develop your unit overviews.
  8. Talk about report cards: Discuss your role in developing the term report cards for your classes. What assessment data will you provide? When is this submitted? Which subjects will you be ‘in charge’ of reporting? Who will write the reports? When are the reports written? What will your role be during parent/teacher interviews? Add any key report card dates to your monthly calendars.
  9. Extracurricular activities: If known, these should be added to your monthly calendar (practices, games, tournaments, meetings, special events etc.)
  10. Complete a Practicum Instructional Plan Summary (cover sheet) that will provide your faculty advisor and mentor teacher with a snapshot of ‘where you are at’ with regard to preparation. The template for the PIP cover sheet will be provided and should be adapted to reflect your teaching load, number of classes/units you’re teaching etc.
  11. Remember: you are under no obligation to carry a teaching load that goes beyond the recommended guidelines.
  12. Please make 3 copies of your completed Practicum Instructional Plan (PIP) for yourself, your mentor teacher, and your faculty advisor.

DUE DATE: Submit onecopy of your PIP (the one for your faculty advisor) to the School Experience Coordinator by the due date specified on the School Experience Schedule.

  1. Unit Overview and Lesson Plan Development: Appropriate unit overview development and lesson planning is ultimately the responsibility of the teacher candidate and is carried out in consultation and collaboration with the mentor teacher(s) and, closer to the practicum start date, with the faculty advisor as well.

Prior to the pre-practicum triad meetings, working plans of the required unit overviews and lessons must be submitted to the mentor teacher(s) and the faculty advisor for review. The schedule and method for reviewing unit overviews and lesson planning will be determined collaboratively by the teacher candidate, mentor teacher and faculty advisor. Teacher candidate preparation must be complete in order to begin the practicum.

  1. UNIT PREPARATION: General Guidelines forSTEP Teacher Candidates

REQUIRED preparation: to be completed by the Practicum Introduction Week and reviewed prior to/during the pre-practicum triad meeting

  1. Working plans/unit overviewsfor all unitsto be taught in Weeks 1-6 AND preliminary outlines of units to be taught in Weeks 7-12. Unit overviews are approx. 3-4 pages each and preliminary outlines are 1-2 pages in length. NOTE: The number and length of the unit overviews to be prepared will vary by grade level, subject area and duration of unit. Sample unit overviews can be found in Appendix 1 of this Field Guide.
  2. Introductory lesson plans for units to be started during the Practicum Introduction phase (usually 1-2 lesson plans, see lesson plan expectations below)

Key elements for your unit overviews:

  • General Information: Subject area(s), Topic/theme, Grade(s), and Number/length of lessons
  • IRP References: Curriculum Organizer, sub-organizer
  • Broad Objective or Big Idea/Theme for the unit
  • Learning Focus: Prescribed Learning Outcomes (PLO’s), Specific Learning Outcomes (SLOs)for each lesson
  • Basic lesson information: learning activities/teaching strategies, resources, assessment/evaluation methods
  • Planning for Diversity: e.g. text options, representation options, adaptations, modifications, extensions etc.

See the recommendedunit overview template, exemplar and rubric in Appendix 1 of this Field Guide for moreinformation.

  1. LESSON PLAN GUIDELINES:

Teacher candidates are required to develop lesson plans for every lesson they teach. These plans are required for a number of reasons but two main purposes are:

  1. The plans require the teacher candidate to ‘make his/her thinking visible’ and consider all aspects of the lesson development.
  2. The plans provide a helpful starting point for discussion, collaboration and feedback between the teacher candidate and the mentor teacher and/or the faculty advisor.

‘Key elements’ of a lesson plan include:

  • Time references: date/time allotment, unit/lesson #,
  • Learning focus: targeted PLO(s) and SLO(s)for the lesson
  • Preparation Notes: Materials/Resources, Make/Get
  • Lesson Sequence- Beginning (Introduction/Hook/Connections), Middle (development/practice/Process), and End (review/closure/Transform/Personalize)
  • Assessment: formative and/or summative assessment strategies
  • Other considerations: differentiation, extensions/adaptations/modifications
  • Room for a post-lesson reflection

Please refer to the recommended lesson plan template and exemplars in Appendix 1 of this Field Guide for more information.

  1. LESSON PLAN TO DAY BOOK TRANSITION: GUIDELINES

Degree of Lesson Plan Detail: A continuum

In the judgment of the mentor teacher and faculty advisor, as the teacher candidate demonstrates competence and confidence in lesson planning, it is reasonable to guide the teacher candidate in creating more abridged plans while still including all of the key lesson elements in the plans.

  • Phase One: detailed lesson plan – 2-3 pages, all key elements included as well as scripted instructions & questions, details re: key transitions
  • Phase Two: lesson summary- 1-2 pages, all key elements briefly noted and possibly one scripted segment such as key questions or instructions as needed
  • Phase Three: lesson outline- 1 page, all key elements in bullet points
  • Phase Four: 2-page daybook: using a template that includes the key elements but formatted for a full day overview. (Note: A lesson summary or outline may still be required or preferred for some subjects.)

Please refer to the sample lesson plans included in Appendix 1 of this Field Guide for more information on the differences between the four phases of lesson plans.

POSSIBLE* PROGRESSION OF LESSON PLANNING DURING STEP PRACTICUM:

  • Week 1 & 2 (Co-teaching): All teacher candidates will complete detailed lesson plans for all lessons (Phase One).
  • Week 3-4 (teach up to 50%): All teacher candidates will complete lesson summaries for all lessons (Phase Two) or, with the approval of the mentor teacher and faculty advisor, teacher candidate can begin to use lesson outlines (Phase Three) for some/all subjects .
  • Week 5 - 11 (teach up to 80%): With approval of the faculty advisor and mentor teacher, teacher candidate may begin to use a two-page day book format (Phase Four) for all/most of the lesson planning. Teacher candidates may benefit from developing lesson outlines or summaries for a particular subject.

*NOTE: This progression is included in the Field Guide to accommodate the learning needs of teacher candidates who demonstrate a readiness for more abridged planning. It should be noted that most STEP teacher candidates benefit from planning detailed lessons (Phase One) in the initial weeks of practicum.