Tentative Syllabus

Student Teaching Practicum for Clinical Experiences 1 and 2

Fall 2010, Semester Syllabus

Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

Tuesdays, 3-4:30, or online as indicated

Materials needed for this course:

  • Access to class materials on and D2L
  • Computer with Internet access
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader
  • ePortfolio Templates to complete your ePortfolio ( these are available in D2L for our section, under the course documents).

Purpose of the Course: The purpose of this seminar is to aid student teachers in preparation for their professional careers as teachers and to create a professional electronic portfolio to bring along to interviews or use for graduate school admissions. This component meets ISTE, NCATE and INTASC initial licensure requirements for new teachers.

Areas to be addressed: Topics that will be covered will include, but not be restricted to, goals of the student teaching experience, developing and writing a personal philosophy of music education that is reflective of the past four years of learning, writing résumés, cover letters, requesting references, job searching and interviewing, classroom management, curriculum management, education law and ethics, professional life issues concerning teaching, the first year of teaching, continued licensure requirements, initial licensure requirements, working with your administrators, multicultural concerns and special needs students concerns. Special topics will also be part of the course as needed.

Grading: this course is considered part of your grade for your culminating experience. Attendance, participation and completion of online assignments will comprise the bulk of your grade.

Mode of Instruction: This class will primarily be a discussion-based one, not lecture-based. About half of the course will be online to accommodate the afterschool activity requirements that often comprise the music student teacher experience. Students will be encouraged to share their experiences and thoughts as student teachers and to help in mentoring each other. Visitors from various school districts will also share ideas and provide information to better inform student teachers as they prepare for their professional teaching careers.

Attendance and Expectations: All students are expected to attend class during scheduled times, whether the meeting is “live” or takes place on-line. Attendance to class, whether bodily or on-line, will count in the grade. PA Law requires that this seminar be part of your student teaching experience. Since a number of you are located far away from the university, we will not meet on campus every week. Unlike most other disciplines, music also requires more after and before school commitments. Because of this, we are permitted by the Field Experience office to have meetings online to accommodate your after-school commitments. We are going to try to keep things flexible but still effective.

Assignments: Assignment due dates: assignments will be completed online and sent to me and your KU supervisor via e-mail by the required due date. Sometimes you will be required to send your findings to your entire class. I’ll send you directions on how to do that in D2L.

Please send your assignments not only to me but also to your supervisor. This is because these materials are needed to reinforce the paperwork we turn in to the FEO office as exemplars of your work. Your supervisors will print out and put these assignments in your folder.

Forms: Attached to this syllabus is a copy of the PDE 430 that we use to assess your teaching. You will see that it is divided into 4 areas that are matched with the same ones that your future principals will be filling out twice a year when you are employed. The PDE 430 is for your initial licensure. It is a really good idea to be familiar with it now. You also have access to the other forms on my website ( under the cooperating teachers and student teacher links. Again, familiarize yourself with those. I am also attaching a new in progress form that is specific to music education. This will help the music faculty see where we need to strengthen your preparation prior to student teaching.

Final Evaluation: A grade will be sent to your supervisor to include as part of your overall assessment for each student teaching experience. Your supervisor does this assessment with direct input from your cooperating teacher, so realize this is done as a team and not one person’s decision. This seminar/practicum component is required as part of your teacher licensure in PA.

Tentative Course Schedule: (Fall, 2010)

Subject to change at the discretion of the instructor and the Field Experiences Office

Highlighted dates indicate that this is an ONLINE class assignment.

Date / Topic / Assigned Reading / Assignment DUE
8/31 / Introduction to class, the student teacher experience, meeting with your supervisor. Bring your materials to class. / We will meet at KU, right after you finish your meetings with Mrs. Kreitz, et al.
OM 159 is the place.
9/14 ( we do not meet 9/7 due to that being a “Monday” schedule for the university) / We’ll go through the ePortfolio project so you can get a good start. We’ll meet in the KU computer lab. If you have your own laptop, please bring it. / You will need to download and install the Sea Monkey program (which is just like Netscape Navigator) and the ePortfolio templates that are in the course documents section of D2L. Make sure these are installed BEFORE you come to the class. / WE will meet at KU
9/21 ON CAMPUS for special practicum SUB 183 / Using PA REAP, PA Educator Net, etc., Looking for a job and making yourself marketable. / ONLINE ASSIGNMENT for music (we will not meet physically after the special practicum)
9/28 / Special needs students-differentiated instruction 1 / TBA / ONLINE
10/5 ON CAMPUS Special practicum, SUB 183 / Special needs students-ELLs & differentiated instruction 2 / TBA / Online for music (we will not meet physically after the special practicum)
10/12 / Classroom Management / Be prepared to discuss how you are dealing with classroom management. / We will meet at KU
10/19 / The first year / ONLINE
10/26 / Education Law, Teachers Unions / Online
11/2 ON CAMPUS Special practicum, SUB 183 / Current News & Issues about Teaching / Online (we will not meet physically after the special practicum)
11/9 / Marching Band Drill Program writing / ONLINE-you will use Pyware demo and other information
11/16 / We will meet at 6 PM. Bring dinner. TBA / Visitors (returning first & second year teachers)--TBA / We will meet at KU
11/30 / Testing and Assessment in Education / We will meet at KU
12/7 / ePortfolio—work on / ONLINE—work at home
12/14 / MEET—finish most final paperwork. Bring in everything you can (it will be early, but it’s better this way). / Eportfolio is DUE—bring CD to KU for me. / We will meet at KU—briefly. Your last day student teaching will be 12/16.

Other Important Information

Contact Information: If you, or your Cooperating Teacher have concerns or questions about attending practicum, please to not hesitate to contact me. I can best be reached via e-mail at or , or on my office phone at 610-683-1588 (but I will not always be available in my office). I also have texting available, and will send the contact information to you separately. For emergencies (for example, you are ill and will not go to school, or you get to school and find out you are being “used” as a substitute teacher for the day if your co-op calls in ill), contact your own supervisor, and then contact me at my home at 610-944-1921 or cellphone at 336-587-5870. If it’s a REAL emergency and you can’t get me at any of those numbers, call the KU Music Office right away. If you need to leave your school and your co-op has gone for the day, you are responsible in making sure everything is locked up and clean. Don’t just leave.

There are many of you I am not supervising directly this semester but since I am the main contact person with the student teacher program in music it is a good idea to just let me know if you are out ill (and let your supervisor know of course), and also please let me know if you are in any of the situations as described above (like the substitute teaching without pay thing—in PA that’s illegal and I can get that taken care of quickly). If you are out ill, it is a good idea to make up the day. You are permitted to miss 3 days for the entire semester ( as per the PSEA ). Excessive absences or tardiness will get you in some trouble with the licensure end of the program, as you will probably have to make up the time missed because of the state requirement for hours. Most student teachers do stay on longer than their assignments, due to holiday or spring concerts and musicals. This is very normal in music and if you are asked to stay on a bit consider it a great compliment.

Also, you can request any of the supervisors (Dr. Neuenschwander & I ) to come out to observe you if you want a different perspective. This is all contingent upon schedules of course. But you do have that option if you want to use it.

General Information: The Student Teaching Seminar is a REQUIRED part of your student teaching experience as determined by the State of Pennsylvania Department of Education, the ones who ultimately decide upon your licensure. Therefore, your attendance and participation is mandatory. Failure to meet this requirement will result in a lowering of your grade for student teaching. If you are going to be absent and know about it, say, for example you have a school commitment, then you need to notify me as soon as possible and document the absence.

VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Do not use Student Teacher seminar as an excuse to leave school early if it is on a day that you have an online assignment. We have the online work (that is assigned so that you can work on it during the week) to accommodate you not having to have to leave early on Tuesdays when you have an afterschool commitment (such as a rehearsal or parent meetings). You cannot use this time to schedule private lessons or anything else on campus. Some people have tried this in the past and I assure you, it guarantees no recommendation for a teaching position since your co-op will not write one for you. Such behavior on your end will cost you employment. In the public schools, you can be dismissed immediately from your position if you are caught lying.

Bottom line: Do not leave school early on Tuesday UNLESS you have student teacher seminar on campus meeting at 3 PM. This goes for the day we meet at 6 PM—do not leave early then, either.

If you have an extenuating circumstance that requires you to leave early from your school, you need to discuss it with your cooperating teacher and make arrangements to make up the time. Since you are a student member of the PSEA for this semester, you are required by law to be at school for the entire school day and to attend all school functions, just like regularly employed teachers.

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