Suggested guidelines for EPE101 Professional Experience: Preparation for Practicum

Professional experience in schools helps to develop the professional knowledge, skills and attitudes needed for beginning teachers. The professional experience promotes learning about professional contexts, about educational settings and practices, about schools and other learning settings and most importantly about teaching and learning strategies that foster pre-service teachers (PSTs) growth and development.

The following schedule is a guide to provide ideas and elaborate on the unit content and in-school learning tasks for EPE101. The schedule can be varied or added to according to the needs/situations of the school, the context and pre-service teacher.

TIMELINE / PRE-SERVICE TEACHER / MENTOR TEACHER
Before the Professional Experience / Contact your mentor teacher to clarify details regarding placement and initial expectations of placement.
Prepare yourself for the commitment of a school day:
  • 20 minutes before the students start school
  • at least one hour after school finishes, depending upon the school activities
/ Organise a timetable of days of attendance for the pre-service teacher.
Familiarise yourself with the requirements of the professional experience and with the assessment forms.
Week 1
(Days 1 – 5) / Introduce or re-introduce yourself to the class, develop familiarity with the school, class and students.
Establish with your mentor teacher what your goals are for this period.
Give your mentor teacher an outline of all the requirements for this Professional Experience.
You will need to prepare a lesson plan for each lesson that you teach during the Professional Experience. Use one of the lesson plan templates located fromStudent Resourcesor design your own template in conjunction with your mentor teacher.
Discuss reflective journal entries with mentor. Begin making entries for later discussions.
Select feedback templates from "InSchool" and print for your mentor to use when providing you with feedback.
Take notes of appropriate sections of mentor’sprograms and assessment practices
Gather resources for the lesson/s you plan to teach. / Introduce PST to the principal and other staff.
Check with the PST about the specific requirements of the Professional Experience.
Inform PST of school routines, e.g. staff meetings, yard duties etc.
Discuss the goals that the PST has for this Professional Experience and begin to plan how you can help them best achieve these goals. This may mean organising for them to observe or work with other staff in the school.
Discuss individual student’s needs and behaviour management strategies that are effective and part of the class/es routine.
Decide on 2 to 4 lessons that the PST can teach during this period. Ask PST to email lesson plans so you can provide feedback prior to teaching.
Discuss how you will give feedback when you are observing the PST teach. Observation feedback templates can be located from Mentor Resources.
Discuss the reflective journal with PST. Give feedback on shared sections.
Week 2 / Pre-service teacher’s involvement this week is as for week one plus the following:
  • Teach 2 lessons (minimum).
  • Reflect on lessons with mentor.
  • Continue reflective journal entries.
  • Complete general observation activities (refer to "observation forms" under "student resources" see InSchool). These will becomepart of your reflective journal and your PoE*.
  • Undertake further planning and teaching for groups/individuals.
  • Teach planned lessons, self-reflect and ask for written and verbal feedback.
  • Meet with mentor teacher and discuss the Interim report.
  • Support mentor teacher with his or her planned teaching activities. Make notes about established classroom rules and protocols in readiness for block placement.
/ Provide pre-service teacher with progressive feedback.
Pre-service teacher and mentor teacher discuss:
  • The language of the profession.
  • Emergentteacher identity, developing and shaping philosophies/beliefs.
  • Development of positive attitudes and perceptions – room culture, physical and aesthetic environment of room, room routine and layout.
  • Fostering relationships with learners, communication and teaching strategies; verbal and non-verbal cues for gaining learners attention.
  • Observation techniques.
  • Duty of care.
  • Learning objectives, outcomes, indicators.
  • EYLF and/or Australian Curriculum.
Complete Interim report by end of this week giving the PST, and CDU timely feedback as to progress. (See “Degrees for Concern” procedures if required.) Email to .
Weeks3 & 4 / Pre-service teacher’s involvement this week is as for weeks one and two plus the following:
  • Plan and teach a minimum of 2 lessons (minimum) over the two weeks.
  • Reflect on lessons with mentors.
/ Give the PST opportunities to complete and discuss observations and planning.
Assist PST’s reflection through oral and written feedback on lesson plans and teaching.
Allow the PST opportunities to manage lesson transitions and working with small groups.
Discuss the reflective journal with PST.
Final Day of Placement / Discuss with your mentor teacher and complete placement assessment forms, and discuss progress.
Take a copy of these forms for your records to keep as part of your teaching portfolio. Show evidence where these competencies are being addressed.
Send original scanned copies of completed Assessment forms and Time sheet to: .
Work as a co-professional in the classroom supporting students in small groups and individually.
Continue reflective journal entries. Complete general observation activities (refer to "observation forms" under "Student Resources" see InSchool). These will becomepart of your reflective journal and your PoE*. / Use the reflective journal as a tool to facilitate discussion with the pre- service teacher.
Discuss progress made by the pre-service teacher.
Mentor teacher to complete rubric and assessment in the Final Report and return to Education Placement Office on or before:
Semester 1 – 15 June;
Semester 2 - 1 November.
After the placement / Ensure all20days have been completed.
Maintain a copy of completed Assessment Forms.
Ensure that forms have been emailed to

*Portfolio of Evidence (POE) – completed online portfolio presented to host school at the conclusion of the course. The PoE provides the explicit demonstration of evidence that addresses the Australian Professional Standards for Teacher (APSTs). Pre-service teachers are encouraged to collect evidence towards this portfolio from the commencement of this first Professional Experience.

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EPE101 Guidelines