Te Kura Toi Tangata
Faculty of Education
Centre for Teacher Education
PRIMARY TEACHING PRACTICUM
EVALUATIVE VISITING HANDBOOK
Published January 2017
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Centre for Teacher Education Personnel involved in the primary practicum
Clark McPhillips Coordinator, Primary Teaching Practicum, Room TC 2.69
Denise Arnesen Administrator, Primary Teaching Practice, Room TC 2.72
Who to go to with concerns
Teaching practice liaison team members are your first points of contact for queries and concerns about practicum matters in their 'patches'. This generally involves situations where pre-service teachers are not meeting requirements. Most of these people undertake liaison work only. They do not do evaluative visits - the two functions are deliberately kept separate. Their role is described as 'PR and trouble-shooting'. See the Associate Teacher Handbook for further detail on roles of those involved in the practicum.
Faculty of Education policies about practicum
Faculty of Education policies concerning the practicum may be accessed via the Faculty of Education home page; click on Staff Info, then policy statements.
New staff 'shadowing' colleagues
New staff may find it helpful to 'shadow' a colleague undertaking evaluative visiting before they undertake visits on their own. This may also be helpful to people who are experienced in visiting in one level of schooling but not in another. Arrange to shadow a colleague from your own department or someone you know from another department – or see Clark McPhillips to arrange to work with someone experienced.
Previous reports on students
Previous practicum reports are contained in each Pre-service Teacher’s Profile and Report Folder, which they will have with them on practicum.
Please request to see this folder on arrival for your first visit.
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Evaluative visiting procedures
Before visiting begins
• A Google doc. Spreadsheet will be sent to all Evaluative staff for perusal and they may enter their names alongside the pre-service teachers they wish to visit. Each lecturer is expected to undertake around 30 visits per year - this may be a mix of primary and secondary visits. For staff who are taking study leave, arrangements need to be made within your School to cover your visits, if you cannot complete these visits during the time you are not on leave.
• HODs negotiate with staff which pre-service teachers they will visit.
• Lecturers contact Associate Teachers (liaison teacher where more than one student in the school) to identify suitable times for visits. Contact details are available on the Associate School’s page on the practicum database via Edlinked. It is not possible to fit more than 3 effective visits into a day.
You normally need to allow an hour and a half for each visit but longer is sometimes necessary. Observation for 30-45 minutes and 20-30 minutes discussion with the pre-service teacher and separately with their Associate Teacher (discussions can take place at interval, lunchtime etc). With junior classes, observation of teaching time may be less.
• Lecturer fills out the visiting schedule (photocopy form at back of this handbook, or available on Edlinked internal information, or from grey shelves in Denise's office) and then gives it to Denise Arnesen (Room TC2.72) or puts it in her pigeonhole. Alternatively, you can email this information to Denise ().
• Denise enters visit information into the pre-service teacher practicum database and also notifies schools. An electronic copy of this schedule is emailed to lecturer's to confirm schools have been officially notified. This applies to both first and subsequent visits, so a tally can be kept on individual lecturer visits.
• Lecturer books University car or rental car for long distances (Tauranga, Rotorua etc.) (see page 6). If using own car for schools close to university and you are returning during the day, reserve a parking space at the front of the main entrance (see reception staff the day before your visit for this).
• Lecturer reads practicum handbook for year group, available electronically from Edlinked, to ensure they know what pre-service teachers are expected to be doing.
Just before your visit day
Check
· that you know names of principal, liaison teacher (if the school has one), associate and pre-service teacher. This is on the copy of the ‘Notification of Lecturer Visit’ sheet you will have received from Denise Arnesen.
· day, date and time of visit match what you have in your diary. This is also on the copy of the ‘Notification of Lecturer Visit’ sheet you will have received from Denise.
· that you have an electronic copy of the relevant practicum handbook and visiting checklist.
· that you have a manifold book (available from Denise Arnesen).
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In the school
Arrive
· about 10 minutes before you are due to see the pre-service teacher.
· call on the Principal and/or liaison teacher, introduce yourself, and make sure you are expected and to see the right pre-service teacher.
· be taken (usually) to the room and introduced to Associate and pre-service teacher (put the pre-service teacher at ease).
· get settled before lesson is due to commence. Ask for lesson plan and folder if these aren’t obvious. Make sure you can see and hear the lesson easily, but keep on the periphery and try to avoid being in the pre-service teacher’s direct line of sight.
Lesson
· get a feel for the situation – class tone, teaching group (size and position), presence/ absence of Associate, previous happenings (e.g. lesson follows a windy lunch time or precedes swimming).
· watch lesson introduction carefully – pre-service teacher techniques for gaining attention, placing her/ himself, introducing lesson, having materials ready etc. Make notes for discussion (running record with times, and/or using headings – use headings from report form, see examples at back of this booklet).
· once lesson is under way, read lesson plan and folder as time permits. Watch pre-service teacher’s performance – management and supervision, lesson moves, questioning and use of children’s answers, voice and speech, involving children, range of activities and timing of these, lesson pace etc. Note interruptions, effect of Associate’s presence if they remain in room, etc. begin manifold notes.
· watch lesson conclusion carefully. Check lesson plan and if not followed make note to discover why. Manifold notes should be nearly completed – use headings in report form plus comment on lesson plan, and folder.
· discuss observations with Associate and gain her/his assessment. Try to become familiar with the school and be aware of Associate’s expectations and any limitations these may have on the pre-service teacher’s opportunities to teach/be involved. Negotiate around these on behalf of the pre-service teacher where necessary.
· discuss Associate’s supervision of folder, provision of teaching opportunities, discussion times, provision of written feedback/critiques, long term planner sheet and checklist of practicum criteria which can be found in the Pre-service Teacher’s Profile and Report folder.
· discuss manifold book field notes with pre-service teacher, giving her/him top copy. Ask pre-service teacher for own assessment of how the lesson went. N.B. it is important to leave some written feedback even if you wish to write more detail and email it to the pre-service teacher once you return to the University. Often what is talked about is not remembered – what is written, can be referred to again and again. Samples of field notes are included at the back of this handbook.
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N.B. please ensure discussion takes place in privacy – ask if there is a room you can go to rather than talking in the staffroom when other staff are present. Sometimes the pre-service teacher is happy to combine the discussion with Associate so all three of you talk together but this should not be assumed. Discuss pre-service teacher’s self-evaluation using criteria in the Practicum Handbook.
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· arrange subsequent visit(s) – (usually only for Year 2 and 3 pre-service teachers), and what you expect to see the pre-service teacher doing (e.g. subject, class/groups, change over, organisation, managing children outside classroom etc.). If appropriate, leave the pre-service teacher with a challenge e.g. “Next time I want you to tell me about X” e.g. a child who sat very quietly throughout the whole lesson and did not appear to be participating. Or “Next time I want you to demonstrate or talk to me about some other ways you do mental arithmetic.”
· report to principal/liaison teacher before departing. Express general opinion of pre-service teacher’s performance, unless there is concern when you can enlist support, suggest follow-up or increased supervision. Be careful of professional responsibilities – balance discretion with need for student welfare. If extra visit is necessary, warn principal. Extend thanks for helpfulness etc.
Upon your return
· if you didn’t leave detailed field notes with pre-service teacher (this is rare) write them at once and email them to pre-service teacher.
· advise Denise of second visit time and date (on form in this Evaluative Visiting Handbook or available on Edlinked or from grey shelves in Denise’s office).
· if extra visit is needed or you are concerned, complete early warning sheet (at back of this handbook or available from website or Denise) and hand to Clark with a copy to the relevant liaison lecturer; make visit arrangements.
· if Associate doesn’t seem satisfactory or helpful discuss with Clark.
· Once visiting is completed, email Denise Arnesen: with your pass/fail recommendations so that grades can be entered.
· As soon as possible after this, complete a written report and send these to Denise Arnesen. Evaluative Report format is available on the Practicum website.
Please do not design your own format.
Sample reports are included in this handbook. Do not write this report while you are in the school. It is a report to the University. It is not appropriate to recommend further practicum at another class level, or to recommend a particular length of further practice in the report. This is a decision for the Practicum Review Committee. If, on reflection, your report differs from verbal or written feedback given while you were in the school, the Associate and pre-service teacher should be notified of this immediately. It is not appropriate to tell the pre-service teacher that they have passed the practicum. The decision regarding pass/fail cannot be made until the practicum is completed. Nor is it appropriate to tell a pre-service teacher that they are performing so well that they should apply for a LAT (limited authority to teach) and work as a reliever.
General
· be supportive, be positive, but be realistic and honest. Pre-service teachers appreciate feedback on how they can improve – especially the excellent ones. They don’t want to hear positives only, or generalisations.
· our visits should involve the total teaching development of each pre-service teacher. Visits are not just to see work in a particular curriculum area, and it is important that the whole folder is looked at and commented on. It is also important to ask the Associate Teacher for their impression of the pre-service teacher and to let them know what you think. Sometimes an Associate may doubt that concerns they hold are significant and may simply ‘wait and see’ if the evaluative lecturer identifies the same concerns.
· beware of becoming fixated on minor points that may be out of keeping with the whole lesson.
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· please give strong support to our Associate Teacher colleagues. Encourage them to provide a programme for the pre-service teacher that is based on student needs and the practicum handbook, within the constraints of their own school’s long term plan, and to provide weekly written feedback on progress.
• it may be necessary to remind Associate Teachers that pre-service teacher preparation is a joint partnership between us at the University and themselves as Associate Teachers. It is not possible to teach the pre-service teachers everything they need to know here at the University. There are some things that are better learned during practicum and this is what practicum is for. Some examples are practical experience at managing children's behaviour; practical experience doing running records in reading on real children and practical experience in operating attendance-recording procedures.
• it may be necessary to remind Associate Teachers that they have received a comprehensive Associate Teacher Handbook as well as the handbook for the specific practicum and that they can refer to this for help.
Travel
If at all possible, book a University car. University cars are cheaper if you are away overnight. Rental car firms charge a daily fee; the University cars are charged out on a per km basis only.
Procedures for using University cars
To book cars online, go to Edlinked – University Tools – Fleet, and follow instructions.
On day of visit collect clipboard and car key from The Compound. Collect car from car-park as indicated when booking.
Record details on clipboard.
There is a petrol card in the glove box. Please return car at least 3/4 full, preferably full.
Cars may not be taken home over night (this incurs fringe benefit tax), but may be used for trips to away destinations where you are staying overnight for more than one day's visiting.
Procedure for rental cars
If you are travelling long distances and a University car is not available, book a rental car through your School administrator.
Sometimes the rental company will deliver the car to the University if you request them to do so, providing it is not at their peak workload times. Your School administrator can arrange this through ORBIT.
Private cars
If there are no University cars available and your trip is a short distance, you will be reimbursed at $0.77 cents/km. Please note that the maximum distance for the use of private vehicles for university business is 100km in a 24 hour period. This is the maximum amount claimable.
Claim forms are available from Denise Arnesen. You will need to enter the daily distances travelled, then get the form approved by Clark McPhillips or Beverley Cooper. You then make the claim yourself via the purchasing website.
A chart with distances to local schools is included at the back of this handbook.
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General information