The following components are sequential in the student teacher’s development.
Orientation
Orientation to the school community is critical to the clinical teacher’s confidence and ultimate success in clinical teaching. Ongoing communication through orientation and observation establishes the foundation for success in the clinical teaching experience.
Classroom Policies
- Classroom rules and management plan (discipline referral procedures)
- Recording absent and tardy students
- Hall passes
School Policies and Procedures
- Student Handbook
- Teacher handbook (classroom policies regarding discipline, attendance, grading, passes, emergency procedures, etc.)
Teaching Responsibilities
- Parents nights, open houses, faculty meetings, department meetings, committee meetings
- Duties (bus, hallway supervision, lunch supervision)
- Computer accounts, lunch accounts, parking information
Instructional Resources
- Media center, computer labs, and technology coordinators
- Computer/technology use expectations
- District and school websites
- TEKS for course or grade level
- Appropriate instructional materials
- Lesson plan expectations
- Community resources to enhance instruction
- District curriculum
Community and Student Needs
- Specific health/participation restrictions of any students (allergies, diabetes, etc.)
- General socioeconomic and cultural background of student population
- Responsibilities to students with special needs
- After school activities and opportunities for student teacher involvement
- Parent involvement in the school, expectations to communicate and work with parents
Observation
Much of the first week of clinical teaching will be spent in observation of the classroom environment, instructional strategies, and interpersonal communications and relationships. As the student teacher observes, it is helpful to take reflective notes for the purpose of asking questions of the cooperating teacher regarding reasons for his/her interactions and instructional methods. Frequently asking questions of “why” and “how” will provide the student teacher with a knowledge base for choosing methods for instruction and management.
Assisting
After a short period of observation time, the student teacher will be ready to become more involved with the students. The student teacher will begin working collaboratively with the cooperating teacher. The cooperating teacher may give specific suggestions for activities that will help you to become involved. For example:
- Monitor student work at their desks to give one-on-one assistance
- Distribute papers or materials
- Preparing resources
- Check attendance
- Assist student with make-up work/tutorials
- Grade papers
Teaming
To initiate the teaching experience in the class, the student teacher may begin by co-planning and co-teaching a selected lesson. This may be done in any number of ways.
- Divide the class into two groups with the cooperating teacher and student teacher each taking a group for instruction.
- Divide the instructional time – one person does the introduction and presentation of skills, while the other person carries out the independent practice and evaluation segments of the lesson.
- One person may present the lesson content while the other one supervises the cooperative group work
- Teaming allows the student teacher to gain some initial experience in front of the class with support from the cooperating teacher. It also allows the students to observe the cooperative relationship of the student teacher and cooperating teacher.
Instruction
After the cooperating teacher models the preparation for and teaching of the lesson plans, the student teacher will assume some of the responsibility for planning and teaching. Initially, the lesson plan should be written and submitted to the cooperating teacher at least two days prior to teaching the lesson in order to gain constructive feedback for revisions and ultimate success.
Full Responsibility
Full instructional responsibility demands total commitment on the part of both the clinical teacher and cooperating teacher. This means that for 10 consecutive days, the clinical teacher has the full responsibility of planning and teaching the whole school day as if he/she were the regular classroom teacher. All other responsibilities that the teacher has during this time will also be assumed by the clinical teacher. The determination of full responsibility is at the discretion of the cooperating teacher.