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EDUC
400 - Student Teaching
Angela B. Case Phone: (302) 831-2319
Director of Clinical Studies Fax: (302) 831-6061
Willard Hall E-mail: acase@udel.edu
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Through the
courses and the graduated field experiences which have preceded
this semester, teacher candidates have been discovering, acquiring,
and developing the roles and dispositions of scholar, problem solver,
and partner which are required of professional educators serving
diverse communities of learners. This process of discovery and becoming
has had and continues to have as its guided principal reflective
practice; that is, teacher candidates at the University of Delaware
have discovered through, their experiences that importance of thoughtful
analysis and continual revision of effective approaches to teaching
and learning. In this, the student teaching semester, teacher candidates
now have the opportunity to apply and to continually adapt, revise,
and revisit all that they have learned about teaching and learning
as they serve the children, adolescents, and adults within the school
and community settings in which they are placed.
COURSE CONTENT
AND GOALS:
The primary
goal of the student teaching semester is to provide teacher candidates
with the opportunity to be reflective practitioners serving diverse
communities who assume, integrate, develop, and refine three related
critical professional roles: scholar, problem solver, and partner.
As a scholar,
as a problem solver, and as a partner they will be organizing content
for student learning (planning), creating an environment for student
learning (management), teaching for student learning (lesson execution),
and developing their professional skills and relationships (teacher
professionalism). They will also be developing several important
dispositions and values. These include:
1. Self-reflection,
which will enable them to critique, constructively, their performance
and to make and support judgements and instructional decisions
with respect to the learning of individuals or groups of students.
2. A deeper
insight into the nature of the learning process and a greater
knowledge of human development. As noted in the UD Conceptual
Framework for Teacher Education, the thoughtful examination of
the unique characteristics of children, adolescents, and adult
learners within cultural contexts, allow educators to continuously
refine their teaching practices.
3. An understanding
of the roles of the many different individuals engaged in the
teaching-learning process and of collaborative partnerships that
can work together for common purposes.
4. A realization
of the importance of their own personal and professional goals.
5. Proficiency
in instructional competencies and classroom management techniques
through direct experiences and the thoughtful analysis and continual
revision of effective approaches to teaching and learning.
6. Knowledge
of the resources and materials available to the classroom teacher
and ability to adapt and/or incorporate available resources and
materials into the instructional program.
7. Increased
skill in performing routine administrative duties including the
maintenance of required records and the submission of required
reports.
STUDENT TEACHING AND THE UD CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR TEACHER
EDUCATION:
The UD-teacher
candidate should be a reflective practitioner serving diverse communities
of learners as a scholar, problem solver, and partner. EDUC 400
will address many elements of the UD Conceptual Framework for Teacher
Education throughout the student teaching semester. For example:
o Reflective
Practice: For each lesson that candidates teach, they should be
asked to summarize the results of their evaluation of student
learning. They should identify strengths and/or weaknesses and
cite examples. Suggestions for planning future lessons should
be included. Daily reflections of the strengths and weaknesses
of each lesson and how you would improve future instruction should
be recorded by candidates.
o Diverse
Communities of Learners: Candidates will be placed in diverse
classrooms throughout Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Each
placement will reflect diversity in socio-economic status, ethnicity,
ability levels, and various exceptionalities. Candidate shall
identify and develop accommodations for meeting their students'
unique needs and abilities, and they should be coached on how
to help all children learn.
o Scholar:
Candidates should be knowledgeable in their field of study. They
should use the tools of scholarship, including technology, to
research their content area before constructing lessons and to
research, examine, and become familiar with the national, state
and local standards and performance-based outcomes.
o Problem
Solver: The student teaching experience will present teacher candidates
with a myriad of opportunities to test and refine their problem-solving
abilities. These opportunities will include making curriculum
decisions, identifying and/or selecting appropriate teaching strategies,
identifying and/or selecting appropriate strategies and techniques
for classroom management, and identifying and/or selecting appropriate
evaluation tools and strategies. They will work in a collaborative
arrangement with their cooperating teacher to identify and solve
the problems that are a part of the fabric of instruction and
management.
o Partner:
University of Delaware student teachers are viewed as integral
team members of each school's faculty. Teacher candidates should
build professional relationships with colleagues to share teaching
insights and to coordinate learning activities for students. They
should be invited to faculty meetings, departmental/team meetings,
child study team meetings, in- service programs and IEP meetings.
They should also be provided with numerous opportunities for communicating
with parents/guardians. Written, telephone and personal communications
should be initiated and maintained with the home.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
In addition
to emphasizing the UD Conceptual Framework for Teacher Education,
the student teaching semester is organized with the following outcomes
in mind. As a result of their experiences in student teaching, teacher
candidates will be able to:
1. Organize
content knowledge for student learning. That is, they will:
a) Become
familiar with relevant aspects of students' background;
b) Articulate clear learning objectives which are appropriate
for their students;
c) Demonstrate an understanding of the connections between content
learned previously, the current content, and that which remains
to be learned in the future;
d) Create or select appropriate teaching methods, learning activities,
and instructional materials or other resources; and
e) Create or select evaluation strategies that are appropriate
for the students and aligned with lesson objectives.
2. Create an environment for student learning. That is, they will:
a) Create
a climate that promotes fairness;
b) Establish and maintain rapport with students in ways that
are appropriate to their developmental needs;
c) Communicate challenging learning expectations to each student;
d) Establish and maintain consistent standards of mutually respectful
classroom interaction and behavior; and
e) Make the physical environment safe and conducive to learning.
3. Teach
for student learning. That is, they will:
a) Make
learning objectives and instructional procedures clear to students;
b) Make content comprehensible;
c) Encourage students to extend their thinking;
d) Monitor students' understanding, provide feedback to assist
learning, and adjust learning as the situation demands; and
e) Use instructional time effectively.
4. Demonstrate
teacher professionalism. That is, they will:
a) Reflect
on the extent to which instructional objectives were met;
b) Demonstrate a sense of efficacy;
c) Build professional relationships with colleagues to share
teaching insights and to coordinate learning activities; and
d) Communicate with parents or guardians about student learning.
REQUIRED
TEXTS:
1. University
of Delaware Student Teaching Guidelines. This manual provides
information regarding the student teaching program including your
responsibilities as a student teacher and suggestions regarding
procedures and activities to employ during the student teaching
period.
2. Additional texts as assigned by the University coordinator/supervisor.
FORMAT OF
THE COURSE:
Over the course
of the student teaching experience, teacher candidates should engage
in a variety of activities and experiences designed to enable them
to apply, adapt, revise, and revisit that which they have learned
about teaching and learning and to enagage in reflective practice
as a scholar, problem solver, and partner in the school and community
to which they are assigned. Specifically, they should engage in
guided observations designed to acquaint them with students, with
classroom management techniques and with instructional methods,
strategies, and materials. They should plan and implement daily
lesson plans, as well as develop and implement larger projects such
as an instructional unit. They should be evaluated using criteria
that reflect the course objectives and they should receive feedback,
suggestions, and guidance from the student teaching coordinator/supervisor
and you, the cooperating teacher. Finally, they should engage in
self-reflection or reflective practice; i.e., they should engage
in thoughtful analysis and continual revision of their approaches
to teaching and learning.
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