Overview of the Field Experiences
There are three levels of field experiences for all teacher education candidates at the University of Delaware. These levels are:
These experiences provide Elementary Teacher Education (ETE) students an opportunity to learn about the classroom environment in various settings with diverse populations throughout their program.
Building on Experiences
A distinctive feature of the ETE program is that students go out into the schools beginning their freshman year. The Level 1 field experiences provide students with the opportunity to work closely with individual students and observe classrooms. In these early field experiences, they learn about the classroom environment and how to interact with children. These experiences prepare students for the Level 2 experiences where they teach lessons to an entire class. Teaching lessons enables students to practice their teaching skills and put their knowledge into practice so that they can take over a classroom during the student teaching experience. The activities at the first two levels are designed so that students are prepared to have a successful Level 3 experience!
Vertical Model
Another innovative feature of the ETE program is the Vertical Model of supervision that is employed during the Level 2 and 3 field experiences. In this model, ETE students are divided into eight cohorts, and each cohort works with an ETE Field Experience Coordinator. Their coordinator supervises them during the three semesters when they complete their methods courses and student teaching. Each coordinator arranges placements in a particular school district. Working with the same coordinator enables the students to develop a close relationship with their coordinator, and the coordinator can learn which experiences the students need to build on their strengths and improve their practice.
