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Cooperating Teacher Handbook THIS HANDBOOK IS CURRENTLY UNDER REVISION: 6/25/08 Student Teachers should also consult the Student Teacher Handbook. Complete departmental information is found in the Teacher Education Handbook: |
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Program Overview
Licensure Information
Student Teaching Policies and Procedures
Observation and Evaluation Forms
Thanks! The Education Department at Davidson College appreciates your willingness to supervise a student teacher this semester. You have been selected because you exemplify the qualities we think are important in effective teachers and we are confident that you will serve as an outstanding role model. We hope that the opportunity to serve in this way will be as professionally rewarding for you as it will be appreciated by our pre-professional faculty. PROGRAM OVERVIEW In its mission to prepare successful facilitators of learning, the Department of Education embraces the primary purpose of Davidson College, which is "to assist students in developing humane instincts and disciplined and creative minds for leadership and service." Further, the Department of Education exults in the choice of the college "to emphasize the teaching responsibility of all professors" and actively recruit faculty "whose interest in students and teaching is unfeigned and profound." The endorsement that quality teaching is the foundation of a strong liberal arts institution informs the threefold mission of the Department of Education: (1) to provide a course of study leading to a Licensure Concentration in Education, resulting in the attainment of a North Carolina teaching license; (2) to provide a course of study leading to an Interdisciplinary Concentration in the study of Education as a liberal art; and (3) to provide courses that meet the Core Curriculum requirements in the Social Sciences. The Licensure Concentration is designed for students who plan to enter the teaching profession in the fields of English (grades 9-12), Latin (9-12), Mathematics (9-12), Social Studies (9-12), French (K-12), or Spanish (K-12). This program is based on a conceptual framework that "establishes the shared vision for the unit’s efforts in preparing educators to work in the P-12 schools" (NCATE 2000 Unit Standards). The vision is represented by the phrase "Preparing Facilitators of Learning." Variations of this phrase appear elsewhere and throughout this document: e.g., "Teacher as Facilitator" or "The Facilitative Teacher." The Interdisciplinary Concentration is designed for students preparing for graduate school in a variety of fields, for teaching at an independent school where licensure is not required, or for obtaining a lateral-entry position in a discipline for which Davidson does not offer licensure. This program aligns with other interdisciplinary concentrations offered at Davidson in that is "an interdisciplinary cluster of courses which addresses a specific area of study" and that it is designed in order for students "to make connections among the disciplines." The contents of this handbook reflect the Licensure Concentration, also referred to elsewhere as the Concentration in Education: Student-Teaching Track. Davidson College recommends initial teaching licensure at the Secondary School Level in the fields of English, Mathematics, Latin, and Social Studies (which includes majors in Anthropology, Economics, History, Political Science, Sociology, Psychology, and Religion) and K-12 licensure in the fields of French and Spanish. Through reciprocity agreements, North Carolina licenses are accepted in over 40 additional states. Interested students should contact the Chair of the Department of Education during their first or second year.
Conceptual Framework: "Preparing the Facilitator of Learning" The Conceptual framework of the education unit at Davidson College is based on the firm belief that effective teachers pursue their profession primarily as facilitators of learning and secondarily as conveyers of information. While facilitative teachers do not neglect the traditional teacher-centered methods of delivering instruction, they focus on active learning and other learner-centered methods, thus combining the best practices of the "teacher as sage" and the "teacher as guide." Students who complete the Licensure Concentration possess the content knowledge, pedagogical skills, and professional dispositions to become effective classroom teachers. All graduates of Davidson complete a comprehensive liberal arts core curriculum and a rigorous academic major in their subject area. In addition to general discipline-specific knowledge, education students, as facilitative teachers, recognize the impact of diverse cultural, economic, political, and social environments upon their discipline; they know the specific uses of technology in their discipline; and they understand the ways in which their teaching area connects to the broad curriculum. In order to facilitate learning of the subject matter, education graduates know the ways in which learning takes place, and they know the appropriate levels of intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development of the students they teach. This developmental theory is of special importance for facilitative teachers who must plan instruction that is appropriate for a diverse student population, including students with special needs. Such diversity also calls on the teacher to use a variety of methods to teach students, to employ a variety of methods to assess what students have learned, and to practice effective classroom management techniques. Running throughout these necessary pedagogical skills is the need for the teacher to have strong and current technology skills. Eagerness to maintain proficient technological and other pedagogical skills is one of the crucial professional dispositions that must be embraced by facilitative teachers. They must also meet high ethical standards and be reflective about their practice. To maintain an active learning environment in their classrooms, facilitative teachers must work collaboratively with colleagues, families, and the community. Further, successful facilitators need to know and respect the influence of race, ethnicity, gender, religion and other aspects of culture on a child’s development and personality. Above all, the facilitative teacher must be professionally disposed to the belief that all students can learn.
Goals of the Licensure Concentration To prepare effective facilitators of learning for secondary schools, the licensure concentration builds upon Davidson College requirements to address the following goals:
Objectives of the Licensure Concentration To prepare effective facilitators of learning for secondary schools, the Department of Education has adopted the Core Standards for the Teaching Profession (Approved by the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards Commission, August 1999) as the objectives of the Licensure Concentration. These Core Standards, along with the INTASC Standards and NCATE Standards, inform the Conceptual Framework. Students who complete the licensure program will:
Characteristics of the Facilitative Teacher To meet the above goals, the licensure concentration is designed to develop the following student characteristics. These characteristics are carefully aligned with NCATE Standards, INTASC Principles, and the North Carolina Cores Standards for the Teaching Profession, which, in turn, have been informed by the National Professional Board of Teaching Standards. These characteristics are represented graphically below.
Students competence is addressed in a final portfolio. This portfolio also addresses Technology Competencies (see below) and Specialty Area Competencies (see below) adopted by the North Carolina State Department of Public Instruction.
LICENSURE INFORMATION Requirements for the Concentration in Education: Licensure Track General Requirements In addition to meeting the requirements of the major, students planning to earn a Licensure Concentration must take the following courses: Education 121, 242, 243, and General Psychology 101. Students must also have minimum scores designated by the State of North Carolina on the Praxis Series: (PPST) Pre-Professional Skills Tests and the Specialty Area Exams (content and pedagogy) prior to applying for licensure in North Carolina. Admission Requirements Formal admission to the Licensure Concentration usually occurs during the sophomore year. Students will complete an "Admission to the Licensure Concentration" form and meet the following guidelines:
Student Teaching Students will take Education 400, 410, 411, and 420 concurrently in one semester during the senior year that is reserved for student teaching. No additional courses can be taken at this time. The criteria for admission to student teaching includes:
Academic Requirements Students must meet the following requirements.
STUDENT TEACHING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES Course Requirements During Student Teaching Students will be taking a four-course load while they are working with you. They will begin with a month long intensive methods course (EDU 400) for one month which includes a team-teaching approach of general as well as content-specific instruction (taught by the Chairperson of the Department and the "content professor" who is a practitioner in the field). The content of the course will be shared with you during the orientation session so you will know what they’ve had. The student teaching internship represents two courses (EDU 410-411) and lasts approximately 10-12 weeks. A seminar addressing issues in secondary education (EDU 420) is held every other week. A calendar and syllabus for each of these courses are included in your Cooperating Teacher Packet.
Phase Two The Education Department has developed a component of the student teaching experience that is referred to as Phase Two. This refers to a second internship in another classroom in the same school in most cases during the last couple of weeks of student teaching. The purpose is to provide the student with an opportunity to try the skills learned in the first setting under the main cooperating teacher to another group of students who are very different from the students in the first setting. Hopefully, the student teachers will be able to teach an entire unit or at least one class (ideally some or most of another person’s schedule) with the same level of accountability as the second cooperating teacher. In some cases, a student teacher may be in two settings for the entire student teaching experience. These arrangements are made either at the beginning of the semester or at the mid-term evaluation by the Davidson faculty member, the main cooperating teacher, and the student teacher and done on an individual basis.
Cooperating Teacher Selection The Chairperson of the Education Department interviews each student prior to making internship assignments. Based on the recommendations of faculty in the Department and the advisor, an assessment of the student’s needs for a successful experience is made. This includes attention to personality traits and special skills as well as the preferences (courses, school location, etc.) of the student teacher with respect to the selection of the cooperating teacher when possible and appropriate. Cooperating teachers are then selected on the basis of the following criteria:
Responsibilities of Cooperating Teacher Cooperating teachers are asked to do the following during the internship:
Expectations of Student Teachers Student teachers are expected to do the following during the internship:
Student Teacher’s Support Team A team of five persons (four Davidson faculty and the cooperating teacher) work together throughout the student teaching internship to provide support for each student teacher. The following is a list of these individuals and their primary responsibilities.
Observations and Evaluations The student teachers will be observed a minimum of 6 times formally as well as daily by the cooperating teacher on an informal basis. These observations are conducted as follows:
Cooperating teachers, student teachers and observers will normally participate in a conference following each observation and specific feedback will be provided. The cooperating teachers and student teachers will conduct pre-observation conferences as well, and any other observers will participate when possible in pre- and post-observation conferences when possible. Student teachers, cooperating teachers, the Chairperson of the Education Department and the Content Professor will participate in mid-term and final evaluation conferences to determine the progress of the student teacher. Student teachers should always have a written lesson plan available for each observer at the beginning of the class. Grades for the internship will be determined during the final evaluation session. Because student teachers are part of this process, we ask that you encourage self-evaluation by the students on a consistent basis throughout the experience. The cooperating teacher, content professor and Chairperson of the Education Department will make the decision regarding a recommendation for licensure.
Please call the Department of Education as soon as you see a potential problem of any kind. Do not wait! Often we can help you to resolve a situation if we are aware of concerns early.
Giving Feedback As hard as it may be to do at times, the student needs and we depend on you to give regular feedback--both positive and negative. This may be the last chance the potential teacher has for real help in correcting inappropriate practices before they become habits. You may find that the level and type of feedback will vary over the internship. We are available to assist you with this any time.
The Education Department at Davidson prefers that student teachers do not substitute unless one of the following circumstances exists:
Regardless of the circumstances, the following conditions must always be met:
The student teaching internship is the most important part of our program and your role the most critical. It is the culmination of coursework and experiences reflecting theory and observations that now need to be translated into effective practice. For many who have always wanted to teach, it is a dream come true. Students are anxious for the challenge and will be looking to you every day as an example of someone who loves students and has mastered the intricacies of teaching. They need guidance and encouragement. Your task is a major one that cannot be underestimated and we are sure that this opportunity will be a positive and worthwhile one for you. This is clearly your chance to have a major impact on a student teacher and ultimately on thousands of students.
The following forms can be downloaded. They are MS Word Files.
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