Cooperating Teacher Handbook

Transcription

1 Cooperating Teacher Handbook MIAMI UNIVERSITY College of Education, Health and Society Office of Student Teaching and Field Experiences Dr. Jean Eagle Director of Clinical Experiences and School Partnerships 202 McGuffey Hall Fax: Revised 4/14

2 2 Thank you for agreeing to work with a student teacher from Miami University. We know that you have much expertise and many experiences to share with our interns and we greatly appreciate your willingness to open your classroom to our next generation of teachers. Sincerely, Dr. Jean F. Eagle Director of Clinical Field Experiences and School Partnerships Miami University Oxford, Ohio USA eaglej@miamioh.edu (513) Responsibilities of the Cooperating Teacher Meet with your student teacher at least twice before the start of the school year. Prepare the class for the student teacher, encouraging students cooperation and support so that the student teacher can practice in a friendly environment. Arrange an introductory meeting with the school principal for the student teacher. Co-plan, co-teach, and co-assess with the student teacher. Read and critique the student teacher s lesson plans at least one day prior to scheduled delivery of the lesson. Allow and encourage the student teacher, under your guidance, to practice teaching, management, and strategy styles that fit his/her personality and preferences even if they differ from your own. Share professional ideas and resources with your student teacher. Conduct midterm and final assessments of the student teacher s performance using the university-provided instruments. Submit a Letter of Recommendation via to the Office of Student Teaching (benesjl@miamioh.edu) during the last week of the placement. This letter should describe the context of the school and classroom, curricula used, strengths, and progress of the student teacher, and any special projects or activities that took place during the 8 week experience. Work in conjunction with the university supervisor who serves as a liaison between the student teacher, cooperating teacher, and the university. The supervisor makes site visits, arranges formal observations, schedules conferences with the student and cooperating teacher, and is available, either in person, or electronically to address the needs of the student teacher. Feedback from formal observations should be used in a constructive manner; it is vital to the growth and success of the student teacher. Please contact the university supervisor immediately in the event of any unforeseen circumstance or problem that relates to the student teacher.

3 3 Important Initial Information When you first meet your student teacher, please discuss the following: Your shared roles as co-teachers, including planning, instructional delivery and assessment Maintaining student data Overall objectives, curricula, and pacing Daily duties, routines, and procedures of the classroom and building Emergency procedures Available technology and expectations for its use Meetings and assemblies Communicating with parents, open house, and conference nights School calendar Personal property and security School closure procedures make sure your student teacher is on the emergency contact roster Introductions and potential observations of other teachers in your building. Co-Planning & Co-Teaching Miami student teachers engage in several field experiences prior to student teaching, and should be considered prepared to co-teach from their first day in the classroom. Please meet with your student teacher and develop an individualized plan that best meets the needs of your learners. Under the supervision of the cooperating teacher, student teachers should increasingly take on more responsibilities including recess supervision, study hall, or lunch duty. Student teachers are strongly encouraged to enrich their overall understanding of classroom learners and their school community through volunteer experiences such as tutoring, mentoring or coaching. Lesson Planning continues to be a mandatory element of student teaching. Student teachers are to have complete lesson plans for every lesson that they teach or are responsible for in the P-12 classroom. Weekly lesson plans need to be complete and available to you and the supervisor no later than 5:00 p.m. on the preceding Friday. Additionally, they should be available for the university supervisor to review at each observation and for future reference. Lesson plans are a working document; after a lesson is taught it should be used for reflection, notes, and ideas for improving the lesson. There is a lesson plan template in the Student Teacher Handbook for reference. Formats may vary, but should include the following: the academic standards, anticipatory set, activities, materials and resources, accommodations for special learners, assessment (formal or informal), and reflection.

4 4 Attendance Policy for Student Teachers Student teachers are required to be on time every day of the student teaching experience and are expected to stay at school during the hours required of a regular classroom teacher. A student teacher who must miss a day due to illness or another severe issue is required to inform their cooperating teacher and university supervisor prior to the incident. Excessive absences (more than 5 excused) will result in the student teacher making up days or repeating the student teaching experience. Make-up days will be determined by the cooperating teacher and university supervisor, with input from the student teacher. Two tardy incidents or early departures will equal one day s absence. Any unexcused absence is cause for removal from the student teaching placement. Excused Absences: Personal illness (a doctor s excuse may be requested) Death or severe illness in family University sponsored event (Teacher Job Fair, special seminar) Interview for graduate school or employment opportunity after graduation Attendance or presentation at a professional conference edtpa work days (2) UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD A STUDENT TEACHER ACT AS A SUBSTITUTE TEACHER. If the cooperating teacher is absent, a licensed substitute must be in the room with the student teacher. The student teacher can, and should, continue regular teaching while the teacher is absent, thus maintaining regular standards of learning and classroom management. Assessment The Ohio Teacher Performance Assessment (edtpa) is the benchmark assessment for student teaching and must be successfully completed in order to pass student teaching. Submission is via Chalk and Wire to Pearson, the vendor for the assessment. Miami establishes the due date for the edtpa, typically within the first 8-10 weeks of student teaching. Two release days are provided for students to work on their projects, and will be considered excused absences from the classroom. Dates for the fall 2014 semester are Wednesday, October 1 and Tuesday, October 7. These days may not be exchanged for other dates. University supervisors are assigned to work with all student teachers. They serve as a liaison between the student teacher, cooperating teacher, and the university. The supervisor makes site visits, arranges a minimum of five formal observations, schedules conferences with the student and cooperating teacher, and is available, whether in person, or electronically, to address the

5 5 needs of the student teacher. Feedback from formal observations should be used in a constructive manner; it is vital to the growth and success of the student teacher. Teacher candidates will be assessed at midterm and at the conclusion of the student teaching experience using an evaluation checklist aligned with the Ohio Standards for the Teaching Profession. The cooperating teacher, student teacher, and university supervisor should meet to discuss the completed form. The purpose of the mid-term assessment conference is to provide communication and feedback on observations of the student teacher s ongoing development. This is a good time to set new goals for the rest of the semester. In addition to the final checklist, it is the primary responsibility of the cooperating teacher to produce a final grade of P (Pass) of U (Unsatisfactory resulting in failure of student teaching). This will be recorded on the student teacher s transcript. The cooperating teacher and supervisor will also submit a Letter of Recommendation to be used for reference purposes at the conclusion of the placement. This letter should describe the context of the school and classroom, curricula used, strengths and progress of the student teacher, and any projects or activities that occurred during the placement. Cooperating teachers working with Adolescent Young Adult (AYA) student teachers in the areas of language arts, social studies, science, and world languages, as well as Intervention Specialist, will complete an addendum to the final that aligns with the National Standards in that specific field. This will be attached to the final evaluation. Other factors that influence the passage of student teaching are attendance and punctuality at school and the mandatory seminars, lesson planning, and professionalism. Student Teaching Conduct Students who are asked to leave a placement by school/district administration, or are pulled from the classroom by the Office of Student Teaching may or may not be moved to another school for the remainder of the semester. Determinations will be made on a case-by-case basis following a meeting with EHS personnel. If a student does not complete student teaching in a given semester, the student will need to repeat student teaching, which includes registering and paying tuition for the entire 15 hours.