Course Contents

Course Content a) School experiences Introduction to the school and classroom context. • Complete the Student Teacher Checklist, provided in your handbook. • Meeting with the cooperating teacher to discuss how he/she plans for instruction, expectations and the like • Non-observational Assignments, which will provide you with an opportunity to familiarize yourself with the school, staff, school rules, policies etc. The assignments you are required to complete will depend on your current placement. See the note below. • If you are completing this practicum at a different school than the one you worked in for Semester 3, you will need to complete the assignments provided in your handbook. o Inventory of School Resources, o Community/Co-curricular Engagement o Discipline Procedures and Policies o Cooperating Teacher Interview o Interview a Child/Children o Classroom Management • If you are at the same school as you were in Semester 3 – but working with a different teacher you need to complete the assignments provided in your handbook. o Cooperating Teacher Interview o Interview a Child/Children o Classroom Management • Log of Daily Activities • Daily Reflections (see the forms provided in your handbook) • Classroom Observations which will provide you with an opportunity to learn how your teacher engages with the children using verbal behavior and how to pace a lesson • As requested by the Cooperating Teacher, working with children who need extra help and with small groups of children to carry out the teacher’s plans Assisting the teacher in classroom instruction as requested and assuming responsibility for planning, teaching and assessing at least part of the lesson. • Co-planning and co-teaching with the Cooperating Teacher • Working with children who need extra help • Completion of any non-observational assignments still outstanding • Completion of classroom Observations which will provide you with an opportunity to observe children’s engagement through their verbal responses and what types of verbal interaction occur in the classroom (selective verbatim) Working with small groups of children to carry out the teacher’s plans • Co-teaching lessons with the Cooperating Teacher • Finding out about assessment – what strategies does the teacher use Assuming responsibility for planning, teaching and assessing a at least one subject matter’s lesson • Co-plan full lessons with the Cooperating Teacher • Co-teach lessons for one subject matter each day • Working with children who need extra help • Classroom observations that will provide you with information on how to use questions effectively to engage children. You should also consider using the observation tools provided in your Semester 3 handbook to learn about other aspects of teaching and learning. • Prepare for a formal observation by your Cooperating Teacher using the Formal Observation Cover sheet, pre-observation guide, and post observation reflection sheet. • Prepare for a formal observation by your College/University Supervisor using the Formal Observation Cover sheet, pre-observation guide, and post observation reflection sheet. • Prepare for a mid-way triad meeting. • Use the Notes for Self Assessment sheet indicating all the evidence you have collected and how this meets the NPSTP. Assuming responsibility for planning, teaching and assessing in two subjects. • Continue activities above, taking over responsibility for planning, teaching and assessing one subject full lesson) throughout the week • Co-plan and co-teach all other subjects with the Cooperating Teacher • Prepare for a formal observation by your College/University Supervisor using the Formal Observation Cover sheet, pre-observation guide, and post observation reflection sheet. Assuming responsibility for planning, teaching and assessing at least three subjects • Continue activities above, taking over responsibility for planning, teaching and assessing three core subjects with the whole class throughout the week (math, Urdu, science/general studies). • Co-plan and co-teach all other subjects with the Cooperating Teacher • Prepare for a formal observation by your Cooperating Teacher using the Formal Observation Cover sheet, pre-observation guide, and post observation reflection sheet. • Prepare for a formal observation by your College/University Supervisor using the Formal Observation Cover sheet, pre-observation guide, and post observation reflection sheet. Assume additional responsibilities as agreed with the Cooperating Teacher • Continue planning, teaching and assessing the three core subjects throughout the week and add additional subjects as agreed with the Cooperating Teacher • Co-planning and co-teaching teaching all other subjects with the Cooperating Teacher • Prepare for a formal observation by your College/University Supervisor using the Formal Observation Cover sheet, pre-observation guide, and post observation reflection sheet. • Prepare for a final triad meeting. • Prepare a Professional Portfolio, addressing the NPSTP. (Use the Rubric provided in your handbook as a guide.) b. The Practicum Seminar The seminar runs parallel to your experience at school. The content of the seminar will vary with the Instructor every semester that it is offered. However, students may expect to discuss issues such as: • Practical issues of teaching in learning in their field placements, • Language learning, • Different perspectives on how to organize and manage a classroom, • Planning units of instruction, • Content-specific instruction, • Selecting and using assessments of learning, • How to use standards for primary school teaching practice, • Identifying the hidden curriculum in the classroom, • Creating classroom environments that recognize physical, emotional, affective, social and intellectual needs of children, • Non-instructional roles of the teacher, • Working with parents and community

Course Synopsis

The Practicum consists of two important parts: a. A school placement in an elementary school; b. A seminar that meets regularly. a. School Placement: The practicum experience in Semester 4 should provide elementary grade student teachers with a practicum placement in an elementary classroom This teaching practice builds on experience in semester 3 when student teachers worked with children at two different grade levels. As in semester 3, the practicum should provide student teachers with carefully sequenced and supervised experiences, with student teachers gradually assuming responsibility for teaching several subjects with the whole class, starting with one subject in week 3, and picking up an additional class in week 4, and an additional class in week 5. So for the last two weeks you should assume full responsibility for at least 3 classes During the practicum, student students are expected to critically select and use appropriate materials, resources (including persons in the community) and technology, and to have experiences with classroom management and a variety of evaluation techniques (including authentic assessment).3 Collaboration with other Student Teachers and professionals in the school setting should be encouraged in order to develop team building skills and utilization of all resources to enhance children's learning. Ideally, groups of three or four student teachers should be placed in each school. Avoid having too many student teachers in one school and more than one student teacher per class (unless they are doing an activity or assignment that requires them to work together). Opportunities for peer coaching as well as coaching by the cooperating teacher and college/university supervisor should be provided. Student teachers should be encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to interact with parents and to develop skills for communicating with parents under the guidance of the cooperating teacher. b. The Seminar: As in semester 3, a weekly seminar will accompany the practicum to help student teachers link the content of the pre-service program content to practice. The seminar should provide an opportunity to clarify and revise their teaching goals and their beliefs about a wide range of educational issues. Although the seminar should be related to and build upon classroom observation and teaching experiences, it should be focused on inducting student teachers into professional practice. Habits of thinking that provide the foundation for continued growth as a teacher are as important as strategies for solving immediate classroom issues and problems. The seminar should also provide a forum for student teachers to share and resolve problems or challenges they are experiencing during their practice. Student teachers will be asked to complete several types of assignments. Most, but not all, of these assignments will be directly linked in some way to classroom experiences. For example: • Present an analysis of own or a peer’s teaching; • Conduct an observation focused on specific classroom practices or an individual child; • Try out a particular method and reflect on its success in achieving its purpose; • An interview with of a teacher and a child. All of the assigned tasks should be flexible enough to allow for adaptation to a wide variety of classrooms.