Clinical Experiences & Student Teaching
Each PTE major is required to complete 100+ clock hours of in-school
clinical experiences before embarking on the student teaching experience.
Thirty-five clock hours of clinical experience are associated with PHY 301,
and all PTE majors must complete these clinical experiences. The remainder
of the clinical experiences are parceled out among professional sequence and
psychology courses. PTE majors are also required to complete 8 semester
hours of student teaching. These valuable experiences are fully described in
the Clinical Experiences & Student Teaching Handbook. The Handbook is a
174-page manual designed specifically for student use. It is divided up into
eight helpful sections.
Section 1
The first part of the Handbook introduces the student to clinical and
student teaching experiences. It introduces the student to the fact that
successful teachers do more than simply deliver instruction. Educators need
to establish challenging but attainable goals for themselves and their
students. Guidelines for quality science teaching have been established by
the National Science Teachers Association, American Association for the
Advancement of Science, the National Research Council, and the National
Board for Professional Teaching Standards. In this introduction the student
comes to realize that the Alliance for Scientific Literacy's goals are
aligned with these established, well-respected movements. Roles of the
participants are then discussed. This includes the role of the
pre-professional teacher, the cooperating teacher, the cooperating school
administrator, and the university supervisor.
Section 2
Section 2 establishes the framework of the clinical and student teaching
experiences. It clearly defines the role of these activities and
differentiates between on-campus and off-campus experiences. The
relationship of the respective methods courses to the clinical and student
teaching experiences are also detailed. Students are given general hints
about how to use the Handbook and manage the numerous experiences. The
framework for the clinical and student teaching experiences is clearly
illustrated through the use of a matrix. Since pre-professional activities
should be progressive and sequential, a matrix shows the relationship
between the various parts.
There are twelve parts to this section. The topics of the twelve parts are
as follows:
1. On-Campus Demonstrations of Fundamental Skills
2. Fundamental Teaching Skills
3. Understanding Students
4. Knowing and Understanding of Science/Technology
5. Learning Environment
6. Student Engagement/Equitable Participation
7. Student Inquiry
8. Student Assessment
9. School & Community Outreach
10. Professionalism/Collegiality
11. Reflective Teaching Practice
12. Recommended Activities
Sections 3 and 4
Sections 3 and 4 are the heart of the clinical and student teaching
experiences. Each activity from the matrix in Section 2 is restated, along
with an explanatory goal, general procedures for carrying out the
experience, and criteria for assessing whether or not the experience was
carried out in appropriate fashion. For example, clinical experience #1d is
defined as follows:
ACTIVITY: The clinical student will compare and contrast teaching styles
used at both high school and university levels.
GOAL: to provide clinical student the opportunity to reflect on the
similarities and differences in teaching at university and high school
levels
PROCEDURE:
1. Begin this experience by observing two introductory classes at the
university level and two corresponding classes at the high school
level.
2. Conclude this experience by preparing a written report that details
similarities and differences at the levels in question. See criteria
below.
3. Place written materials in clinical experiences documentation folder.
CRITERIA:
* This activity must be performed successfully before completing other
off-campus clinical experiences.
* Observations at both university and high school level should be made of
introductory classes in the student's major.
* Provide examples in written evaluation.
* Look for and identify similarities and differences in the following
areas:
o use of inductive reasoning versus deductive reasoning
o use of expository approaches versus inquiry approaches
o depth of content
o pace of delivery
o consideration for student attention span
o provisions for in-class work
o provisions for cooperative learning
o discipline procedures
o teaching in context
o use of alternative classroom approaches such as discussion and
group work
o utilization of one-way versus two-way communication
Section 5
Section 5 deals with student teacher/cooperating teacher conferences. Seven
conferences are mandated since the relationship between these individuals
will generally develop for good or ill if certain groundwork isn't covered
at the outset. These eight conferences deal with expectations and bring up
for discussion the seven following topics:
* Expectations
* School Policies / Administrative Tasks
* Course Content
* Lab Procedures and Safety
* Classroom Management
* Time Management / Organization
* Parental Contact / Parental Involvement
Section 6
Three reference appendices are provided for the student. Appendix A provides
two examples of "idealized" lesson plans, whereas Appendix B provides an
example of a more pragmatic lesson plan. Appendix C provides a sample unit
plan outline.
Section 7
This next-to-last section of the Handbook deals with documentation of the
clinical and student teaching experiences. This section consists mostly of
forms, but provides the structure that students must follow to create two
important documents. Clinical students are required to create a
"Documentation Folder" as part of their experiences. This includes a
Clinical Experiences Log (to by signed by the cooperating teacher to verify
that a particular experience did indeed take place), a Clinical Student
Experience Checkoff List (for those activities that do not require a written
report but, rather, merely the signature of a cooperating teacher), and a
Clinical Experiences Documentation Folder Content List (to be used as a
checkoff list). Similarly, student teachers are required as part of their
student teaching experience to prepare a Professional Teaching Portfolio. As
part of their documentation the must complete a Student Teacher Experience
Checkoff List, and a Student Teacher Portfolio Content List. Both clinical
students and student teachers are required to include in their documentation
a Feedback Form which will be utilized to improve future editions of the
Handbook. Additional self-evaluation forms are also provided.
Section 8
The final section of the Clinical Experiences & Student Teaching Handbook
contains optional assessment forms to be used by the university supervisor.