School Visit Information
Scheduled Weekly School Visits: Please refer to the STEP School Experience Schedule in this Field Guide
for details regarding the dates and objectives for the school visits. On school visit days, teacher
candidates are to dress professionally, arrive at their designated schools no later than 30 minutes before
the start of classes, and sign in at the front office. Teacher candidates should remain at the school and
under the supervision of a designated staff member for the duration of the school day. In addition,
teacher candidates should remain at the school until at least 30 minutes after the pupils are dismissed
to assist practicum school staff with tasks as needed.
Missed School Visits: Attendance is mandatory during school visits and teacher candidates, as junior
members of a school staff, are accountable for their attendance. If a teacher candidate is required to
miss a school visit due to illness or emergency, he/she must immediately notify the School Experience
Coordinator (by phone or email). The practicum school must also be notified and the teacher candidate
can do this either by phoning the school office (or the attendance line if the office is closed) or by
emailing the mentor teacher (and cc-ing the principal and office secretary).
Personal communication during school visits: Cell phones, personal email or other social networking
tools (e.g. Facebook) should not be used by teacher candidates during instructional time. As with any
other place of work, visits from family and friends must be limited to urgent business or emergency
matters only and preferably during non-instructional time (before or after school, lunch). If family
members or friends need to contact the teacher candidate, they can do so by phoning the school office
and leaving a message.
Concerns during School Visits: If concerns or questions arise during the weekly school visits and/or
prior to the commencement of the practicum, it is important that the mentor teacher, in consultation
with the school administrator, immediately communicate, in writing (email is acceptable), the specific
concerns to the School Experience Coordinator. If a teacher candidate is experiencing difficulties during
the school visits and/or prior to the start of practicum, he/she should make an appointment with the
School Experience Coordinator to discuss the concerns or questions as soon as possible. NOTE: The
faculty advisors will not become directly involved until the Practicum Introduction Week.
Full Week in Sponsor School: Toward the end of Winter Term 1, teacher candidates will spend a full
week in their practicum schools. This extended time in the practicum school will enable teacher
candidates to become familiar with the weekly routines and procedures in their practicum classes and in
the school community in general. Prior to the full week in school, teacher candidates will prepare a
week overview of key tasks and responsibilities including the dates/times for at least two 30 – 40 minute
lessons they will prepare/teach during the week. Co-teaching, working with students in small groups or
individually, taking on basic class routines (attendance, homework check, marking etc.) should be
integral components of each day. A copy of the week overview will be emailed to the teacher
candidate’s faculty advisor. During the full week in school, the teacher candidate’s faculty advisor will
observe a lesson and provide feedback in a post-lesson conference. Teacher candidates will also
collaborate with their mentor teachers and begin to draft their Practicum Instructional Plan (PIP). This
plan is an overview the teacher candidate’s teaching responsibilities during the extended practicum.
Please refer to the Field Guide for instructions regarding how to develop a Practicum Instructional Plan
(PIP).
Practicum Preparation: Guidelines
Required Preparation for Practicum
When teacher candidate/mentor teacher matches are finalized, teacher candidates are expected to
collaborate with their mentor teacher(s) and together determine the teacher candidate’s practicum
teaching load and other responsibilities in accordance with the parameters outlined in this section of the
Field Guide. While these parameters and guidelines are intended to help clarify the practicum
preparation process, given the wide variation of practicum contexts, it is assumed that the specific
details regarding planning and preparation will be negotiated by the teacher candidate and the mentor
teacher as they work collaboratively together.
General parameters
Progression/Composition of Teaching Load during Practicum:
The required teaching load and composition of teaching responsibilities for the STEP practicum is as
follows:
Practicum Week
Weeks 1 & 2
Feb 3-7
Feb 10* - 14
% Teaching load **
Co-teaching with mentor
teachers
Weeks 3 & 4
Feb 17-21
Feb 24-28
Week 5
Mar 3-7
Weeks 6- 11
Mar 10- May 2
Week 12
May 5-9
Teach up to 50%
Teach up to 80%
Teach 80%
Conclude Teaching
Instructional time◊ per week:
Observe mentor teacher and co-teach: take
responsibility for specific aspects of the class/es
(e.g. warm up, lab, quiz, readings, homework, and
attendance) but do not take full responsibility for a
whole class.
Take responsibility for most of a class (or classes)
including teaching the lessons, management,
marking etc., but not more than 50% of a teacher’s
load (normally 4/8 or 2/4 blocks)
Transition to taking responsibility for 75-80% of a
teacher’s load (normally 6/8 or 3/4 blocks)
Take responsibility for 75-80% of a teacher’s load
(6/8 or 3/4 block)
Begin teaching load reduction- complete units,
transition teaching load from teacher candidate to
sponsor teacher, continue supporting classroom
learning, co-teach, complete all assessment and
record-keeping
** Teaching load: Some teacher candidates may wish to teach at a 100% teaching load during their practicum. This
option may be granted for a defined period of time (e.g. a few days, one or two weeks) during Weeks Five to
Eleven of the practicum if the following conditions are met: 1. The teacher candidate must teach at the prescribed
teaching load for Weeks 1-4 of the practicum and fully meet expectations for competence in planning for learning,
instructional delivery, assessment and classroom management during that time; 2. At the Mid-term Triad, the
faculty advisor and mentor teacher agree that the teacher candidate is ready to assume additional teaching
responsibilities; 3. The teacher candidate is not feeling pressured or coerced into taking on additional teaching
responsibilities; and 4. The timeframe and other parameters for 100% teaching load are approved by the School
Experience Coordinator.
Extra-curricular Responsibilities during Practicum
The primary focus of the practicum is developing teaching competence in the classroom and extracurricular responsibilities are not a required component of the practicum. However, during practicum
teacher candidates are full-time members of the school staff and, therefore, are strongly encouraged to
become involved in the larger school community and take on either lead or support roles in some of the
extra-curricular programs or events at their practicum schools. Extra-curricular responsibilities do not
constitute part of the prescribed teaching load.
Practicum Preparation: Key Tasks
There are several tasks that must be completed by teacher candidates, in collaboration with their
mentor teachers, in order to be sufficiently prepared to begin practicum. These tasks are:
1. Practicum Instructional Plan (PIP): In collaboration with the mentor teacher, each teacher
candidate is required to develop a working plan of his/her teaching responsibilities during
practicum. The suggested school visit dates to work on this are outlined in the School
Experience Schedule. Sample PIPs are included in Appendix 1 of this Field Guide. A template
will be provided.
Teacher candidates: the method for constructing a PIP is as follows:
a. Begin to develop your month-at-a-glance:
i. Print off a copy of your school’s bell schedule(s)- or make a note of it on the
back of your summary sheet.
ii. Using the template provided, make a notations in the ‘Notes’ column of each
week as follows: note the week # of practicum (e.g. Prep. Week, Week One,
Week Two etc.). In addition, note the teaching load for each week (Intro, 50%,
80%, Conclusion).
iii. Look at the school calendar and note the Day (Block Rotation/Schedule) and
any FYI’s (any important dates on the relevant days/weeks of your practicum
plan such as staff meetings, early dismissals, Pro D days, special assemblies
etc..)
b. Determine the subjects/grades you will teach: In collaboration with your mentor
teachers, determine the subjects/grades you will teach following the progression for
teaching load outlined in the General Parameters. Work with your mentor teachers to
ensure that there is an appropriate mix of new preparations and repeat lessons within
teaching loads. During Practicum Introduction, you should be co-teaching the classes
you will end up taking over in Weeks 3&4. By the beginning of Week 4, you should be
teaching 4/8 or 2/4 blocks. By Week 5, you should be increasing your teaching load to
6/8 or 3/4 blocks and should remain at that % teaching load until around the end of
Week 11. Ideally, at least 50% of your teaching load during Weeks 5-11 should be in the
area of your specialization ‘major’. You may only teach in the area of your secondary
specialization(s). Every mentor teacher approaches assigning teacher candidates’ duties
slightly differently… so be flexible- but also be willing to suggest subject(s) and/or topics
you’d be interested in teaching. Your teaching load and the subjects you teach must
complement the class program established by your mentor teacher.
c. Map your teaching responsibilities on your monthly calendars: Note the
classes/subjects you will be teaching on each day of each month.
d. What else should you know about the subjects you will teach? You will need to know
the specific PLO(s) that your mentor teachers expect you to teach. The PLO(s) help to
define the focus of the teaching/learning… You cannot start planning your unit
overviews until you have this information. Your mentor teachers should also provide
some resources for you to ‘adopt and adapt’ as you develop your unit overviews.
e. Talk about report cards: Discuss your role in developing the term report cards for your
classes. What assessment data will you provide? When is this submitted? Which
subjects will you be ‘in charge’ of reporting? Who will write the reports? When are the
reports written? What will your role be during parent/teacher interviews? Add any key
report card dates to your monthly calendars.
f. Extracurricular activities: If known, these should be added to your monthly calendar
(practices, games, tournaments, meetings, special events etc.)
g. Complete a Practicum Instructional Plan Summary (cover sheet) that will provide your
faculty advisor and mentor teacher with a snapshot of ‘where you are at’ with regard to
preparation. The template for the PIP cover sheet will be provided and should be
adapted to reflect your teaching load, number of classes/units you’re teaching etc.
h. Remember: you are under no obligation to carry a teaching load that goes beyond the
recommended guidelines.
i. Please make 3 copies of your completed Practicum Instructional Plan (PIP) for
yourself, your mentor teacher, and your faculty advisor.
DUE DATE: Submit one copy of your PIP (the one for your faculty advisor) to the School
Experience Coordinator by the due date specified on the School Experience Schedule.
2. Unit Overview and Lesson Plan Development: Appropriate unit overview development and
lesson planning is ultimately the responsibility of the teacher candidate and is carried out in
consultation and collaboration with the mentor teacher(s) and, closer to the practicum start
date, with the faculty advisor as well.
Prior to the pre-practicum triad meetings, working plans of the required unit overviews and
lessons must be submitted to the mentor teacher(s) and the faculty advisor for review. The
schedule and method for reviewing unit overviews and lesson planning will be determined
collaboratively by the teacher candidate, mentor teacher and faculty advisor. Teacher
candidate preparation must be complete in order to begin the practicum.
a. UNIT PREPARATION: General Guidelines for STEP Teacher Candidates
REQUIRED preparation: to be completed by the Practicum Introduction Week and reviewed
prior to/during the pre-practicum triad meeting
i. Working plans/unit overviews for all units to be taught in Weeks 1-6 AND
preliminary outlines of units to be taught in Weeks 7-12. Unit overviews are
approx. 3-4 pages each and preliminary outlines are 1-2 pages in length. NOTE:
The number and length of the unit overviews to be prepared will vary by grade
level, subject area and duration of unit. Sample unit overviews can be found in
Appendix 1 of this Field Guide.
ii. Introductory lesson plans for units to be started during the Practicum
Introduction phase (usually 1-2 lesson plans, see lesson plan expectations
below)
Key elements for your unit overviews:

General Information: Subject area(s), Topic/theme, Grade(s), and Number/length of
lessons
 IRP References: Curriculum Organizer, sub-organizer
 Broad Objective or Big Idea/Theme for the unit
 Learning Focus: Prescribed Learning Outcomes (PLO’s), Specific Learning Outcomes
(SLOs)for each lesson
 Basic lesson information: learning activities/teaching strategies, resources,
assessment/evaluation methods
 Planning for Diversity: e.g. text options, representation options, adaptations,
modifications, extensions etc.
See the recommended unit overview template, exemplar and rubric in Appendix 1 of this
Field Guide for more information.
b. LESSON PLAN GUIDELINES:
Teacher candidates are required to develop lesson plans for every lesson they teach. These
plans are required for a number of reasons but two main purposes are:
1. The plans require the teacher candidate to ‘make his/her thinking visible’ and
consider all aspects of the lesson development.
2. The plans provide a helpful starting point for discussion, collaboration and feedback
between the teacher candidate and the mentor teacher and/or the faculty advisor.
‘Key elements’ of a lesson plan include:




Time references: date/time allotment, unit/lesson #,
Learning focus: targeted PLO(s) and SLO(s) for the lesson
Preparation Notes: Materials/Resources, Make/Get
Lesson Sequence- Beginning (Introduction/Hook/Connections), Middle
(development/practice/Process), and End (review/closure/Transform/Personalize)
 Assessment: formative and/or summative assessment strategies
 Other considerations: differentiation, extensions/adaptations/modifications
 Room for a post-lesson reflection
Please refer to the recommended lesson plan template and exemplars in Appendix 1 of this
Field Guide for more information.
c. LESSON PLAN TO DAY BOOK TRANSITION: GUIDELINES
Degree of Lesson Plan Detail: A continuum
In the judgment of the mentor teacher and faculty advisor, as the teacher candidate
demonstrates competence and confidence in lesson planning, it is reasonable to guide
the teacher candidate in creating more abridged plans while still including all of the key
lesson elements in the plans.

Phase One: detailed lesson plan – 2-3 pages, all key elements included as well
as scripted instructions & questions, details re: key transitions
 Phase Two: lesson summary- 1-2 pages, all key elements briefly noted and
possibly one scripted segment such as key questions or instructions as needed
 Phase Three: lesson outline- 1 page, all key elements in bullet points
 Phase Four: 2-page daybook: using a template that includes the key elements
but formatted for a full day overview. (Note: A lesson summary or outline may
still be required or preferred for some subjects.)
Please refer to the sample lesson plans included in Appendix 1 of this Field Guide for
more information on the differences between the four phases of lesson plans.
POSSIBLE* PROGRESSION OF LESSON PLANNING DURING STEP PRACTICUM:

Week 1 & 2 (Co-teaching): All teacher candidates will complete detailed lesson
plans for all lessons (Phase One).
 Week 3-4 (teach up to 50%): All teacher candidates will complete lesson summaries
for all lessons (Phase Two) or, with the approval of the mentor teacher and faculty
advisor, teacher candidate can begin to use lesson outlines (Phase Three) for
some/all subjects .
 Week 5 - 11 (teach up to 80%): With approval of the faculty advisor and mentor
teacher, teacher candidate may begin to use a two-page day book format (Phase
Four) for all/most of the lesson planning. Teacher candidates may benefit from
developing lesson outlines or summaries for a particular subject.
*NOTE: This progression is included in the Field Guide to accommodate the learning
needs of teacher candidates who demonstrate a readiness for more abridged planning.
It should be noted that most STEP teacher candidates benefit from planning detailed
lessons (Phase One) in the initial weeks of practicum.