Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
College of Education
OFFICE OF FIELD EXPERIENCE
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Thank you for volunteering to be the cooperating
teacher for our student teacher.
You will be a very important part of the team that
will be supporting and forming our teachers of
the future.
Your honest feedback and communication with
the student teacher will be essential throughout
the semester.
If you have issues or challenges with the student
teacher, please communicate them to the
university supervisor or the Director of Field
Experiences from the university at 361-8252669.
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The cooperating teacher is very influential in the
student teaching experience. He/she must make
every effort to be an acceptable role model for
the student teacher and provide the best
opportunity possible for his/her growth into an
effective educator.
Prepare for the arrival of the student teacher and
help them to feel at ease by introducing them to
the students and fellow educators.
Try to arrange your schedule so that you have a
few minutes to talk with the student teacher
before the end of the day.
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Help the student teacher become familiar with the classroom and
the school building.
Clarify the student teacher’s responsibility for classroom
discipline. Classroom and school-wide discipline policies and
procedures should be outlined, and the limits of the student
teacher’s responsibilities and authority should be clearly defined.
After an initial observation period of 5 to 7 days, the student
teacher should assume teaching responsibilities in the classroom
on a gradual basis. At the secondary level, the student teacher
will begin taking over one class and periodically adding the
others. These responsibilities should increase until a full load
can be assumed for no less than two weeks. A capable student
teacher may participate full with classroom activities for a longer
period.
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The cooperating teacher is asked to complete
five progress reports throughout the semester.
For a student who has only one assignment, the
first progress report will not count toward their
grade. Those who have students with split
assignments (Kinesiology, Art, Music, Spanish,
Drama) will fill out 3 evaluations at each
assignment.
The cooperating teacher should schedule a
weekly conference with the student teacher, and
in addition have short, informal discussions
during the normal school day.
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The university supervisor serves as a liaison between
the student teacher, cooperating teacher, building
principal, and the Director of Field Experience in order
to provide the student teacher with the very best
teaching experience.
The university supervisor is expected to maintain
rapport with the building principal and the cooperating
teacher.
Complete 5 observations/evaluations of the student
teacher in the classroom. Those who have student
teachers with split assignments will complete three (3)
observations for each assignment of the student
teacher. Use official observation/evaluation forms. Use
conversion chart in the Student Teacher Handbook
Appendix.
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Conduct a conference with the student teacher
immediately following each observation, if possible, and
offer constructive criticism and suggestions for
improvement.
Confer with the cooperating teacher regarding the student
teacher’s progress and any concerns that may arise.
Evaluate lesson plans and review the student teacher’s
notebook/portfolio.
Apprise the Director of Field Experience on the student
teacher’s progress.
Submit final grades online and all documentation forms
for TEA (student attendance, make-up time accountability,
TEA observation form, student evaluations, principal
verification forms to the Director of Field Experiences.
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Grading for student teachers will include three areas of evaluation.
Failure to complete any one of these areas will result in a grade of
INCOMPLETE. Student performance will be measured by the following
weighted scores:
1) The scores earned on the Student Teaching Evaluation, which is
completed by the university supervisor will constitute 60% of the grade.
2) The scores reflected on The Student Teaching Evaluation which is
completed by the cooperating teacher will determine approximately 30% of
the grade.
3) The grade earned on the Student Teaching Notebook will constitute 10%
of the grade.
Each university supervisor will submit a final grade sheet noting the final
grade for each of their student teachers at the end of the semester. See
Student Teaching Handbook Appendix. The university supervisor will also
submit the student’s final grade online.
• List classroom rules; describe
the physical plan of the class
and student movement.
• Identify motivational
techniques used (praise,
simulation, success,
opportunities).
• Outline a typical class period.
• Identify questioning strategies:
Levels (levels of thinking
reached, Blooms Taxonomy);
Response patterns; Wait time;
Who is asked? When are they
asked?
• Describe how groups are
established – for what purpose
does the teacher utilize group
work?
• Outline interaction patterns
among students in the class.
• Check for understanding –
what methods and when are
the methods used?
• Guided Practice – how/when
does the teacher implement
this?
• Describe strategies used by the
teacher to create interest or
establish a mental set for
learning.
• Independent practice. What
do students who finish early
do? When is time allocated
for independent practice?
• Give examples of how the
teacher uses positive
reinforcement with students.
• Identify three activities in
which students are
responding with interest and
enthusiasm.
• Identify three signals or nonverbal cues the teacher
utilizes to control the class.
When are they used?
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The university supervisor and the cooperating
teacher are expected to provide timely feedback
to the student teacher.
Schedule a time to meet with the student teacher
after the observation/evaluation to provide
constructive feedback and suggestions for
improvement.
Schedule your meeting in a place without
distractions and where the student teacher can
be involved in an interactive professional
conversation.
Avoid a meeting in an open area that can provide
distractions and can impact confidentiality.
1.
2.
3.
Amount: The quantity of feedback is appropriate (too
much or too little can limit effectiveness).
Communication: Feedback is given in a manner that
promotes understanding and action.
Specificity: The feedback is specific enough to
provide a plan of action for the teacher to follow (what
to do more of and what to do less of).
4.
5.
6.
Frequency: Feedback is provided at appropriate
intervals.
Timing: Timing of the feedback is designed to have
maximum impact.
Relevancy: Specific, useful suggestions are provided.
Cooperating teachers and university supervisors
have an opportunity to discuss desirable instructional
behaviors they see teachers using.
For supervision to be effective, the behaviors which
the supervisor chooses to reinforce must be behaviors
which have a real effect on student learning, student self
concept or student enthusiasm for learning.
1.
2.
The student teacher feels
that the
supervisor/cooperating
teacher is genuinely
interested in the student
teacher.
The student teacher gains
respect for the instructional
expertise of the
supervisor/cooperating
teacher.
3.
4.
5.
The student teacher is able to use instructional
behaviors that have been used intuitively as part of a
conscious decision making process.
Student achievement and self concept increase as
student teachers make better use of productive
instructional behaviors.
Student teachers are more likely to seek the
supervisor/cooperating teachers’ assistance when an
instructional question occurs.
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Avoid “overkill”. Limit the
number of behaviors to be
reinforced after a single
observation. It is more
productive to focus on one
or two specific behaviors
and give several examples
from the student teacher’s
lesson plan.
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Reinforcement in a timely manner. If too much time
passes between the behavior and the reinforcement, the
value of the reinforcement is lessened.
Eliminate “Hidden Agendas”. When reinforcement
takes place before a favor is asked of the student
teacher, or before unpleasant information is shared with
the student teacher, the value of reinforcement is
reduced.
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Get student teachers used to hearing compliments.
When reinforcement takes place often, student teachers
will less likely feel that they don’t deserve it or to
belittle their legitimate efforts on the part of the
students.
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Both cooperating teachers and university
supervisors should provide student teachers
with feedback on lessons and the student
teacher’s teaching and lesson’s impact on
student learning.
The Student Teacher Observation and
Evaluation forms will provide the basic
expectations for student teachers in the
delivery of the instruction.
The next slides provide a framework for
analyzing the lesson.
Observable Behaviors:
(A)The student teacher communicates
goals and objectives to students
during lesson.
(B)The student teacher communicates
goals and objectives for student
learning to parents.
Observable Behaviors:
(a)
Students working at
appropriate level of
difficulty.
(b)
Students answering
questions correctly.
(c)
Students expending effort
and meeting success.
Observable Behaviors:
(a)
Learning tasks are
sequenced appropriately
for student understanding.
(b)
The objective of the
learning is clear to
students.
(c)
The student teacher is able
to review or move ahead
in the learning sequence as
student needs dictate.
Observable Behaviors:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Students are called on to
apply material learned to
their own lives.
Students are called on to
analyze material.
Student creativity is
facilitated and encouraged.
Students are encouraged to
evaluate critically and to
support their evaluations
with evidence from their
learning.
Observable Behaviors:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
A variety of groupings for
instruction are used.
Student groups change as
objectives change.
Interactive groups which
encourage student cooperative
learning are used.
On task behavior is observed
in groups.
Student teacher monitors
groups while they are working.
Observable Behaviors:
(a)
(b)
(c)
Activities are clearly focused
on an objective.
The student teacher states the
objective of the lesson to the
class.
At the end of the lesson, the
student teacher summarizes
the lesson, restating the
objective.
Observable Behaviors:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
The student teacher uses
varied activities and methods
of instruction.
The student teacher uses class
activities which facilitate
student use of oral language.
The student teacher
emphasizes the relationship of
class activities and objectives
to student needs.
The student teacher allows
students an appropriate choice
of learning activities.
Observable
Behaviors:
(a)
(b)
(c)
The student teacher makes
expectations for classroom
behavior clear to students.
The student teacher models
appropriate behaviors for the
class.
The student teacher deals with
incidents of misbehavior
positively and appropriately.
Observable Behaviors:
(a)
The student teacher makes clear
transitions from one subject area
or activity to the next.
(b)
The student teacher gets all
students actively involved in
instruction.
(c)
The student teacher uses informal
diagnostic activities to measure
student readiness for instruction.
Observable Behaviors:
(a)
(b)
(c)
The student teacher reviews
material learned the previous
day.
The student teacher conducts
periodic reviews of material
covered in previous weeks and
months.
The student teacher applies
previously learned material to
current learning.
Observable Behaviors:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
The student teacher provides
adequate input to students.
The student teacher models
appropriate learning behaviors
for the class.
The student teacher shows an
acceptable model or discusses
criteria for an acceptable finished
product.
The student teacher adjusts the
pace of instruction to students
needs.
Observable Behaviors:
(a)
(b)
(c)
The student teacher samples individual students.
The student teacher uses group responses from the
class to check understanding.
The student teacher uses signals, slates, or other
individual responses to check understanding.
Observable Behaviors:
(a)
(b)
(c)
The student teacher moves
around the room checking
work and giving assistance
as needed.
The student teacher
provides answer keys or
monitors so students can
check their own work
before moving on.
The student teacher has
students work in
cooperative groups and
monitors group progress.
Observable Behaviors:
(a)
(b)
Students summarize major points covered in the day’s
lesson.
The student teacher summarizes the major points
covered in the day’s lesson.
Observable Behaviors:
(a)
(b)
(c)
Independent practice is assigned
only after students have been
successful in guided practice.
Independent practice assignments
provide 60-90 percent success
rates for students who make an
effort to complete them.
The student teacher gives
appropriate feedback about their
independent practice
assignments.
The student teacher makes appropriate
decisions about the next period of instruction.
These decisions, which are usually discovered by a
clarifying question from the supervisor/cooperating
teacher, are based on performance of the students.
Possible Decisions:
(a) Move on to the next topic.
(b) Reteach the lesson using a different strategy.
(c) Provide further practice and/or extend the student
learning to higher cognitive activities.
(a) Abandon the learning.
(b) Continue with other steps of the lesson design.
Clarifying questions should be
genuine questions and not statements “in
disguise”. For example, “Don’t you
think you could have answered Bill’s
question sooner?” or “Didn’t you notice
Mary was talking in the back of the
room?” clearly indicate the
supervisor/cooperating teacher’s agenda
is giving, rather than seeking,
information. While giving information
and suggestions to the students teacher is
often appropriate, giving too much “help”
can cause over-reliance on the
supervisor/cooperating teacher and serve
as a barrier to self-analysis by the student
teacher.
The use of clarifying
questions helps turn a conference
into a dialogue rather than a
monologue delivered by the
supervisor/cooperating teacher.
As the student teacher is
encouraged to talk about what
happened during the lesson and
the reasons for decisions that have
been made, the student teacher
becomes an active participant in
the conference and takes an active
role in their professional growth.
Clarifying questions
demonstrate that the
supervisor/cooperating teacher is
interested in the student teacher,
his or her students, and the
instructional objectives the
student teacher is working
toward. Asking appropriate
questions also underscores the
supervisor/cooperating teacher’s
commitment to accuracy and
fairness in assessing the quality
of instruction.
Clarifiying questions
can help the student teacher
analyze and discuss his or her
instruction. The primary goal
of clarification is to assist the
student teacher in becoming
self-assessing, so that the
student teacher can
successfully analyze their own
instruction, make appropriate
changes, and seek the
principal’s help as needed.
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Some useful clarifiying questions:
- What objectives are being covered today?
- What kind of group is this? (high, low; active, listless;
cooperative, disruptive; etc.)
- Was this a typical day in your classroom? (This is an
important question to ask in most conferences. If the
answer is “no”, a follow-up question might be “What
factors made this day unusual?”
- What happened before I came into the classroom?
- What happened after I left the classroom?
- What are you going to do with this group during the
next instructional period? On what did you base your
decision?
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You will play a very significant role in
ensuring that our future teachers are well
prepared. Thank you for your willingness to
participate in the process of ensuring a
quality education for the students in the state
of Texas.
Please mail or e-mail in the statement that
you have reviewed this training and you will
be provided a certificate of completion
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Office of Professional Education Services, Emporia
State University
Lyman, L. and Foyle, H.C., “Creative Supervisory
Conferences: New Wine in Old Skins” in
Florida ASCD Journal, Fall, 1989, pps. 45-47.
Adaptations from CLINICAL INSTRUCTION
AND SUPERVISION FOR
ACCOUNTABILITY, by Lawrence Lyman.
Alfred Wilson, Kent Garhart, Max Heim, and
Wynona Winn, Copyright © 1987 by
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company.