PRE-STUDENT TEACHING EDUCATIONAL FIELD EXPERIENCES

The purpose of pre-student teaching field experiences is to give students pursuing teacher education a systematic, planned sequence of experiences in appropriate educational settings. These experiences are designed to familiarize students with principles of classroom management and the teaching-learning process in practical and real school environments and to help them learn how to teach.  These experiences are credit/no credit.

The pre-student teaching field experiences culminate in EDEL 301, 350/351; EDJHM 385; EDSEC 380; SPCED 361, or departmental equivalents which require assignment to classrooms in appropriate educational settings for the semester to observe, prepare instructional presentations, and undertake other instructional tasks appropriate for students before student teaching.

The university provides laboratory settings for pre-student teaching educational field experiences in the on-campus Burris Laboratory School as well as in affiliated public school systems in Muncie and others within commuting distance. Seminars with a college supervisor are an integral part of the field experiences for these courses.

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STUDENT TEACHING

Application;
General Considerations

Student teaching in Indiana gives students an opportunity to develop teaching competence under the supervision of professionally licensed teachers cooperating with the university in the student teaching program.

Performance in student teaching is assessed using a performance assessment instrument completed by the cooperating teacher in collaboration with the University supervisor. The final grade in student teaching is recorded as credit/no credit.

Application for Student Teaching
Students should apply for student teaching assignments in October of the year before that in which they expect to student teach. Contact the Office Teacher Education Services for additional information.

Official notification of the student teaching assignment will be mailed to each student's home address and posted on the Web. Final eligibility is determined after final grades are posted just prior to student teaching.

General Considerations
Students must be free of outside commitments that might interfere with full-time student teaching obligations. Students should not be regularly employed, nor should they carry heavy loads of extracurricular activities. Enrollment for course overload during the semester is permitted only with approval of the director of field experiences.

Student teaching requirements also include a set number of days in seminars conducted by the university supervisor at the beginning and end of the semester.

Students should be prepared to accept student teaching assignments wherever the university can place them for the professional experience. Final determination of the student's assignment will rest with the Teacher Education Services.  Although requests for particular schools or school systems are considered, the placement process requires close cooperation with the public school systems, and there are instances when circumstances within the local school system make it impossible to honor a specific placement request.

Candidates pursuing licensure as teachers in elementary schools, junior high/middle schools, or high schools are required to spend 16 weeks in full-time student teaching. They must register for 12 credit hours in student teaching.

Candidates pursuing licensure as early childhood generalists are required to spend 24 weeks in full-time student teaching and must register for 18 credit hours in student teaching.

Candidates pursuing dual licensure in elementary education and special education are required to spend 16 weeks in full-time student teaching and must register for 12 credit hours in student teaching.