Curriculum Guide for the Teacher Cadet Course: Experiencing Education, Eleventh Edition
Things to Know:
1. Time for Field Experience: a. Traditional schedule: 18-24 days b. Block schedule( A / B or Semester): 11-18 days c. Under no circumstances should a year-long Teacher Cadet class include a full semester of field experience. 2. You are expected to visit and observe your Cadets in their classrooms during your Teacher
Cadet block. This does not become another planning period.
I. Planning the Field Experience A. Re-read“ Field Experience Guidelines.”
B. Put the Field Experience on a pacing guide / calendar and plan backwards from the time you want it to end. Schedule it around standardized testing, holiday breaks, and other pre-set calendar items for both your high school and the neighboring schools where Teacher Cadets will be placed with Cooperating Teachers. Those classes on traditional schedules will probably need to schedule 18-24 days for the Field Experience. Those classes on A / B block scheduling will probably need to schedule 11-18 days. Plan to bring Teacher Cadets back from their Cooperating Teachers several times during the Field Experience to process as a class what is happening in their field classrooms.
C. After observations have been completed for other parts of the Teacher Cadet course, suggest that Teacher Cadets begin determining the grade level, school and / or subject area in which they would like to be placed.( Form provided in forms section). Some instructors also allow Teacher Cadets to make requests to work with specific teachers.
II. Place Your Cadets in Classrooms
The key to successful Field Experience placements is to establish a relationship with the schools well in advance of the actual placement. Hopefully, you will have done this throughout the year for observations and partnerships. The Field Experience will be the“ icing on the cake” for Cadets and may very well determine whether or not they will pursue a teaching career. Place them carefully and make sure they are with teachers that will provide them an outstanding opportunity to grow and share what they have learned. These steps may be useful in making your field experience placements:
1. Contact the principal at each school where Teacher Cadets will be placed for their field experience at least two months prior to the start date you have planned. The principal may refer you to an assistant principal or someone else to actually coordinate the placements for you, but communication with the building principal is essential. In some school districts, the Teacher Cadet instructor contacts teachers directly. Find out from your principals if they would prefer to make the placements or have you do it.
2. If you have a small number of feeder schools, you might consider visiting and giving a presentation at a faculty meeting and allowing teachers to sign up. Be sure to take the paperwork“ Guidelines for the Cooperating Teacher,” and show pictures or video of students in the classroom. If the school has had Teacher Cadets before, ask a teacher or two to give a“ testimonial” or take a former Cadet with you to talk about the impact their
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