Teacher_Education_Handbook

Field Experiences Field experiences are designed to provide students with the skills that will eventually allow them to assume full responsibility for classroom instruction and other professional roles in schools. These experiences are directly associated with specific professional education courses and are designed to allow students to transform classroom theory into practice through observing, planning, and practicing in a variety of settings. Requirements Candidates will complete a Pre-Admission Experience, a Pre-Student Teaching Experience(s), and a Student Teaching Experience(s). Each field experience incrementally moves the candidate toward a more active role in the classroom. Candidates are supervised by cooperating teachers and/or university supervisors, and evaluated during each experience. Candidates participating in field experiences are expected to conduct themselves professionally. Candidates are considered contributors in the classroom and as such they are expected to be punctual, dress appropriately, and demonstrate a positive attitude. Candidates will learn and abide by the policies and practices within the participating schools, the Professional Code of Ethics established by codified law and Administrative Rules of South Dakota. Site selection, placement, and supervision Assignments to all field experiences are coordinated with the Director of Field Experiences, in cooperation with P-12 schools, to ensure that the candidates work with diverse populations of cultures and exceptionalities, age and grade spans, and rural and urban settings. The Director of Field Experiences will provide students with appropriate materials and information regarding their assigned placements. Pre-Admission placements are usually arranged with the candidate’s home school. PSTE placements will be made within a sixty-mile radius of Northern State University. STE placements will be made within a one-hundred mile radius of Northern State University. Candidates who request placements outside of the one-hundred mile radius will be required to pay the university supervisor’s stipend, mileage and meals. The Director of Field Experiences will secure a university supervisor from a local university close to the placement. Placements made through the Rural Student Teacher Program will be supervised using distance technology and the student teachers will receive a stipend to cover transportation and housing. No self-placements are allowed. Pre-admission field experience The purpose of the pre-admission field experience is self-awareness, self-selection, professional selection, reflection, and goal setting. Students registered for EPSY 302, Educational Psychology, will receive specific instructions for completion of the Pre-admission field experience. Students must observe and assist a teacher for a minimum of two full school days (16 hours). Students will not be approved for admission to teacher education and upper division courses until this course is completed, the required field experience paper is returned to the instructor and paperwork is placed on file in the Office of the Dean of Education. Students must have a minimum 2.6 GPA for registration in EPSY 302, Educational Psychology.