Chapter 3

FIELD EXPERIENCE AND STUDENT TEACHING

• Field Experience Prior to Student Teaching
• Student Teaching
• General Policies for the Placement of Student Teachers
• Policy for Placement of Student Teachers in International/Other-culture Settings
• Procedure for Requesting an Exception to Student Teaching Placement Policies

Field Experience Prior to Student Teaching

Prior to student teaching, all teacher education candidates participate in extensive field-based experiences in which they have opportunities to apply the knowledge and skills gained from education courses taken. Field experiences begin early in the program and continue as an integral part of each methods course. The integration of field experience into every methods course enhances the problem-solving focus of the program of study. The meaningful opportunities for applying and testing newly acquired learning is extremely valuable in bridging the gap between theory and practice.

Placement of candidates in field experiences is arranged collaboratively with the schools. Over the course of the field experience placements, candidates will have exposure to students at different grade levels and from diverse backgrounds and abilities.

Student Teaching

The student teaching experience is the culminating experience for teacher education candidates. During the required period of student teaching, the candidate has the opportunity to assume all major teaching responsibilities on a full-time basis. Student teaching generally earns 12 semester hours of credit.

Application for permission to student teach must be made early in the Spring Semester of the junior year. Applications for student teaching are distributed to junior candidates at an annual Spring meeting, the Director of Student Teaching, or picked up in the Education Department main office. Criteria for permission to student teach are cited in Chapter 1.

All education methods courses offered must be completed prior to full time student teaching and must be passed with a grade of C- or higher. Refer to program advising sheets for methods courses required for each teaching field.

General Policies for the Placement of Student Teachers

As a general policy, all candidates seeking licensure to teach from Wittenberg University must student teach under the direct instruction and supervision of the Wittenberg Education Department in the Springfield/Clark County area. Placing student teachers in easily accessible schools allow the Education Department maximum opportunity to meet the following responsibilities:

1. Provide all student teachers an integral, coherent total program of teacher preparation in which courses and clinical/field experiences are consistent with and related with each other.
2. Provide student teachers a university supervisor who knows the total program well enough to be able to extend, focus, or otherwise supplement what is learned in other education courses
3. Provide a student teaching placement most likely to be congruent with the candidate's needs, interests and qualifications.
4. Cultivate good placements in the schools by working with cooperating teachers, developing in them an understanding of the total Wittenberg program of pre-service teacher education and an awareness of how they can be a part of it.
5. Re-evaluate and re-develop continually the Teacher Education Program by having department members in constant contact with the concerns of the schools, which provide field experiences for Wittenberg candidates.
6. Allow entry into the teaching profession of only those pre-service teachers whom it knows to be truly competent, as assessed through a series of direct contacts in all courses but particularly in student teaching.
7. Support the university supervisor who must act as interpreter and implementer of the total program.
8. Maintain accountability to the State of Ohio for implementing and maintaining the program of teacher education, characterized by planned field experiences under the direct supervision of the Education Department, which the State has approved.

Policy for Placement of Student Teachers in International or Other-Cultural Settings 

Wittenberg's Education Department encourages student teaching in international and/or other-cultural settings. Candidates should consult with departmental advisors, the Director of Student Teaching and the Director of Teacher Licensure.

The following placement criteria are based on the premise that teaching in an international setting requires an additional amount of professional and personal competence beyond that customarily required in the traditional student teaching experience. The following criteria have been established with the goal of assuring that candidates selected for student teaching in international settings display strong professional competence and personal maturity.

Candidates will demonstrate evidence of global and regional understanding by completing:

1. Foreign language at the 112 level of competence;
2. Research, course study or travel to indicate awareness of other cultures, societies and histories.

Candidates will demonstrate evidence of professional and personal competence through the following:

1. Completion of the same course requirements and procedures as specified for approval for on-campus student teaching;
2. GPA of 3.0 in methods courses and 2.75 in all university work; and,
3. Approval by the Education Department and recommendation by the candidate's major department for those candidates whose teaching field is a major other than education.

NOTE: Approval for placement does not guarantee that a student teaching experience can be arranged. Final placement arrangements are contingent on the approval of the host school and availability of placement sites.

Procedures for Requesting an Exception to Student Teaching Placement Policies

Candidates wishing to seek an exception to the policies for placement of student teachers must submit a written petition (see Petition Form located in Appendix B) that includes the following:

1. Reasons why an exception is being requested.
2. A description of the alternative placement desired.
3. A statement setting forth how the Education Department might fulfill its responsibilities (see General Policies section in this chapter) for the proposed alternative.

The petition should be prepared and submitted to the Director of Student Teaching prior to or at the time that applications for permission to student teach are due (i.e. early in the Spring Semester preceding the academic year in which the candidate plans to student teach.)

The Education Department will notify the candidate in writing as soon as possible.