ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COOPERATING TEACHER:

How each cooperating teacher handles the observation and assessment of the student teacher is a matter of individual preference. Regular and frequent observation of the student teacher with descriptive comments communicated to the student as soon as possible will facilitate his/her learning the skills and attitudes necessary to become an effective teacher.

GUIDELINES FOR WEEK ONE WITH A STUDENT TEACHER:

1. Accept the student teacher as a co-worker; introduce him/her to the class and to department members/grade level teachers and other school personnel.
2. Arrange for a place for the student teacher to put belongings and prepare for classes.
3. Give the student teacher a tour of the school. Introduce him/her to key staff.
4. Make available a list of the students’ names and/or a seating chart. Explain your rationale/system for seating.
5. Acquaint the student teacher with instructional materials, community resources, supplies and equipment. Take him/her to the media center to meet the media specialist.
6. Provide a listing of students who receive individual or small group assistance from specialists. Provide background information that will assist the student teacher in meeting the needs of these students. Introduce him/her to special and support staff that will be working with your students.
7. Introduce him/her to the counselors. Acquaint him/her with student records and the manner in which they are accessed. Explain data privacy.
8. Provide a daily schedule of classes you teach. Explain at least the major needs of the age group or groups with whom the student teacher will be involved. This will be an ongoing process throughout the experience.
9. Acquaint the student teacher with what has been taught in the curriculum. Provide a semester overview of what will be taught. Provide necessary texts and teachers’ manuals.
10. Allow the student teacher to observe your teaching and the teaching of other teachers for several days, and encourage him/her to assume some classroom responsibilities right from the beginning. The students have been involved in a practicum as well as a tutor-aide experience, so they as ready to begin teaching without a lot of observation. Some possible early activities could include:
1. Tutoring students in small groups or one-on-one
2. Taking attendance
3. Team teaching with you
4. Teaching one part of a lesson
5. Monitoring cooperative groups or guided activities
6. Introducing and playing a videotape

11. Provide handbooks on policies and procedures from handling fire and tornado drills to district discipline policies. Discuss your classroom management philosophy with him/her.
12. Discuss your philosophy of education with the student teacher. Give specific examples of its application in classroom situations.
13. Let the student teacher know your expectations regarding his/her role in your classroom. Don’t assume he/she will automatically know what you want.
14. Discuss the culture of the school and faculty. Let the student teacher know the attitude of the school concerning standards of behavior of pupils, teacher grooming, etc.
15. Explain attendance and tardy reports, your grading methods, make-up work policies and other daily routine procedures.
16. Explain your methods of assessing students formally and informally. Show him/her copies of your tests and quizzes.

GUIDELINES DURING SUBSEQUENT WEEKS (WEEKS 2-10):

To assist the student teacher:

1. Model effective teaching and classroom management.
2. Model professionalism. Give the student teacher an understanding of professional activities of which they might be a part.
3. Be open to any questions the student teacher may ask.
4. Gradually increase teaching responsibilities as you see the student teacher’s confidence growing until he/she has a full teaching load toward the last weeks of the assignment. Typically the student teacher will assume the responsibility for one class by the start of the second week of placement, take over a second class by the end of the third week, and work toward a full load of classes by the sixth or seventh week. He/She must assume full time teaching for at least two weeks during the 10-week field experience; that includes assuming your extra roles such as bus or lunchroom duty.
5. Plan with the student teacher the schedule for increasing teaching responsibilities. The student teacher is generally not given more than two different preparations.
6. Instruct the student teacher to experiment with multiple teaching strategies.
7. Expect the student teacher to attend all faculty meetings and parent conferences you attend. UMM requires the student teacher to participate in parent conferences. Offer tips on facilitating positive communication between parents and school.

To provide planning assistance:

1. Come to consensus on lesson plan formats (see appendix).
2. Emphasize the importance of good planning.
3. Set aside time for daily, weekly, and long-term planning.
4. Encourage creativity in lesson planning.
5. Expect the student teacher to provide lesson plans for all lessons taught.
6. Assist as appropriate in the development of unit and daily plans, tests and other materials. Offer suggestions.
7. Meet with the student teacher to discuss units/lessons before they are taught. Questions to ask include:

1. Does the plan provide an anticipatory set or introduction?
2. Are the goals/objectives clear? Appropriate?
3. Does the plan provide for large group and small group instruction?
4. Does the plan include varying teaching strategies?
5. Are appeals to varying learning styles and/or multiple intelligences included?
6. Are provisions made for modifications for students on IEP’s?
7. How will the lesson be assessed?
8. Does the assessment match the objectives?

To assess progress of the student teacher:

1. Provide formal or informal feedback immediately after the student has taught a lesson. Emphasize strengths of the student, while helping to improve the quality of his/her instruction. Written, concrete comments about the lesson are helpful.
2. Discuss with the student teacher your role in helping him/her establish credibility with the students. Does the student teacher want you in the classroom on the first days he/she teaches? According to Minnesota Statue, classrooms must be under the control and direction of a licensed teacher. A student teacher is not licensed so he/she must be under the direction at all times of a licensed teacher. However, with the permission of the principal, the cooperating teacher may leave the room at times so the student teacher can experience managing the class alone.
3. Hold a formal discussion of the student teacher’s progress at least once a week.
4. Encourage self-evaluation and reflection. Ask the student teacher to share his/her observations about the lesson before you provide your feedback. UMM students are required to reflect on the effectiveness of all lessons taught either on their lesson plans or in their reflective journal.
5. Help the student to analyze and interpret experiences and to discover the relationship between theory and practice.
6. Complete Student Teacher Formative Evaluation forms three times during the student teaching experience. These forms are included with your cooperating teacher materials.
7. Distribute copies of this three-part form to the student and university supervisor. These reports provide formative evaluation as a basis for communication among the student teacher, cooperating teacher and university supervisor. They will not be placed in the student’s career placement file.
8. Complete the Summative Evaluation of Student Teaching and Teacher Recommendation form and share it with the student teacher.
9. This form will become part of the student’s credential file and will be used in efforts to find employment.

To facilitate communication between the university and your school:

1. Contact the university supervisor with questions.
2. Discuss any concerns about attendance or other matters with the university supervisors as soon as possible. Student teachers are expected to keep the same hours as are required by the school district and school.
3. Make any comments deemed necessary to the university supervisor

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE STUDENT TEACHER:

Prior to student teaching:

1. Learn of your student teaching placement and meet with your university supervisor.

2. Obtain personal liability insurance coverage. The teacher, the school, and student teacher are legally responsible for injuries or other situations that may occur when working with students. This insurance may be obtained by joining Education Minnesota, or by purchasing insurance from a private company. Application forms for Education Minnesota are in the appendix.

3. Register with the University of Minnesota-Morris Career Center to establish your credential file for placement purposes. See appendix.

4. Arrange for housing and transportation. It is strongly recommended that you reside in the community in which you are assigned to student teach.

5. Call your cooperating teacher(s) to arrange a meeting so that you can plan what units and lessons you will teach during your student teaching experience.

6. Ask for copies of any textbooks, teacher’s manuals, and other materials that will assist you in preparing for your classes.

7. Cut down on your commitments. Student teaching is exhausting!

During student teaching:

Become familiar with general expectations of the University of Minnesota-Morris during this field experience:

1. Submit the Student Teaching Placement and Schedule form to the UMM Education Office as soon as placement information is finalized.

2. Inform your university supervisor of your local address and phone number.

3. Abide by the philosophy, regulations, policies and standards of behavior and dress of the school. Ask your cooperating teacher for a copy of those policies and discuss them with him/her.

4. Follow the same regulations regarding calendar, daily time schedule as the teachers in the school to which you are assigned. You are expected to arrive at school at the time set for teachers in your school.

5. Conduct yourself as a regular member of the teaching faculty in line with relevant laws and the Code of Ethics for Minnesota Teachers. See appendix.

6. Call your school office and cooperating teacher immediately if you cannot attend school because of illness or other extenuating circumstances. A student that misses more than three days of student teaching for any reason during a term must make a plan for the extended time and discuss it with his/her cooperating teacher and university supervisor.

7. Accept extra curricular assignments that appeal to your interests and enhance your marketability if they do not detract from your performance in the classroom, which is your first responsibility. At the discretion of the school, a student teacher may be paid for supervising extra curricular activities. However, the local teacher collective bargaining contract may forbid this or specify conditions under which it is permissible.

8. Maintain daily a reflective journal in which you record your perceptions, observations, insights, anecdotes, self-assessment of lessons, etc. This journal must be available to your university supervisor each time he/she visits and is a part of his/her assessment of your student teaching. See appendix.

9. Become familiar with the course syllabus/course content, course texts and materials, and course expectations.

10. Continue collecting material applicable to each of the ten Standards of Effective Practice for your portfolio, which will be assessed during the professional development course following student teaching.

11. Collect materials from lessons, projects, photographs of the classroom and student work, bulletin boards, etc., which can be used for the Teaching Exposition during the professional development course following student teaching.

12. Start a file or notebook of teaching ideas, activities, and resources.

13. Videotape a lesson after a few weeks of teaching and self-assess it. (See appendix) Repeat the process toward the end of your student teaching and compare your skills and abilities with the earlier tape. Record insights in your journal.

14. Design and distribute a student evaluation form asking your students for feedback on your teaching.

Become familiar with the classroom and students:

1. Observe your cooperating teacher’s classroom, the teaching area, and related areas at several grade levels.

2. Become familiar with resource materials in the classroom.

3. Become familiar with resource materials you could use outside the classroom, in the media center, and in the community.

4. Analyze the physical arrangement of the building and classroom, and available resources. Notice the arrangement of tables/desks, the placement of teacher’s desk in relation to student desks, the use of posters/pictures/student work on walls, the use of plants or music.

5. Become familiar with classroom routines and policies, i.e., what is the homework policy? What is the policy for late work? What is the attendance and tardiness policy? How are students assessed and graded?

6. Learn how to use electronic attendance and/or grading systems.

7. Learn the students’ names as soon as possible and use them at every opportunity. Get to know students as individuals by observing them both within and outside the classroom.

8. Develop an understanding of the social and cognitive needs of students as individuals and as members of groups.

9. Observe your cooperating teacher and other teachers teaching style and classroom management techniques. Observe their instructional strategies and the circumstances under which they use direct or indirect instruction. Note their use of group work to accomplish lesson objectives.

Become familiar with the school and school authority:

1. Ask your cooperating teacher to introduce you to key personnel in your school—the principal, vice-principals, the nurse, counselors, the media specialist, special education staff, etc.

2. Learn what is expected of classroom teachers by conversing with your cooperating teacher(s), the principal, special education teachers, secretaries and others in the school.

3. Learn about the school and additional responsibilities of teachers by attending teachers’ meetings and parent/teacher association meetings.

4. Find out about innovative programs and practices in the school system.

5. Become informed about school and district policies regarding attendance, passes, makeup assignments, discipline, textbook adoption and conditions of teacher employment.

6. Become acquainted with school facilities, services and equipment.

7. Become familiar with areas of access to computers and the Internet.

8. Learn the school’s procedure for duplicating materials for use in the classroom.

9. Learn how to use the photocopier if teachers are allowed to access it.

10. Note the location of the counselors’ offices and under what circumstances you can access student records.

11. Become aware of all sources of information in the school concerning students, the information each provides, and the appropriate use of this information. Discuss the Data Privacy Act with your cooperating teacher.

Become familiar with the role of the teacher:

1. Plan lessons and units suitable to the needs and interests of your students. Consider both short-term and long-term objectives.

2. Conduct long and short-term lesson planning with your cooperating teacher. The University of Minnesota-Morris Education Department expects a lesson plan filled out according to one of the templates in the appendix (or approved by your university supervisor) for each lesson you teach. These lesson plans must be available to your university supervisor each time he/she visits and are a part of his/her assessment of your student teaching.

3. Discuss beforehand with your cooperating teacher all lessons you teach.

4. Know and apply the Standards of Effective Practice to your lesson planning. Use a variety of instructional strategies. Include motivation, active participation, and assessment in every lesson.

5. Whenever possible, participate in team planning and team teaching.

6. Accept expanding teaching responsibilities that culminate with your participation in the full range of teacher and teaching activities.

7. Engage in reflective practice. Analyze lessons and assess your teaching. Make connections among previous, current, and future lessons.

8. Ask for specific, concrete feedback from your cooperating teacher and university supervisor.

9. Confer regularly with your cooperating teacher regarding individual lesson plans, unit plans, observations, progress, and special problems.

10. Ask questions!

Complete assignments:

Secondary:

1. Prepare, teach, and evaluate a two week (10 class session) detailed unit plan for one of your classes. Use the format you learned and used for the unit you created in your Ed. 4102 class.

2. Select one student and complete a case study of that student following the guideline in the appendix. This case study is to be given to your university supervisor following the completion of student teaching and is a course requirement for successful completion of student teaching. (See appendix)

3. Maintain a daily reflective journal of your teaching. This journal is to be available for your university supervisor each time he/she visits and is a course requirement for successful completion of student teaching. (See appendix)

4. Prepare written plans for every lesson, using one of the templates in the appendix or one approved by your cooperating teacher and university supervisor. These lesson and unit plans are to be available for your university supervisor each time he/she visits and are a course requirement for successful completion of student teaching.

5. Self-assess in writing at least one lesson each day. The assessment can be done on the lesson sheet and/or in your reflective journal.

6. Assume sole responsibility for the full range of teaching and learning activities in the classroom for a minimum of two weeks in each class to which you are assigned.

7. Integrate activities into your teaching that demonstrate your understanding of diversity and your ability to fulfill the diversity requirement. The diversity assignment is due during the professional development course.

Complete tasks and assignments after student teaching:

1. Remind your cooperating teacher(s) to complete and submit the Summative Evaluation of Student Teaching and Teacher Recommendation form (See appendix).

2. Complete the diversity assignment to hand in during the professional development course (See appendix).

3. Prepare a senior presentation to deliver during the professional development course (See appendix).

4. Select a book about teaching and learning to discuss and review orally during the professional development class. Watch your e-mail for the professional development course syllabus and book suggestions.

*You will complete and submit your application for a teaching license during the professional development course.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE UNIVERSITY SUPERVISOR:

1. Assist students in preparing for their student teaching assignments.

2. Assure student teaching assignments are appropriate.

3. Meet with the cooperating teacher(s) in each school to answer questions and/or clarify information shortly after the student teacher arrives in the school.

4. Meet with the student teacher to answer questions and/or clarify information before he/she begins the student teaching assignment. Meet with him/her again shortly after he/she arrives at the student teaching school assignment to further clarify information and answer questions.

5. Monitor each placement carefully to prevent problems, concerns, or conflicts.

6. Visit the school at least four times to observe the student teacher. Complete Student Teaching Formative Evaluation forms during each visit (See appendix).

7. Confer with the student teacher and the cooperating teacher about your observations and the student’s progress in the school setting.

8. Meet with relevant school administrators. Gather information about the student teacher’s progress, and resolve any concerns about the student teaching experience and relationships between the school and university.

9. Remind cooperating teachers to share their Student Teaching Formative Evaluation forms with you.

10. Remind cooperating teachers to complete the Summative Evaluation of Student Teaching and Teacher Recommendation forms and submit them to the University.

11. Adjunct faculty supervisors of UMM students must also complete and submit the Student Teaching Formative Evaluation and Summative Evaluation of Student Teaching and Teacher Recommendation forms for inclusion in the student’s placement file (See appendix).

12. Advise each student teacher on lesson and unit planning.

13. Ask to see lesson plans for the day you visit and also all other lesson plans created by the student teacher. Ask to see these plans each time you visit. Share observations and insights.

14. Remind student teachers to videotape a lesson early in their student teaching and again near the end of the experience. Ask the student to share his/her observations/insights.

15. Ask to read the reflective journal each time you visit the student teacher. Share your observations and insights.

16. Remind students to keep student projects/ bulletin boards, lessons, photographs and other materials for the Education Exposition to be held during the professional development class.

17. Remind students to constantly add artifacts to their Standards of Effective Practice portfolio, which will be assessed daily during the professional development course.

18. Submit a grade of S (satisfactory) or N (not satisfactory) for the student’s University of Minnesota, Morris transcript.