STANDARD III: FIELD EXPERIENCE AND CLINICAL PRACTICE
| The unit and its school partners design, implement, and evaluate field experiences and clinical practice so that teacher candidates and other school personnel develop and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to help all students learn. |
Initial Preparation Program
PEP candidates seeking teacher certification from COEHS are required to complete
field experiences and clinical practica (Figure 6) to develop knowledge, skills,
and dispositions defined by the Conceptual Framework: 1) Level I (Prior to Admission
I) – previous self-initiated experiences working with children and youths:
teaching, training, and supervising others; 2) Level II (In conjunction with
gateway course work and as a condition for Admission I and II) – fifty
hours of verified work in schools and community agencies with individuals and
populations from ethnically/racially diverse groups and individuals and populations
with disabilities in completing Human Relations Code requirement; 3) Level III
(In conjunction with professional course work) – supervised clinical experience(s)
in school settings for 42 hours over a UW Oshkosh semester; 4) Level IV (Prior
to program exit) – minimum of a full semester of student teaching following
the calendar of the district in which candidates are placed [Wisconsin statute
118.19(3)(a).]
Collaboration between Unit and School Partners: Effort was made to include school partners and other members of the professional community in designing, delivering, and evaluating field experiences and clinical practica. With Level I experiences, candidates must submit a Personal Statement in their portfolio describing experiences they had in working with children and youth: in training, teaching, and supervising others. These statements are developed with support as a part of gateway course work. They are evaluated as a part of the Admission I process and reviewed by faculty teams prior to candidate interviews.
With Level II experiences, COEHS has worked closely with the local school district and community agencies to define appropriate experiences for completing Human Relations Code requirements. On-site supervisors are responsible for designing the candidate experiences as well as verifying completion of their work. All candidates must submit evidence of satisfactory completion of the requirement as approved by the COEHS Human Relations Committee in their portfolios for review by faculty teams prior to candidate interviews.
With Level III experiences, COEHS faculty and staff worked closely with local school districts to design clinical experiences integrated with professional course work. For example, the learning community block format emerged from a series of conversations and collaborative meetings held with those district representatives. Initially, regularly scheduled meetings brought local teachers and COEHS faculty and staff together to discuss issues and ideas related to the clinical experience; the current format evolved from that collaborative effort. Cooperating teachers are involved in three-way conferences with candidates and university supervisors to evaluate candidate performances and provide program feedback.
With level IV experiences, COEHS coordinates the placement of student teachers and interns through the Office of Field Experiences (OFE). Placements are made in collaboration with faculty and staff in the respective university departments along with human resource directors and building principals in participating school districts. Two districts request personal interviews with candidates prior to placement. For intern placements, school administration and staff are sent materials on each candidate after the Director of Field Experiences and Internships reviews these materials, conferred with the faculty, and personally interviewed and ranked each candidate. The district in turn, interviews intern candidates prior to placement. These candidates are held to all Admission II requirements in addition to more rigorous standards related to GPA, recommendations, and completion of undergraduate work.
Partners provided input related to student teaching requirements, supervision, and evaluation. Cooperating teachers offered feedback on the new student teacher evaluation, based upon the Conceptual Framework, through use of surveys. Local administrators are invited on campus each semester to conduct mock interviews for student teachers providing an excellent exchange of information and philosophies. P-12 teachers and administrators also come on campus to offer in-service to our student teachers for four regularly scheduled Large Group Seminars. Topics include: first year of teaching, new state licensure requirements, conflict resolution, and management and discipline. In addition, Career Services provides regular support for career planning, resume building, and employment opportunities.
Design, Implementation, and Evaluation: PEP provides candidates with a variety of field experiences. Level I experiences ask candidates to place themselves in settings in which they work with children and youth: training, teaching, and supervising others. These contexts represent a wide range of education-related community activities from serving as teachers aides as high school students to summer camp counselors; from teaching swim lessons at local YMCAs to serving as coaches and officials for Special Olympics competitions.
Level II experiences place candidates in school and agency settings to tutor students and work directly with youth. These may include working with individuals in the Oshkosh Area School District after school program called SAIL or at agencies like Association for Retarded Citizens; Boys and Girls Club; or Big Brothers, Big Sisters.
Level III experiences place candidates in school settings in which they primarily assist teachers and other school personnel to work directly with students. Candidates are also encouraged to participate in other related school and community events during these experiences. These placements are designed as more intensive experiences integrated with professional course work. Candidates are evaluated on their ability to use their knowledge of content, learning, and culture; and their understandings of curriculum, pedagogy, and diversity to be skillful practitioners and reflective professionals.
Level IV experiences place candidates in school settings to primarily work directly with students. Candidates are also encouraged to participate in other school and community events. Student teaching is designed as the most extensive and intensive experience for candidates to demonstrate competence in areas defined by the Framework.
Clinical Faculty: Teachers must have a minimum three years
of experience in their content area and participated in a supervision course
designed and taught by COEHS faculty and staff in order to mentor student teachers.
Records of the number of candidates mentored by each teacher from our extensive
cooperating lists of over 15 districts are kept. Information about suitability
of placements is provided to and noted by the OFE Director. Respective department
chairs offer support to University supervisors. OFE offers, with funding from
the Wisconsin Improvement Program, a summer training session for supervisors;
in addition, a workshop is provided each semester. During these sessions supervision
strategies are shared with use of videotapes and discussions and are a noted
improvement to the field program.
Information sessions are provided for student teacher candidates before applications are due. Expectations, special programs, and assessment policies are outlined at this time. For both student teaching and internships, evaluation forms incorporating the Conceptual Framework and DPI standards, are shared with candidates. (See Standard III Notebook.) Candidates are required to provide Professional Goal Statements to their supervisors upon commencement of student teaching. They also must complete the self-reflection evaluation at least twice during their field assignment. At the conclusion of the placement, candidates write goal statements for their first job. Cooperating teachers are asked to complete the student teacher evaluation and provide a final narrative. UW Oshkosh is one of the only universities in the state requiring supervisors to visit candidates six times over the course of the semester. The university supervisor facilitates opening and exit triad conferences for each placement.
Development and Demonstration of Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions: Entry and exit criteria, grounded in the Conceptual Framework and aligned with state and professional standards, exist for candidates in all clinical practices. In examining these experiences collectively, one can see multiple assessments evaluate candidates’ performances and impact student learning. At Level I, the candidate is responsible for developing a personal statement reflecting on previous experiences in working with children and youth; often they are developed as a part of gateway course work. Statements are reviewed in the Admission I process by faculty teams prior to candidate interviews. During the interview, the candidate may be asked to reflect on those experiences and how they have impacted their career choices and their perspectives on education.
At Level II, candidates are required to work with individuals and/or populations with exceptionalities and from diverse groups. They are required to log time spent in each experience, submit verification evidence provided by an on-site supervisor, and submit a reflection on insights and ideas gained from the experience. COEHS faculty and staff as a part of the Admission I and II processes review this evidence. As part of the candidate interview process, candidates may be asked to reflect on their experiences.
At Level III, candidates are placed in clinical settings providing additional experiences with students with disabilities and/or from diverse groups. A variety of assessments document successful completion of experiences. Evaluations include: curriculum unit planning, implementation, and evaluation; classroom management project; and self-assessment. Three-way conferences among the candidate, cooperating teacher, and university supervisor evaluate performance at designated points throughout the semester. Evaluation tools focus effort, observation, reflection, and evaluation on defined knowledge, skills, and dispositions.
At Level IV, a rigorous screening of candidates takes place as a part of the Admission II process as previously defined in COEHS Assessment Plan. Candidates must meet all eligibility requirements; resubmit portfolios with additional evidence of curriculum planning, classroom management, and self-assessment; and receive faculty approval. Note: During student teaching 12 hours of Large Group Seminars are held on campus. Each supervisor meets with his/her cohort of candidates for a minimum of 16 hours of small group seminars, providing an opportunity to discuss candidate performances, classroom issues, portfolio development, and job search preparation. Each semester the COEHS Credit Examiner holds special seminars to assist candidates in filling out Wisconsin teaching licenses.
Several special programs to assist in professional growth were developed for candidates. To improve the quality of supervision and candidate experiences, out-of-area placements were restricted. At the same time, Urban Field Experience was developed for candidates desiring a setting with more student diversity. Candidates may request placement in one of four urban centers. These candidates are required to spend at least one day in an urban school and interview a teacher there, then submit a report to the OFE Director at the Student Orientation meeting prior to the beginning of placements. Candidates also provide weekly journal entries to OFE and meet as a group with the Director to discuss the challenges and successes of working in an urban setting. Feedback is gathered regarding placements and mentor teachers.
OFE promotes international student teaching which is arranged by a state consultant. These candidates spend a minimum of eight weeks stateside and ten weeks abroad. Weekly journals are required as are meetings with the Director prior to and after the experience.
Advance Preparation Programs
MSE – Counseling: Program candidates complete a five-credit
Practicum experience following their initial counseling skills course. Practicum
requires a total of 100 hours to include thirty hours of individual and ten
hours of group counseling. Candidates meet with clients in an on-campus laboratory
under the supervision of a faculty member. They also engage in limited counseling
experiences in a school, community agency, or college setting under the supervision
of experienced counselors. Candidates then complete a two-semester Internship
in which they must accumulate 600 hours of supervised on-site work (240 hours
of direct client contact) and attend on-campus seminars directed by faculty
supervisors.
MSE – Curriculum and Instruction: MSE-Curriculum and Instruction candidates include licensed classroom teachers, teachers seeking licensure in secondary area, and persons seeking initial licensure and a master’s degree. For those pursuing licensure area, a practicum is required. Candidates already licensed are required to take teaching emphases courses. Each candidate must complete nine weeks of full-time or eighteen weeks of half-time teaching under direct supervision of a licensed on-site teacher and with the guidance from a COEHS faculty or staff member specialized in the licensure area. Members also comprise the evaluation team regarding the candidate's teaching effectiveness. Course and alumni surveys provide data as to Practicum outcomes. For example, candidates pursuing ESL, Bilingual/ Bicultural Education, or other additional regular classroom licensure programs experience Practicum as the culmination of these programs and application of program learning.
MSE – Educational Leadership: All candidates in the program may choose a field experience component as part of a culmination to their course work. For example, Practicum experience is required of all candidates pursuing DPI Library Media licensure and is required to complete 90 field experience hours on site of a school under the direct supervision of a certified school library/media specialist and with the guidance of a unit faculty member. Regional library media specialists offer direct input for the Practicum objectives.
MSE – Reading: This program acknowledges power of experience as a way for educators to become increasingly comfortable, competent, and confident while continuing to strengthen candidate practical experiences both through use of simulated experiences in pedagogical content courses and immediate contact with children in more experienced-based courses. In the latter case, faculty are responsible for supervision of candidates.
In Interactive Literacy Intervention, candidates are assigned to tutor a child in grades 1-4. Candidates are observed a minimum of five times with written and verbal feedback provided by the course instructor. Candidates in Readers’/Writers’ Workshop are assigned one or two students in grades 5-12 for a practicum experience. Workshop activities for individuals and small groups are prepared. The course instructor observes the teaching, reads and evaluates the lesson plans, and provides written and oral feedback. Class sessions allow candidates to share lesson planning and evaluation techniques.
The program understands skillful practitioners will use knowledge to make the best decisions in their unique settings. To advance their leadership field experiences Practicum candidates select from a menu of supervised activities. All experiences are documented and shared in a variety of venues that may include on-line technology, poster sessions, and public forums such as workshops. Examples of experiences include shadowing and interaction with a school-based reading specialist, program generation, and professional development planning.
MSE – Special Education: Graduate candidates pursuing licensure are required to take Teaching Experiences with Children and Youth with Disabilities and Advanced Practicum Experience in Special Education as pre-student teaching field experiences. Emergency licensed on-the-job teachers are required to take Field Experiences in Special Education instead. Candidates are also required to complete 18 weeks of student teaching through Student Teaching in Cross Categorical Special Education P-9 and 6-12. Elective options for field experiences exist for non-licensure candidates.
