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CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

Student teachers work in an actual classroom and school(s) for a minimum of 12 weeks. They are expected to be in attendance each day that the school to which they are assigned is in session and for a period of time each day that is comparable to that of the building’s certified staff. Student teachers should expect to devote adequate out-of-school time to lesson planning, review and evaluation of student assignments, and participation in school and community activities. Student teachers should be allotted a reasonable amount of time during the school day to prepare instructional materials, prepare for conferences with the mentor teacher, and become familiar with the many elements of the school’s programs and services. Student teachers in departmental assignments with more than one mentor teacher should be assigned one less class period in order to provide time to work with and consult with the second mentor. Although the assignment and daily teaching schedule is the responsibility of the school and the mentor teacher, both are subject to review and approval by the district liaison.
During the student teaching semester, the student teacher will have opportunities to observe her or his mentor teacher, and perhaps other experienced teachers, in action; to be involved in long-range, unit, and daily lesson planning; and, finally, to take responsibility for classroom teaching. Several key elements should be considered, as outlined below.

Lesson Planning
The student teacher is expected to prepare written lesson plans far enough in advance to permit review and approval by the mentor teacher prior to their use in the classroom. A carefully prepared plan is evidence of an understanding of specific objectives, content, and activities appropriate to the teaching-learning situation and promotes more efficient and effective instruction. It provides for orderly development of the day’s work and lessens the chances of omitting important elements, presents supervisors with information on which to base assistance to the student teacher prior to the lesson, and aids in evaluating the actual teaching and in planning future improvement. The mentor teacher and the student teacher, jointly, will determine the teaching units for which the student teacher will be responsible and the appropriate schedule for these units.

Conferences
Conferences between the student teacher and the mentor teacher are a major vehicle for communication, review and examination, planning, and evaluation. It is expected that the mentor teacher will schedule a major conference with the student teacher each week and will participate in informal daily conferences. Both individuals should be able to express feelings and concerns candidly and in a friendly manner, raise questions, exchange information, and make suggestions. The conference should result in the formulation of an explicit action plan for the immediate future.

Teaching Schedule
Each student teacher is responsible for maintaining a weekly teaching schedule. All activities, including observations, in which the student teacher expects to be involved during the coming week are to be included. The weekly schedule may be requested by the mentor teacher to determine the amount of actual teaching time afforded the student teacher during the term.

Clinical/Student Teaching Absence Policy
Absences must be kept to a minimum and tardiness is never acceptable.  Students who fail to complete the required number of days may cause their graduation and/or certification to be delayed.  Student teachers may be excused, however, for documented legitimate reasons.  Such reasons include the following:

• Personal illness
• Death in the family
• Job Interviews*
• Professional meetings*

If there is personal illness or death in the family, the student should notify the mentor teacher and the university supervisor as soon as practical.

* Absences for personal/professional purposes such as interviews and professional meetings require prior approval and may result in the student teacher being required to make-up the time lost.   Prior to the absence, the student teacher must secure the consent of the supervising teacher and the university supervisor.  In cases in which the absence or tardiness policy is not followed, the mentor teacher must contact the university supervisor or the Coordinator for University Field and Clinical Experiences immediately J-Richmond@wiu.edu or 309-298-1281. 

Absences will not be approved for vacations, personal trips or non-professional absences.

Classroom Management
Management of the classroom in order to produce conditions conducive to appropriate student teacher growth and development and to effective learning is, perhaps, the most difficult and most crucial skill set to be mastered by the beginning teacher. Most student teachers will require the help of the mentor teacher and other experienced personnel throughout the clinical/student teaching experience to develop an understanding of this aspect of teaching and to discover appropriate methods and techniques for handling pupil behavior problems.

Suggestions for Classroom Management
Some positive ways of building classroom atmosphere are as follow:

• Know the names of your students. This removes the protective cloak of anonymity, but also is tangible evidence of a teacher’s interest in the students.
  
• Stand where all pupils can be clearly seen. Eye contact is important.
  
• Gain attention before starting the lesson.
  
• Speak in a clear, convincing tone of voice.
  
• Be businesslike:
  
• Have well-organized lesson plans.
  
• Keep accurate student records.
  
• Have well-established routines.
  
• Involve students whose attention is wavering.
  
• Use a variety of teaching techniques and devices.
  
• Maintain a sense of humor.
  
• If possible, make requests rather than commands, clarifying the reasons.
  
• Appear calm, firm, confident, and dignified and avoid any suggestions of anger or disorganization.
  
• Praise good work.
  
• Be alert to irrelevant questions.
  
• Use communication in the classroom at the level of students’ ability to comprehend.
  
• Provide for the physical comfort of students.
  
• Note significant health problems of students.
  
• List some things that students do easily and well. Then, give them the satisfaction of doing “their thing.”
  
• Build rapport with students by being encouraging, friendly, and aware of their outside interests. Help them become aware of their importance as human beings.
  
• Try to discover the underlying causes of student behavior. Then, try to satisfy their needs in an acceptable manner.
  
• Be fair, firm, and friendly. Be consistent.
  
• Don’t try to be their “buddy.”
  
• Maintain discretion. One’s personal life need not be shared with students.
  
• Be professional; keep students’ problems confidential.
  
• Act consistently within school policy and/or guidelines already established in a particular class.

Teaching Style
An individual teacher’s style is personal and idiosyncratic. Although individual elements may be held and employed generally, the manner in which they are utilized and the timing and orchestrating involved will differ. Further, teaching style is dynamic and changes over time from experience. A beginning teacher, then, can only be expected to have developed a style of teaching based upon limited experience. Student teachers, with the help and support of their mentor teachers, need to build a personal teaching style with which they are comfortable and which produces the desired results.

Evaluation
Evaluation of the performance of the student teacher is an essential part of the clinical/student teaching program. It forms the basis for recommendations for certification and provides information desired by potential employers. Evaluation of the student teacher’s overall performance and specific teaching skills is the responsibility of the mentor teacher and the district liaison and employs formative and summative, formal and informal, internal and external, and objective and subjective analysis.

The purpose of the student teacher’s evaluation is the improvement of teaching skill; therefore, it is focused upon specific teacher behaviors. During the semester, feedback on performance and suggestions for improvement will represent much of the content of daily and weekly conferences between the mentor teacher and the student teacher. Supervision personnel utilize prescribed evaluation instruments for both the midterm and final evaluations.

Midterm Evaluation of Student Teaching
Midway through the clinical/student teaching semester it is expected that the mentor teacher will provide the student teacher with an assessment of her or his performance and progress. The completed formative evaluation should be used to inform the student teacher of progress and should be used as a basis for discussion of observed strengths or weaknesses and planning for the remainder of the term. The mentor teacher may wish to request that the student teacher complete a copy of the form as a self-assessment.

Final Evaluation of Student Teaching
The final evaluation of a student teacher is to be prepared by the mentor teacher. In addition, the mentor teacher will be asked to complete the more extensive final evaluation that will be returned to the Center. This evaluation must he placed on the form provided since it becomes a part of the student’s placement credential file, which is made available to potential employers. This evaluation is not confidential and it should be shared with the student teacher. A sign-off form is included for both the midterm and final.

Withdrawal from Assignment
When necessary, a student teacher may withdraw from the clinical/student teaching program or the University by following the procedure described in the current Undergraduate Catalog. An assignment will be canceled if an encumbrance of more than $50.00 in fees are owed to the University or if the student teacher has a “hold” on his or her registration or is not registered. In any case, a withdrawal from an assignment must be transmitted to the principal and mentor teacher of the school involved, the school district office, and the University Supervisor. To protect their own interests, and especially the right to reapply for clinical/student teaching, students should notify the Coordinator of Field and Clinical Experiences of their intention to withdraw as early as possible.

Grade Appeal
The student shall initiate the grade appeal procedure by consulting the instructor (University Supervisor) involved (where feasible). If after this consultation the student still believes he or she has been judged unfairly, the student shall contact the department chairperson who shall provide the student with a grade appeal form. This form, which constitutes a written request for a formal hearing, shall be submitted to the Center Director no later than the end of the third week of the semester following the term in which the student received the grade in question. The Center Director shall then transmit this form to the Grade Appeal Committee.

In cases where the grade appeal is based on a complaint involving sexual harassment and/or sex, race, or discrimination based on disability, the above third-week deadline for filing the appeal and other subsequent deadlines will not apply. In such cases, the Grade Appeal Committee will refer the student to the Affirmative Action Officer before proceeding further. Once this officer has acted on the validity of the complaint, the matter shall be referred back to the Center’s Grade Appeal Committee for adjudication.

The Grade Appeal Committee shall consider the facts of the case at a meeting which should be attended by the student (with an advisor of the student’s choice if he or she so desires) and, where feasible, the instructor assigning the grade. Either party may submit written materials to support his or her position, and either party may have witnesses testify in writing or before the committee. A decision in a case shall be done by secret ballot, and a judgment shall be rendered by a majority vote of the committee so as to show that the appeal is approved or not approved, including what specific action is recommended. The decision is advisory to the faculty member. A written report of the proceedings shall be prepared by the chairperson of the committee and shall be submitted to the members for their approval. This report should include the basis for appeal, conclusions reached by the committee, and a report of the voting.

If there is a minority report, it should be appended to the formal report prepared by the chairperson, and both should become a part of the permanent record. All appeals at the department level shall be completed within four weeks after the submission of the grade appeal form. The chairperson of the committee must inform the faculty member, student, chair of the department, and the Council on Admission, Graduation and Academic Standards when the case involves an undergraduate student, or the Graduate Council if the case involves a graduate student (for recordkeeping purposes) in writing of the decision within a week. If the student’s appeal is upheld, the faculty member must inform the chairperson of the committee in writing as to whether or not he or she will change the grade within a week. The chairperson of the committee must then inform the student and the Center Director in writing of the faculty member’s decision within a week.

In cases where the faculty member is unwilling or unable to become a party in the proceedings and the Center Grade Appeal Committee makes a decision in favor of the student, the grade will be changed. The chairperson of the committee shall submit a change of grade form and indicate that the change is due to a successful grade appeal.

Note: Academic dishonesty cases shall be adjudicated by the Center Grade Appeal Committee, according to the procedure described in the University’s Academic Dishonesty Statement. In such cases, the region/district liaison shall assign the student an “Incomplete” (I) until a resolution of the problem is reached.

Housing
Student teachers are responsible for arranging their own housing during the clinical/student teaching experience semester. Student teachers who reside away from campus should make appropriate arrangements after assignments of the clinical/student teaching locations have been made.

Working During the Clinical/Student Teaching Experience
Working during clinical/student teaching is also discouraged because of its probable detrimental effect upon performance in the classroom. Student teachers who find it necessary to seek or continue outside employment other than on weekends must have the approval of their University Supervisor. It should be clearly understood that if in the judgment of the University Supervisor such employment is interfering with the clinical/student teaching experience, the University Supervisor may require the student teacher to adjust his or her employment schedule, discontinue working, or withdraw from clinical/student teaching.

School Strike
In the event of a teacher strike, student teachers shall not engage in any student teacher or teaching activities in the affected school and shall not engage in any action which supports or opposes the strike. The University Supervisor may temporarily reassign the student teacher to alternative professional growth activities in a different setting, and if the strike jeopardizes the required number of days of clinical teaching, may permanently reassign the student teacher to another school. Honoraria and final evaluations will be adjusted accordingly.

Liability
Student teachers are afforded the same liability protection as that provided for certified personnel in the school district under the provision of the Illinois School Code. The exercise of normal prudence will decrease the chances for liability-creating events to occur and charges of negligence to be made. Evidence to prudent planning and operating include careful lesson planning by the student teacher, with approval by the mentor teacher prior to teaching; clear delineation of the duties and responsibilities of the student teacher; and adequate supervision by the mentor teacher. If the mentor teacher is absent, a substitute teacher shall be employed even though there may be an agreement that the student teacher will perform the actual teaching duties.
Note: In accordance with WIU policy, student teachers are not to be involved in the physical restraint of students. Nor should they participate in any training seminars or inservices on the use of physical restraint.

Payment, Reimbursement, and Gifts
Under no circumstances is a student teacher to receive remuneration for her or his services as a student teacher. Reimbursement of expenses for official school activities is appropriate, if provided by regular school policy. Student teachers are prohibited from making gifts to school or university personnel, and gifts to student teachers are strongly discouraged.

Medical Benefits and Services
Full-time students are eligible for medical insurance benefits made available by the University when they are enrolled in full-time clinical/student teaching. The University does not provide all services or compensation in all cases. When there is reasonable doubt concerning responsibility, student teachers should contact Student Health Services at
(309) 298-1888 for clarification.

Graduation, Certification, and Placement
Information regarding graduation, certification, and placement may be found in The Advisee’s Handbook, published by the College of Education and Human Services’ Advising Center and available in that location.

Most student teachers graduating in teacher education will wish to arrange for interviews with prospective employers—superintendents, principals, and personnel directors— before, during, or following their clinical/student teaching. In many cases, job interviews may be held wherever the student teacher is assigned. Further, interviews can be arranged for evenings or Saturdays upon request. An excused absence from clinical/student teaching for a job interview should not exceed one absence during the clinical/student teaching period.