Professional Year Orientation
Welcome to the Professional Year!
The professional year is a yearlong experiences culminating in 16 weeks of full time clinical practice internship (student teaching). Teacher Candidates (Student Teachers) will observe fall semester for at least 1 class period per week and begin student teaching the first teacher work day in January. The state requires teacher candidates to observe the “beginning of the school year.” This means teacher candidates must spend extra time in their mentor teacher’s classroom during the first couple weeks of the school year.
How to Use this Orientation Site
The Teacher Candidate, Mentor Teacher and University Supervisor make up the clinical practice team for the professional year/clinical practice (student teaching). This website is created to be an informational resource to use throughout the professional year.
Fall Semester: EDUC 430 & 43X
Teacher Candidates will be enrolled in EDUC 430 (Lesson Planning and Classroom Management) and EDUC 43X (EDUC: 431, 432, 433, 434, 435, 436, 437, 438, or 439) specific to the licensure area. Teacher Candidates may be taking other UNCA courses at this time.
During the fall 430 semester, Teacher Candidates will spend a minimum of 1 hour or 1 class period per week in the classroom of the Mentor Teacher as well as 16 hours of observation in the first couple weeks of school to see “the beginning of a school year.”
Candidates will plan and teach a 3 day unit related to practice edTPA.
Spring Semester: Clinical Practice
Teacher Candidates will be enrolled in two courses related to clinical practice (student teaching) EDUC 455 (Student Teaching and Seminar) and EDUC 456 (The Teacher as a 21st Century Professional, K-12). They cannot be enrolled in other UNCA courses.
During the clinical practice semester, Teacher Candidates will follow the schedule of the Mentor Teacher for 16 full time weeks weeks. Candidates will pick up classroom and teaching responsibilities a subject or class period at a time until they have full lead teacher responsibility. Candidates will maintain lead teacher responsibility for 5 of those 16 weeks. At the end of the 5 weeks, Candidates will phase out by handing back responsibilities to the Mentor Teacher.