*For the most up to date field experience requirements and assignments, check with your 430/43X course instructors

The document and expectations below are just an example of a clinical practice flow. The exact flow is set within the clinical practice team.

Professional Year Fall Semester Overview for UNCA Teacher Candidate and Mentor Teacher

Professional Expectations:

  • Contact your assigned cooperating teacher and make an appointment to discuss your field experience immediately after receiving your assignment.  At this meeting, share with the teacher a copy of the letter from me.  Please discuss with your cooperating teacher how best to observe this year.  Suggestions might be to attend synchronous classes, view recorded classes, observe and review with the teacher any online assignments, etc.
  • Timeliness: It is very important that you are on time for all of your scheduled school activities. If you must be late or absent, be sure and notify your teacher ahead of time, if possible. Get your cooperating teacher’s school and cell number (if they would like to share that; ask for preference). You will be responsible for your own transportation to the field experience.

Observations: 

  • Spend at least two ½ days OR one full day observing the instructor assigned
    • uncheckedWhile completing the observation, participate as much as possible—assist in taking roll, tutoring, working with small groups, team teaching, and independent teaching. Discuss with your Cooperating Teacher how you can assist in classroom management issues. After the first couple of weeks, it is expected that you will attend the same time and day each week. 
    • Complete a field experience log entry in Anthology: you will document that you completed at least 16 hours by the end of September in Anthology (in your 43x class). These hours can include planning time, professional development, “Meet the Teacher” events, and a variety of subjects/activities. 
  • Spend at least 2 hrs each week observing the instructor in your clinical placement. After a few weeks, focus on observing literacy as much of your attention in edTPA will be on literacy. Keep in mind edTPA will focus on literacy and you will need to teach 3 literacy lessons for our edTPA Tasks in October.
  • Complete a field experience reflection journal detailing your activities and observations for each class that you observe.
    • Use the journal template and keep it in your EDUC 43x folder for instructor access at any time
    • Reflect using the journal template prompts, but feel free to move prompts around if it makes more sense on a particular visit
    • Show thoughtful perception and synthesis of course concepts in your reflective comments. 
    • There are scheduled field placement journal checkpoints throughout the semester. Refer to the syllabus for when you can anticipate instructor review.

Teaching:

  • In your 430 course, you will learn how to plan and deliver a weekly mini lesson for week 6-7 AND weeks 11-15.
    • The mini lesson is at least 15 minutes long
    • It is connected to academic standards
    • You will document your mini lesson in the weekly observation log
  • With your cooperating teacher’s collaboration, plan a teaching unit and teach from it a minimum of three lessons that fit in with your cooperating teacher’s plan for the class and the CCSS (ideally somewhere between the weeks of 10/# and 10/28; BEFORE 11/1).
  • Your series of lessons should form a coherent unit including some form of pre-assessment prior to teaching and an evaluation at the end of the unit. Write out the assessment to be used—test or rubric.
  • As you plan, confer with your cooperating teacher to ensure the unit’s appropriateness and success.  
  • Your 3-day lesson plan must be reviewed by the course instructor at least one week before you teach.