The weekly placement experience provides an opportunity to apply developmental and learning theories to observations of practice in a real classroom. This initial field experience in our program provides three benefits to our students: 1) it helps you decide if teaching is really the career for you; 2) it allows you the opportunity to connect your new knowledge and skills to the real world of practice; and 3) it allows you the opportunities to reflect on how your own style of learning and teaching might be developed effectively.

Teaching is a highly interactive profession--many interpersonal dimensions combine in both the children/youth and the teacher to produce both positive and negative influences on learning outcomes. We want you to transfer what you know about basic learning theories, and about the developmental characteristics of children/youth, to the process of decision making and problem solving in the school setting.

1. Recognize and describe developmental and learning theories as they are seen in the field placement classroom.

Entry Level Standard 2a: Apply knowledge of human growth, development, and learning theory.

2. Demonstrate multiple dimensions of effective communication.

Entry Level Standard 1a: Communicates in a clear and effective manner, using correct language and grammar. Demonstrates effective listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Communicates thoughtfully.

3. Reflect on and develop personal "dispositions" which demonstrate a commitment to professionalism.

Department's Statement of Commitment of Professionalism

4. Use the Education Department "Professional Abilities--Level One" indicators to self-assess one's own performance in the field placement.

(You will "present" this to your mentor teacher during a student-led conference in the last month of the semester. Following this conference, you will receive the mentor's final formal evaluation of your performance.This evaluation will go into your TeacherEducation file as documentation to support your approval into the program.)

You will be expected to be present in your mentor's classroom two consecutive hours a week for at least ELEVEN weeks of the semester. This will be a total of 22 hours at minimum for the semester.

You will submit learning logs as assigned by your instructor. These logs will be word-processed (spell-checked, thesaurus, grammar-checked, use of appropriate fonts, etc.)

You will turn in a formal copy of your self-assessment and a brief statement describing the mentor-student conference. You will receive a detailed assignment sheet to guide your efforts here.

Your performance in effective communication and personal dispositions will be assessed using the following rubric:

Points will be assigned to all of the field-related assignments, and the same grading scale from ED 220 will be used.

PLEASE NOTE: Be sure you have a copy of the PROFESSIONAL ABILITIES handout (blue) for LEVEL ONE -- NOVICE.