Clinical Practice for Cooperating Teachers

Welcome! Thank you for your willingness to serve as a cooperating teacher this semester. As educators, we know the significant level of trust it takes to allow a teacher candidate to step into your classroom and work with your students for the semester. The goal is that we can have teacher candidates be seen as an asset to the overall learning environment and a benefit to your students and meeting their education needs. Below, you will find training modules and guidelines for success this semester in meeting these goals.

Download the Clinical Practice Handbook

Questions? Contact:

Christian Legler, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Benthack Hall 205H
Phone: 402-375-7387
Email: [email protected]

Module 1: Getting started


Roles and responsibilities for cooperating teachers

Overall, the cooperating teacher has three primary responsibilities:

  • to act as a role model,
  • to pass on wisdom of practice,
  • and to encourage the emerging professional to reflect on educational processes.

These responsibilities are carried out in many ways but primarily seen as actions done before the teaching experience begins, during the teaching experience, and after the teaching experience has ended.

    • Prior to meeting with your teacher candidate, please be sure to:

      • Please read all sections of the WSC Clinical Practice Handbook
      • Review your teacher candidate’s profile information (dealing with his/her background and college preparation), so that you can be better acquainted with your teacher candidate.
      • Post the teacher candidate’s name along with your name in the classroom.
      • Provide a desk or designated work area for the teacher candidate with supplies and copies of necessary materials and textbooks.
      • Communicate to all families to let them know you will have a teacher candidate
      • Arrange to meet with your teacher candidate before the official start of the experience. During this meeting you will be discussing many items on this list.
      • Review all essential safety and emergency procedures.
      • Make available a daily schedule which includes, for example, Title I, speech and resource room schedules, specials, etc.
      • Provide the teacher candidate with curriculum guides, school calendar, handbooks, policies, necessary teaching manuals, and any available professional materials from your school. Discuss what has already been taught and what needs to be taught for students to be successful.
      • Communicate to the teacher candidate the school policy on student discipline; also include your guidelines/management plan for your classroom.
      • Explain record keeping, grading, attendance, and classroom management procedures (seating chart, discipline.)
      • Introduce the teacher candidate to other staff members and students.
      • Assist the teacher candidate with locating the media center and operating audio-visual equipment (including email and Internet if available to teacher candidates.)
      • Inform the teacher candidate of professional organizations/meetings that they may want to join.
      • Acquaint the teacher candidate with budget and ordering procedures.
      • Inform the teacher candidate of individual needs of students, and discuss ways the teacher candidate can establish rapport with students.

      Discuss your vision for the teacher candidate’s role in the classroom and various duties, responsibilities, and classes that will be taught. Begin to work on the timeline activity.

      • All lesson plans during the initial weeks should be carefully written out and detailed using the template used by the school district or one of the candidate’s choosing (with cooperating teacher approval). A teacher candidate simply must plan in more detail than a veteran teacher.
      • If the teacher candidate is using the cooperating teacher’s plans or is required to use a scripted curriculum lesson, then it is not necessary to write a plan for those lessons; that work has already been done.
      • The cooperating teacher will review all written plans and he/she will assess the teacher candidate’s overall level of competency in planning for instruction. The cooperating teacher will then use his/her professional judgment to determine when the teacher candidate is ready for more autonomy in planning for any given subject. Autonomy means the teacher candidate can choose his/her own format/template for lesson planning. However, it is the expectation of faculty at Wayne State that evidence of adequate planning remains a priority throughout the Clinical Practice semester.
      • At no point in the semester should the teacher candidate be allowed to stop writing plans altogether, but he/she may be allowed to shift to a less detailed and less time-consuming format. Note: Throughout the semester, planning must always meet whatever requirements have been established by the building administrator for all teachers in the building
      • When the college supervisor comes to observe, there should always be a detailed plan prepared for the college supervisor when he/she comes to observe – even after the teacher candidate shifts to a less-detailed format most of the time.

    Module 2: Supporting your teacher candidate


     

    Communication with the college supervisor

    The expectation is that the teacher candidates work closely with the assigned WSC college supervisor(s) to communicate the progress and development of the teacher candidate. There should be open and honest communicate between the teacher candidate and the college supervisor. If there are any concerns regarding the teacher candidate, documentation of all meetings should be made and sent to Academic Coordinator for Clinical Practice.

    Supporting your teacher candidate

    Throughout the semester, your goal is to provide feedback and support to your teacher candidate. The information below in Module 2 on the use of formative and summative assessments should help you in those areas. However, consider some of the following strategies as well:

    • Leave an inspirational quote or article related to teaching on your teacher candidate’s desk.
    • Make gestures of kindness – no matter how small, they have a positive impact.
    • Create an established routine for discussing the day prior to leaving.
    • Participate in open, honest communication with the teacher candidate and college supervisor (keeping in mind individual sensitivities, styles and personalities).
    • Conduct weekly scheduled conferences to keep the teacher candidate informed of his/her progress; make suggestions and constructive criticisms as necessary.
    • Ensure adequate continuity, class contact and supervision of the teacher candidate.
    • Provide opportunities for the teacher candidate to observe the kinds of methods which are appropriate to the teaching profession.
    • Even if using the traditional model, consider opportunities for co-teaching experiences with the teacher candidate.
    • Allow the teacher candidate to use the teaching style that best fits him/her.
    • Assist (as needed) the teacher candidate in the preparation of lesson plans.
    • Review daily lesson plans prepared by the teacher candidate. Notify the teacher candidate immediately (hopefully, prior to implementation) of any changes you suggest.
    • Make certain that the teacher candidate has planned adequately before he/she is permitted to teach.
    • Aid in the scheduling and logistics of the required videotaped lessons.
    • Treat your teacher candidate with the same respect you give to your colleagues. If you have a sensitive issue to discuss, do it privately and not in front of students.

    Supporting a struggling candidate

    The struggling teacher candidate is one who demonstrates performance deficiencies. This teacher candidate can usually be identified early, will likely need continued assistance, and may not be ready to manage and facilitate learning in his/her own classroom. The complete supervisory process for monitoring and accommodating struggling teacher candidates includes the following major components: identification, placement considerations, adjustments in visits and observations, facilitation of teacher candidate self-reflection, and anecdotal record-keeping.

      1. The Academic Coordinator is to be notified immediately when a teacher candidate does not appear to be progressing at a rate to allow for successful completion of the Clinical Practice experience.
      2. The Academic Coordinator will notify the teacher candidate, cooperating teacher, building administrator, college supervisors, and Dean of Education regarding the unsatisfactory quality of the teacher candidate’s performance.
      3. Information relevant for remediation of the teacher candidate will be sought from college records and college personnel, including (but not limited to) his/her academic advisor and former instructors.
      4. Unless the situation demands that the teacher candidate be removed immediately, an improvement plan will be developed that identifies areas of needed improvement and strategies for implementation.
      5. The improvement plan will be developed by the cooperating teacher, in consultation with the college supervisors, Academic Coordinator, and Director of Education Services, and presented to the teacher candidate. A copy of the plan will be given to the cooperating teacher, college supervisor(s), and the WSC personnel. The plan will include:
        • identification of areas where improvement is needed
        • specific strategies to implement improvement plan
        • specific outcomes desired and person responsible for validation of outcomes
        • a timeline for completion of outcomes
        • consequences of not completing the plan on time or adequately
        • date and signature of the teacher candidate and cooperating teacher
      6. During the period specified for demonstrating professional or classroom improvement by the teacher candidate, the college supervisor will evaluate the performance of the teacher candidate at least one full period each week. Written and oral feedback will be provided to the teacher candidate regarding his/her progress toward reaching the goals of the remediation plan. ALL interactions will be carefully documented, including major points of discussion, conclusions reached, and dates.
      7. Possible outcomes from the steps outlined above are:
        • The teacher candidate may adequately meet the requirements of the improvement plan and be allowed to continue the Clinical Practice experience.
        • The teacher candidate may make significant progress toward meeting requirements, but may not complete all aspects of the plan. The Academic Coordinator may choose to either extend the experience at the same location or assign the student to a different location during the same or a subsequent semester. Should the experience extend beyond the end of the semester, an incomplete grade will be assigned until the experience is completed. Additional coursework may be required.
        • The teacher candidate may decide to voluntarily withdraw from Clinical Practice.
        • The teacher candidate’s rate of progress may remain unsatisfactory requiring the experience to be terminated. The decision to terminate will be made based on input from the cooperating teacher, college supervisors, building administrator, and Academic Coordinator. When a termination decision is made, a conference will be held with the teacher candidate. Personal or career counseling may be suggested.
        • Should the teacher candidate withdraw or be terminated from his/her Clinical Practice experience, he/she may be allowed a second chance in a subsequent semester. Pursuant to any new assignment, the teacher candidate must verify having had additional coursework and/or practical experiences in a learning environment that would increase his/her potential for success. The teacher candidate has two years from the semester of termination to attempt completion of his/her program, with the understanding that a second attempt at Clinical Practice is subject to the approval of the Dean of Education.

      For our Removal of a Teacher Candidate Policy, see the Policies and Procedures page.

    Module 3: Observing and assessing your teacher candidate


    Assessment of teacher candidates

    The assessment of the teacher candidate has two major purposes:

    1. to aid the teacher candidate in improving teaching skills, and
    2. to provide a meaningful description of the teacher candidate’s teaching ability

    The former usually occurs in the formative stages during conferences held with the college supervisor and cooperating teacher, while the latter occurs at the end of the Clinical Practice experience. All assessments should lead to the best possible answer to the question: “Does this teacher candidate demonstrate the necessary skills, attitudes, concepts, and reflective decision-making techniques required to be an effective teacher?”

    It is important to clarify that assessment in Clinical Practice is based on teacher candidate performance, not potential of the teacher candidate - even though a teacher candidate may possess profound potential. The assessment must be based on actual performance.

    • Weekly conferences

      Weekly Conference Forms should be filled out as a hard copy or digitally. They should include all pertinent observations, concerns, suggestions, and strengths observed from the week, including comments regarding lessons. These forms should be submitted to the Academic Coordinator and the Director of Education Services only if you have concerns; otherwise the evaluation should be given to the teacher candidate for use (the teacher candidate should also have them available to be viewed by their college supervisor/s).

      Download Weekly Conference Form

      Formative evaluations

      Formative evaluations are completed by the college supervisor, who may collaborate with the cooperating teacher. These evaluations are completed for each observation visit made via Anthology Portfolio

      Summative evaluations

      Summative evaluations are individually conducted by the cooperating teacher and college supervisor. These evaluations are completed at mid-term and end of term via Anthology Portfolio.

       

    • The same rating scale is used for our Formative and Summative Evaluation. The evaluations are based on InTASC standards and are used across the state of Nebraska to evaluate teacher candidates and document the candidate’s ability to effectively demonstrate the standards. The rating scale includes levels for Advanced, Proficient, Developing, and Below Standard. Please see the full rubric for descriptions of each level. At midterm, the goal would be for teacher candidates to be performing at Developing or Proficient. Note: Whenever performance is scored “Below Standard,” please be in communication with the Academic Coordinator.

      In an effort to create consistency in the interpretation of the scale and therefore consistency in the evaluation data, please consult the Evidence Charts on NDE's website. All college supervisors and cooperating teachers will take part in a Reliability Check to further enhance consistency. Please refer to appendix for more details.

      • Summative evaluations are conducted at mid-term and at the end of the experience, following a consultation with the content college supervisor. If your teacher candidate is only doing half of his/her full experience with you before moving to a second placement, then you only need to submit a Summative Evaluation at the end of his/her time with you.
      • Please keep your school administration informed regarding the teacher candidate's progress.
      • The summative should reflect what has been observed, what has been read in the journal (reflections, other observations), and what has been learned through dialog with the other college supervisor (if applicable) and with the cooperating teacher. The summative evaluation should include all aspects of Clinical Practice, not just the performance on one lesson.
      • You will be sent an email that includes instructions and a direct link to the evaluation form located in our data management system called Anthology Portfolio. You will be able to log on to that system as a guest user when it is time to complete the evaluation.

      All cooperating teachers are provided with material from WSC on how to conduct formative and summative assessments. In addition, training is provided to ensure a valid and reliable system for assessing teacher candidates as they learn and grow. Make sure to follow all WSC guidelines and use the provided assessment tools. If there are any questions, contact the Academic Coordinator for Clinical Practice. It is expected that you will provide feedback daily to your teacher candidate. Ideally, after each lesson there can be some time to reflect and discuss elements that went well and areas of opportunity. Additionally, you should meet weekly to discuss the teacher candidate’s progress and areas to work on for the following week.

    • Low Marks on Assessments: When a teacher candidate receives a low mark in any area on any of the evaluation forms, please document (in the space provided by that item on the form) the reason for the low assessment. Together with the teacher candidate, determine a strategy and timeline to remedy the area of concern. A recommended timeline would be one to two weeks for lower-level instructional skills and two to four weeks for upper-level instructional skills. If you do not see satisfactory progress towards meeting the deadline for remedying the area of concern, or if you have any questions about the process, please contact the Academic Coordinator or Director of Education Services immediately.

      Effective communication between the cooperating teachers and the college supervisor(s) to discuss the progress of the teacher candidate, help plan for scheduled observations is crucial for the success of the candidates.

      Please do not wait to notify the appropriate people if you have concerns about your teacher candidate. The sooner everyone is aware of problems, the sooner the problems can be addressed. If you feel and/or observe that something is not quite right, it probably isn't. Of course it is necessary to allow the teacher candidate to make mistakes – this is a learning experience after all – but if the same mistake or concern comes up more than once, then college personnel should be notified.

      You may wish to familiarize yourself with the part of this handbook that describes supervision of a struggling teacher candidate.

      Contact the college supervisor or the Academic Coordinator, Dr. Christian Legler, at [email protected] or 402-375-7387 with any clinical practice concerns. We are here to provide support for this experience – to you and the teacher candidate.

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)


    • The student should attend all classroom and school activities in which the cooperating teacher is involved (according to the discretion of the cooperating teacher), but the teacher candidate is not required to help with any extra-duty responsibilities of the cooperating teacher.

    • To be decided by the cooperating teacher and teacher candidate together.

    • Yes, as directed by the cooperating teacher.

    • Subject to the discretion of school district administration.

    • Yes, in certain circumstances. See section on substitute teaching in this handbook.

    • No. The teacher candidate must use the cooperating teacher's/district system.

    • Subject to the discretion of the school district administration.

    • Yes, whenever the teacher candidate is the person in charge.

    • Teacher candidates are to follow school district guidelines.

    • WSC encourages involvement; the final decision should follow district guidelines.

    • The intent of the Clinical Practice experience is for the teacher candidate to practice instructional skills and classroom management. Use your discretion.

    • Discretion of the cooperating teacher, but it is recommended that the student teacher have some experience prepare his/her own tests and quizzes.

    • It is best to address the mistake privately with the teacher candidate and allow him/her to correct the mistake with the students the next day.

    • Only if it appears that the teacher candidate cannot manage the problem alone. Follow-up discussion about the situation should occur privately with the teacher candidate.