Clinical FacultyApplication and

Roles and Responsibilities

The SWVA Professional Education Consortium works to improve the quality of teacher preparation, mentoring, and continued professional development through school/university partnerships emphasizing student learning and well-being. The Consortium includes the following school divisions and teacher preparation programs:Botetourt, Floyd, Giles, Montgomery, Pulaski, Radford, Roanoke City, Roanoke County, Salem and Wythe; Hollins University, Roanoke College, Virginia Tech, and Radford University. One of the initiatives of the Consortium is the development and support of clinical faculty.

Clinical faculty members are nominated by member schools or school divisions. They complete an application and two three-hour professional development workshops. They are appointed for a three-year term and participate in at least one “refresher workshop” during their three-year appointment.

Clinical Faculty Qualifications

1)Clinical faculty members meet the following qualifications of all cooperating teachers:

a)A valid Virginia Collegiate Professional License with proper endorsement for the teaching assignment;

b)Three years (minimum) experience as a successful classroom teacher;

c)A commitment to life-long learning as evidenced by work towards a master's degree, workshops, college credits, or other types of activities that assist the teacher in increasing his/her knowledge and performance related to the teaching profession;

d)Recognized expertise in subject matter knowledge and current and varied instructional strategies for the classroom;

e)Skill in effective classroom management techniques;

f)Knowledge of school/community relations;

g)Strong oral and written communication skills;

h)Strong organizational skills;

i)Excellent human relations skills;

j)Experience in working with adults or teaching interns;

k)A desire, willingness, and ability to work cooperatively with colleagues and teaching interns.

2)Clinical faculty members also demonstrate:

a)a special interest in and ability to support, mentor and coach teaching interns, and a desire to continue to develop professionally in this regard;

b)The ability to help promote others’ ability to support, mentor and coach teaching interns.

3)Clinical faculty members complete two three-hour professional development workshops that further enable them to

a)support and mentor interns and

b)collaborate in developing school-university partnerships that integrate pre-service and inservice teacher development and the development and improvement of teacher preparation programs and that impact student learning and well-being.

Becoming a Clinical Faculty Member

Cooperating teachers self-nominate or are nominated by principals in the member school divisions to become clinical faculty members. (The application form is attached.) Preparation programs seek to place interns with clinical faculty members because they have demonstrated an additional interest in preparing teachers and they have completed the Clinical Faculty Development Workshops which help to establish common commitments to and shared expectations for novice teacher development. Clinical Faculty members also become valuable resources in developing, implementing, and evaluating field experience programs, and assist in establishing school/university partnerships dedicated to enhancing student learning and well-being.

The Clinical Faculty Development Workshopsfor clinical faculty are offered twice a year, usually in September (CF Development Workshop I) and in January or February (CF Development Workshop II). Workshops are based upon the successful induction program “Great Beginnings” developed by Fairfax County and upon research in teacher preparation and induction. School-based clinical faculty members serve three-year renewable appointments and must attend at least one refresher workshop during each three-year period.

The workshops are conducted by Clinical Faculty Lead Teachers or university faculty. Schools can request the workshops by contacting the university contacts listed on the forms.

Clinical Faculty Responsibilities

Clinical faculty members are expected play a greater role in supervisingteaching interns. They also collaborate with university faculty in reviewing and refining clinical experiences for teaching interns.

  1. Planning Effective Field Experiences

Many schools have teams of clinical faculty who collaborate in working with interns to develop productive field experience programs in their school.

  1. Provide the intern or interns with an initial orientation to the assigned school and to the classroom. Teams of clinical faculty members in a school may collaborate in presenting a common initial orientation. This orientation could include:

i)overview of the school faculty, facilities,and working relationships in the school,

ii)basic instructional materials and access to resources,

iii)faculty, student, and/or parent handbooks,

iv)school initiatives or plans for improvement;

v)plans for the interns’ involvement in the school and in the classrooms, and

vi)areview of expectations for the interns.

b)Plan a tentative schedule with the teaching intern and university supervisor that includes early induction into the teaching process and gradual assumption of teaching responsibilities (full teaching responsibilities for student teaching interns).

i)Orient the teaching intern to the school planning process; help the teaching intern establish objectives for Pk-12 students; and work with the intern and supervisor in establishing expectations and deadlines for the intern’s daily lesson plans, unit plans, and Pk-12 student evaluation;

ii)Plan with the university supervisor for continuous evaluation of the teaching intern's performance.

(1)Become knowledgeable of university policies and procedures regarding field experiences (attendance policies, what to do when experiencing difficulties, criteria for evaluations and establishing a common “baseline” of expectations, etc.).

2.Climate for Learning and Professional Development

a)Establish a weekly conference time to meet with the intern and to review future plans for the intern’s involvement, the teacher’s observations, and intern’s progress;

b)Facilitate open communication and invite professional dialogue and discussion; use communication strategies that promote the teaching intern's self-reflection and professional growth;

c)Provides opportunities for the intern to try their ideas and to test theory and practice in the classroom;

d)Foster the support of building-level administrators, staff, and other faculty;

e)Serve as a resource for other cooperating teachers supervising teaching interns in the building.

3.Teaching

a.With the intern and supervisor, outline clear processes for the intern in submitting instructional plans in time for the teacher’s review and feedback prior to teaching;

b.Observe the teaching intern informally and/or formally and provide regular feedback to the intern;

c. Serve as a resource person to the teaching intern regarding the teaching process, supplies, equipment, and curriculum responsibilities.

d.Work cooperatively with the university supervisor to see that the teaching intern is meeting university goals and expectations;

e. Work cooperatively with the university supervisor to monitor the teaching intern's readiness to assume increased classroom teaching responsibilities and to provide those additional opportunities as appropriate;

  1. Provide increasing feedback and support as the teaching intern assumes full responsibility for classroom instruction;

f.Clinical faculty members might also plan and implement professional development seminars for interns and/or cooperating teachers as appropriate.

4.Reflection, Collaboration, and Communication

a. Keep the teaching intern apprised of his/her progress at all times and revise goals and expectations as necessary.

b. Meet formally with the teaching intern at least once a week to discuss his/her progress, review short- and long-term instructional plans, and identify specific objectives to work on the following week.Provide written feedback and planning notes during this conference.

c. Keep the university supervisor and the building principal informed of the teaching intern's progress on a regular basis.

d. Complete written formal, summativeteaching intern evaluations in cooperation with the university supervisor.

e. Provide the teaching intern with opportunities for professional growth by encouraging observations of other educators, attendance at professional meetings, and participation in the entire school's program.

Summary

  1. Cooperating teachers can self-nominate or principals can nominate cooperating teachers to become clinical faculty members.
  2. The Clinical Faculty Application is completed and signed off by the cooperating teacher and principal, and sent to the SWVA Professional Education Consortium;
  3. The SWVA PEC Advisory Board selects clinical faculty applications.
  4. Candidates are notified of the times and locations of Clinical Faculty Development Workshops in their area.
  5. When candidates have completed CF Development Workshops I and II, they are added to the list of CF members, which is sent to local school divisions and to institutions preparing teachers.



Teacher’s Name ______

LAST FIRST MI

School ______

School Division ______

Home Address: ______

______

______

E-mail: ______PH: ______

I wish to become a Clinical Faculty member. I have read the roles and responsibilities of Clinical Faculty members and am willing to fulfill these responsibilities, including participating in the Clinical Faculty Development Workshops I and II.

______

Teacher’s Signature Date

***********************************************************************************************

To be completed by the building principal:

I recommend ______who meets the following qualifications:

A valid Virginia Collegiate Professional License with proper endorsement for the teaching assignment;

Three years (minimum) experience as a successful classroom teacher;

A commitment to life-long learning as evidenced by work towards a master's degree, workshops, college credits, or other types of activities that assist the teacher in increasing his/her knowledge and performance related to the teaching profession;

Recognized expertise in subject matter knowledge;

Current and varied instructional strategies for the classroom;

Skill in effective classroom management techniques;

Knowledge of school/community relations;

Strong oral and written communication skills;

Strong organizational skills;

Excellent human relations skills;

Experience in working with adults or teaching interns;

A desire, willingness, and ability to work cooperatively with colleagues and teaching interns.

A special interest in and ability to support, mentor and coach teaching interns, and a desire to continue to develop professionally in this regard;

The ability to help promote others’ ability to support, mentor and coach teaching interns.

______

Principal’s Signature Date

Submit to: SWVA Professional Education Consortium, c/o Roberta Snelling, Center for Teacher Education, 225 War Memorial Hall 0313, Blacksburg, VA 24061

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