CI 495C & WLED 495C

SECONDARY EDUCATION PRE-STUDENT TEACHING FIELD EXPERIENCE

Spring 2014

COURSE COORDINATOR

Eve C. Shellenberger, Ph.D.

814.865.1734

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The middle level field experience for secondary education and world language majors (CI495C or WLED 495C) is part of the Secondary Education (SECED) program, and is taken concurrently with a discipline-specific methods class (i.e. MTHED 412W, LLED 412W,SCIED412,SSED412W, WLED412). As a “field” experience, CI495C/ WLED 495C takes placein schools and in seminars with university supervisors, where studentsapply, extend, and reflect onthe concepts, questions, theories, and models studied in the university-basedcourses, especially those in the SECED methods courses.

CI495C / WLED 495C is an important step in your lifelong journey to become an effective teacher. CI495C / WLED 495C is a field experience that offers you the opportunity to explore a variety of questions within the context of a secondary school and classroom context. In addition, CI495C / WLED 495C provides an opportunity for you to integrate concepts, theories and ideas across the various courses you are experiencing this semester. Specifically, this course will engage you in exploring the following questions:

  1. What does it mean to be a professional and establish professional relationships with colleagues, students, and families?
  2. How well am I using the various tools (e.g. observation, writing, reflection, teaching, case studies, etc.) that are available to me in learning to be a teacher?
  3. Am I making connections across the various courses and experiences that are designed to help me learn to be a teacher?
  4. How effectively am I developing the knowledge and skills of a beginning teacher and what sources of evidence should I use in judging my effectiveness?

In accord with the Pennsylvania State University Secondary Teacher Education Performance Framework (see attached), CI495C / WLED 495C is intended to enable you to achieve desired outcomes in the following four domains of teaching:

A.Planning and Preparing for Student Learning

B.Teaching

C.Inquiry and Analysis of Teaching and Learning

D.Fulfilling Professional Responsibilities

Assessment on these domains will be a part of evaluations in student teaching and in your in-service

teaching career.

In CI495C / WLED 495C , the emphasis is on helping the pre-student teacher focus on becoming a professional, learning to be a teacher, and learning the tools and strategies of teachers. Realizing that learning to teach isdevelopmental,assessments are designed to reflect this process.

DISABILITY POLICY

Note to students with disabilities:

Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University's educational programs. If you have a disability-related need for reasonable academic adjustments, contact the Office for Disability Services (ODS) at814-863-1807(V/TTY). For further information regarding ODS, please visit the Office for Disability Services website at In order to receive consideration for course accommodations, you must contact ODS and provide documentation (see the documentation guidelines at If the documentation supports the need for academic adjustments, ODS will provide a letter identifying appropriate academic adjustments. Please share this letter and discuss the adjustments with your instructor as early in the course as possible. You must contact ODS and request academic adjustment letters at the beginning of each semester.

Disclaimer

Students are not covered by the University for accidents, health problems or damage to property or people that may occur during an off campus internship. You must rely on personal or family insurance to provide this liability coverage.

ASSESSMENT and EVALUATION

To provide the time and space necessary to practice, learn, and extend the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to become a teacher, students earn a final course grade of satisfactory or unsatisfactory based on an ungraded rating scale.

The ungraded rating scale:

  • Consistently: The pre-student teacher’s performance always or almost always matches or exceeds the description
  • Often: The pre-student teacher’s performance on this standard matches or exceeds the description MOST of the time but falls below now and then
  • Sometimes: The pre-student teacher’s performance on this standard matches or exceeds the description about half or a little more than half of the time
  • Rarely: The pre-student teacher’s performance on this standard fails to match or exceed the description more than half of the time
  • Not Observed—Not observed at this point in time

The performance of the pre-student teacher is assessed in a variety of ways. Written assignments are scored according to criteria as noted in the assignment objectives and rubrics. In addition, the mentor teacher and university supervisor will provide feedback throughout the field experience through observation notes and midterm and final assessment forms. The pre-student teacher also self-assesses his or her own performance. At the conclusion of the field experience,university supervisors consider assessment data from all areas noted above to determine a final evaluation of the pre-student teacher’s level of performance and to assign a final course grade of satisfactory or unsatisfactory.

To receive a course grade of“satisfactory” and proceed to student teaching, a student must earn an overall final rating of at least a “sometimes” in each of the three focus areas. Failure to earn at least a “sometimes” rating in any ONE of the focus areas may result in an “unsatisfactory” course grade.

An unsatisfactory grade will require that the pre-student teacher repeat the CI 495C / WLED 495C field experience, as it is a prerequisite to student teaching.

ASSIGNMENTS

Students shall receive specific guidelines, objectives, and rubrics for each assignment at appropriate times in the semester.

The value of each assignment is equal, meaning all assignments contribute equally to the overall ratings in each focus areaoutlined on the assessment form (see attached).

Resume, philosophy of education, and Mentor Letter

Early in the semester, pre-student teachers organize a resume, write their philosophy of education, and compose an introductory letter to mentor teachers. In addition to filling a practical purpose for this experience, the resume and written philosophy of education also serve as working drafts that pre-student teachers may share with a student teaching supervisor or a future employer at a job interview.

Espoused Platform Interview

You will interview your university supervisor and your mentor teacher to discover their beliefs about teaching and learning. By understanding your mentor teacher’s philosophies, you will be better able to appreciate what occurs in his or her classroom. You will receive more specific information about this assignment in seminar.

Lesson Plans

Lesson planning meets two demands of pre-student teaching experiences. First, as a mental process, lesson plans assist pre-student teachers in identifying the specific outcomes, materials, procedures, and assessment for effective teaching and learning. Written lesson plans are evidence that this thinking process has occurred. Therefore, in pre-student teaching, written lesson plans serve a second purpose: to make the pre-student teacher’s thought processes explicit and public so that the mentor teacher and university supervisor can, in the basis of their assessment, help the pre-student teachers improve their ability to plan effective lessons.

During this experience and in preparation for the expectations of student teaching, pre-student teachers are encouraged to design and implement a variety of lesson types from those noted below:

  • A lesson developed for a large group of students
  • A lesson developed for small groups of students and/or an individual student
  • A lesson developed and implemented cooperatively with another 495C pre-student teacher placed with the same mentor
  • A lesson developed and implemented cooperatively the mentor teacher
  • A lesson that integrates technology and/or multimedia
  • A lesson that features kinesthetic and/or arts integration
  • A lesson that utilizes cooperative/collaborative learning
  • A lesson that incorporates inquiry and/or discussion

Written Lessons Plans

All pre-student teachers in Penn State field experiences must prepare a written lesson plan in advance of each lesson that is taught, and each lesson plan must be approved by the mentor teacher at least 24 hours prior to its implementation. All CI495C / WLED 495C students must teachat leastsix lessons. However, each student is encouraged to teachas many lessons as possible under the mentor's guidance.Some program areas may require teaching more thansix lessons.

Beyond the teaching that follows the planned lessons, the expectation exists that pre-student teachers will spend a significant amount of time working with students individually and in small groups. This aspect of teaching is the most demanding and the one wherein novice teachers best begin to develop their repertoire of instructional strategies—their “teacher tool kit.”

Pre-student teachers plan lessons using formats found on Taskstream and principles as defined by their disciplinary program.

Lessons for which pre-student teachers are assisting the mentor teacher (wherein the mentor teacher is in charge of the lesson) need not be written out or turned in. These lessons, also, would not count toward the6 lessons that are required to be developed and implemented during this field experience.

Further, pre-student teachers must provide evidence of their capability to connect lessons toward the same goal; therefore, a sequence of three lessons must be developed, and at least two of the lessons must be implemented. (Again, some disciplines may require more than three connected lessons.) Mentor teachers and university supervisors must be able to see continued work toward a single outcome or set of outcomes across the three lessons, as evidenced both in the planning of the lessons and in the implementation of them. It is also important for the mentor and the university supervisor to observe how the pre-student teacher makes a transition from one lesson to another.

Formal Observations

University supervisors and mentors shall observe each student formally at least twice, providing written feedback and assessment in accord with the four domains and performance indicators. In addition to formal observations, university supervisors and mentors shall provide informal verbal feedback on student progress. All pre-student teachers are responsible to teach with enough frequency and planning, and with enough advance notice, for instructors to schedule observations.

Reflections

Analysis of each lesson is critical to the development of pre-student teachers; subsequently, pre-student teachers will answer a series of questions as follow-up to each lesson taught.In an effort to analyze the effectiveness of the lesson, pre-student teachers must reflect on each lesson in writing.

1)What went well and why?

2)What was learned about planning?

3)What was learned about teaching?

4)What did my students learn? How do I know they learned?

5)What improvements will I make in an effort to be more effective with this particular class of students?

Additional reflection questions may be provided by a students’ university supervisor and within the discipline-specific lesson plan formatfound on Taskstream.

The Penn State Secondary Teacher Education Web-Based Teaching Portfolio

The question/answer format that follows will help you to better understand the purpose of your web-based portfolio and its required framework. Ultimately, the process of developing this portfolio will contribute to your increasing ability to articulate your competencies as a teacher. At semester’s end, when you “present” the best works in your portfolio, you will be presenting your best self as an emerging and growing teaching professional!

What is the purpose or goal of the web-based teaching portfolio? The purpose of constructing a web-based teaching portfolio is found in the Goal Statement at the beginning of the portfolio: to help each student in the Penn State Teacher Education program demonstrate understandings and abilities related to each of the four performance domains of the Teacher Education Performance Framework. The portfolio will show what the prospective teacher knows and is able to do through a careful presentation of evidence collected from coursework and field experiences.

Portfolios are most useful in our teacher preparation program when they support your process of learning to teach. Therefore, the portfolio may be referred to as a tool to help you learn, rather than just a way of evaluating your performance in the program. Starting in CI 495C and WLED 495C, the portfolio you prepare and revise throughout student teaching is an evolving representation of your understandings and abilities as a prospective classroom teacher.

What is the basis or guiding framework for the teaching portfolio? The Penn State Teacher Education Performance Framework will be used to identify what understandings and abilities are expected of you. There, you will find four performance domains in which prospective teachers are expected to demonstrate their accomplishments:

Domain A: Planning and Preparing for Student Learning

Domain B: Teaching

Domain C: Inquiry and Analysis of Teaching and Learning

Domain D: Fulfilling Professional Responsibilities

Under each of these major domains, there is a listing of standards (A1, A2…). On the Performance-Based Assessment of Student Teaching form and the portfolio template in Taskstream, there are several indicators of performance under each standard for you to meet. For example, on the Performance Based Assessment Form, under Standard A1., the first Indicator of Performance is “The teacher demonstrates an understanding of subject matter and subject specific pedagogy during planning.”

How does a prospective teacher demonstrate understandings and abilities for the performance domains? A good portfolio is rich with examples or evidence from class work, field experience assignments, and other experiences to demonstrate that you have accomplished certain outcomes.

What are examples of evidence? Evidence may occur as artifacts, reproductions, or feedback:

  • Artifacts: Documents you have produced for any of your classes, classroom or related experiences (analysis and reflection papers, class notes, handouts, lesson and unit plans, observation notes, journal entries, learning activities or other instructional materials you have developed)
  • Reproductions: Productions about your class or your experiences that are not usually captured in your written work: photos of your school, you teaching a lesson, a bulletin board you’ve created, videotapes, etc.). You are encouraged to use images such as video and photos of your teaching, as well as scanned images of student work. If you plan to use a clear image of a student, you must receive written permission from the student’s parent and the school. If permission has not been obtained, you must “blur” faces of students to protect their identity using Adobe Photoshop or the comparable software available. Also, do not use actual names of people—either those of students, mentor teachers, school administrators, or University instructors.
  • Feedback: Documents about your work prepared by others (your instructors, a member of your cohort, your mentor teacher): These are typically observation data reports or feedback on assignments.

What are examples of evidence that fit under the four major performance domains?

DOMAIN A: PLANNING AND PREPARING FOR STUDENT LEARNING—

*On the Performance Based Assessment Form, refer to each Standard (A1…), then the specific Indicators of Performance under each for specific ideas for evidence. Examples of evidence could include assignments for methods classes that involve planning for individual lesson plans or units.

DOMAIN B: TEACHING—

*On the Performance Based Assessment Form, refer to each Standard (B1…), then the specific Indicators of Performance under each for specific ideas for evidence. Examples of evidence could include assignments for methods classes involving teaching and also feedback (quotes) from university supervisors and mentors on assignments, observation data reports, video clips, power point presentations, tutoring, etc.

DOMAIN C: INQUIRY AND ANALYSIS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING—

*On the Performance Based Assessment Form, refer to each Standard (C1…), then the specific Indicators of Performance under each for specific ideas for evidence. Examples of evidence could include methods classes, CI412W, and/or CI495C assignments involving reflection and assessment and could include feedback from university supervisors and mentors.

DOMAIN D: FULFILLING PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES—

*On the Performance Based Assessment Form, refer to each Standard (D1…), then the specific Indicators of Performance under each for specific ideas for evidence. Examples of evidence include quotes from university supervisors and mentors; certificates of completion for professional development workshops; letter of recommendation that addresses professionalism; a book review or article critique, relevant to certification area, child development, or general pedagogy, that demonstrates growth and understanding; an example of a professional letter sent to parents; evidence of a presentation on a relevant topic; and any other examples of personal professional growth.

Do I just need evidence? No, equally important are the explanations of how the evidence supports or justifies meeting the expectations of the particular domain.

What should I post to my teaching portfolio and WHEN?

By the MIDTERM, CI 495 C/WLED495C pre-student teachers must have at least ONE claim, piece of evidence and justification in each of the FOUR domains. These will most likely be class assignments, lesson plans, or philosophy/position/platform statements.

By the end of the CI495C/WLED 495C field experience, pre-student teachers should be able to demonstrate their accomplishments with respect to several of the Indicators of Performance under each performance domain using a variety of claims, forms of evidence and justification from experiences within coursework and the field experience. At least TWO pieces of evidence under each of the four performance domains, for a TOTAL of EIGHT, is expected by the end of the CI495C/ WLED 495C field experience.

By the end of student teaching (CI495E), pre-student teachers will demonstrate, through multiple claims, forms of evidence and justification, their accomplishment of all numerically listed items in all four major performance domains; HOWEVER, use of the value-added principle—one piece is not enough; everything is too much. Look at all possible evidence and ONLY include evidence that adds value and strength.