Field Experience & Clinical Teaching

For PK-3, EC-6, and 4-8 teacher candidates, these are:

Field 1 (1st semester junior year)

Field 1 experiences provide teacher candidates with an introduction to the public school environment. Professional expectations, focused observations, and thoughtful reflections are emphasized in these initial experiences.

Field 2 (2nd semester junior year)

Field 2 experiences provide hands-on, interactive opportunities for teacher candidates to connect and apply their university coursework to public school classroom environments, with an emphasis on lesson planning and the application of acquired pedagogical knowledge and skills.

Semester 1 Yearlong Residency (YLR) (1st semester senior year)

The yearlong residency is an immersive clinical teaching experience that takes place for an entire academic year. During the first semester, teacher candidates are placed in a partner school district classroom for either two 7-week placements or one 14-week placement. Candidates will gradually increase their involvement during each placement to full teaching responsibility, making a transition from student to teacher. Classroom mentor teachers and university supervisors share the responsibility of assessing and evaluating the student teacher's instructional and classroom management skills.

Semester 2 Yearlong Residency (YLR) (final semester senior year)

During the final YLR semester, teacher candidates continue their placement in the partner school district, engaging in increasing professional development and classroom teaching. Teacher candidates fully engage with the school campus, benefitting from the immersive experience and preparing them to be ready to enter their own classroom Day 1 ready to teach!

For secondary and all-level teacher candidates these are:

• Content methods block (2nd semester junior year)
• Semester 1 Yearlong residency OR Field Block (1st semester senior year)
• Semester 2 Yearlong residency OR traditional student teaching (2nd semester senior year)