School of Education

Field Experience Guidelines

Prior to Admissions

Suggested Experiences with Children and/or Adolescents for Applicants to the LSSU Teacher Education Program.  Requirements for students after admission are focused on classroom experiences, and require reflective journaling.  See guidelines for EDUC301 and higher.

To fulfill the mandatory LSSU Teacher Education admissions requirement of meaningful experience with children and/or adolescents, prospective TE students are urged to volunteer or seek employment at organizations such as the following:

 Recreational:

• Camp Counseling
• Coaching
• Nature Center Volunteer
• Arts and Crafts Instructor

 Schools:

• Latch Key Programs
• Recess Monitors
• After-School Enrichment Programs
• Group tutoring under a supervisor
• Preschool

 Hospitals:

• Pediatric Volunteer

 Museums:

• Docent for Children and/or Adolescents
• Teaching/tutoring Assistant in Art Education Classes with Children and/or Adolescents
• Science Museum Volunteer

 Other:

• Girl Scouts/ Boy Scouts
• YMCA/YWCA
• Religious Education Instructor
• Day Care Center
• Girls’ and Boys’ Clubs

Beginning with the Fall of 2004, a minimum of eighty (80) clock hours of experience working with children and/or adolescents ages 5-19 in non-custodial group activities is required for formal admission to the LSSU Teacher Education Program (a group is defined as 3 or more individuals).  

Documentation for this work is SUMMARIZED on Form F310.  Evidence of work outside of the classroom setting is to be submitted using Form F315.  Work associated with your EDUC250 course is to be submitted on Form F320.   This experience must be both recent and relevant: 60 hours can be completed in 3 years preceding formal application; 20 hours must be completed within the calendar year prior to application.  Parenting, babysitting, and being a nanny are custodial activities and will not apply toward the 80 hours.

Field Experience Component EDUC301 and above

Students in the Teacher Education program have often shared their concerns that they have had little opportunity to experience engaging in actual teaching before their internship. To address these concerns, the School of Education at LSSU has established guidelines for the field experience component with emphases on planning and teaching in the field setting.

Through your work in classroom settings, you are invited to explore your developing abilities as a teacher. The primary goal is to gain real experience in real classrooms. While you will be learning so much about the culture of the school and observing K-12 students in the process, your primary focus will be on teaching by developing lessons and assessment strategies, and then implementing them.

For each TE course at the EDUC301 and EDUC400 levels, the following guidelines have been established:

A minimum time commitment of 15 hours in the field placement over the length of the semester.

An initial meeting with the host teacher to plan your teaching experience.

A teaching lesson with the same class(es) and subject matter. This needs to simulate a real teaching experience over time with assessment of students, reflection on the lesson in day 1, adjustment of the lesson, etc.

Planned time with the host teacher to reflect upon and to critique your teaching.

Lesson plans and reflection journals due in written forms. Dates and times and places of this practice teaching are to be included. 

THE GOAL: Longer, focused, and more meaningful visits.

Reflection on EDUC301 and EDUC400-Level Field Experiences: TEACHING

MICHIGAN ENTRY LEVEL STANDARDS: Meaningful field experiences not only support an informed decision to become a teacher but also continue to address the proficiencies required by Michigan Entry Level Standards for Pre-Service teachers.  The specific entry level standards addressed through the LSSU field work components at the EDUC400 levels include: 1 A, B, C, F, and H; 2 A, B, D, E, F, G. H, and I; 3 A, B, C, D, E, F, and G; 4 A, B, C, D, E, and F; 5 A, B, C, D, E, F, and H; 6 A, B, C, D, and E; 7A, B, C, D, E, F, and G (www.michigan.gov/MDE)

Purpose:  The field experience component for this class includes engaging in meaningful teaching experience that demonstrates developing proficiencies in the Michigan Entry Level Standards.

As a critical part of your field experience work, please respond in full to the following questions. Give them much thought and use a word processing program to complete your responses.  ATTACH these responses to Form F325-b Field Experience Log for EDUC301 and above.

1. Briefly describe the students in this class, including those with special needs.
2. What are the goals for the lessons?  What do you want the students to learn?
3. Why are these goals suitable for these students?
4. How do these goals support the district’s curriculum, state or provincial frameworks, and content standards? ( See Michigan Department of Education website: www.michigan.gov/MDE)
5. How do these goals relate to national curriculum goals or standards in the discipline?
6. How do you plan to engage students in the content?  What will you do?  What will the students do?  What are the time estimates?
7. What difficulties do students typically experience in this area, and how do you plan to anticipate and deal with these difficulties?
8. What materials or instructional resources will you use?
9. How do you plan to assess student achievement of the goals?  What procedures will you use?
10. How do you plan to make use of the results of the assessments?