EDUC 430

EDUC 430: Field Applications of Professional Studies in the Elementary Classroom (WI)

Credit Hours: 6 credits

Prerequisites: Admission to Teacher Education Program.

Note(s): A fee of $110 will be charged to students taking EDUC 430.

Course Description

This semester long clinical experience integrates coursework, field work, and professional development seminars.  Candidates work in a pk-2 or 3-6 elementary classroom with a qualified clinical faculty member and a cohort leader/field supervisor.  Candidates will be immersed in making important theory to practice connections as they are prepared for the experiences of their student teaching internship.

Detailed Description of Content of the Course

During this clinical experience, Candidates will be placed in either a k-2 or 3-6 classroom with a certified cooperating teacher. The semester will begin with the Candidate completing observations of both the teacher and the students, learning about the school culture, and assisting the teacher as needed with day-to-day classroom tasks. As the semester progresses the Candidate is given additional instructional responsibilities with students – individually and in small and large groups. The Candidate is also taking pedagogy classes and completing assignments in their classroom setting throughout the semester which culminates in a two-week full-time classroom immersion experience.  During this time Candidates teach and assess an instructional unit of study that they have planned. Weekly seminars are scheduled to enhance the professional development of Candidates enrolled in this early field experience and include the following topics: 

• Classroom Management 
• Teaching Diverse Learners 
• Professional Development: Professional growth, reflection, and evaluation 
• Communicating with Families
• Professional Behaviors 
• Applications of Instructional Planning, Pedagogy, and Assessment

Detailed Description of Conduct of Course:

Early field experience placements are made in appropriate grade/subject areas. Opportunities are provided for teaching diverse learners under the supervision of approved clinical faculty teachers and university supervisors. The experience begins with observation and culminates in two-week classroom immersion experience and teaching of a student-designed instructional unit which is based on the Virginia Standards of Learning. Weekly seminar meetings focus on classroom management, preparation for teaching diverse learners, and the professional development of teacher candidates.

Student Learning Outcomes

Goals, objectives, and assignments address the Virginia Department of Education regulations for preparing early/primary and elementary educators and the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) and National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) standards.

Candidates successfully completing this course will demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and dispositions to:

1. Apply an understanding of the development of children in designing meaningful learning experiences. 
2. Demonstrate an understanding of how the individual differences of children – economic, social, racial, ethnic, religious, physical and cognitive - impact student learning.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of how trauma, child abuse and neglect, family disruptions and other adverse childhood experiences can impact student cognitive and social-emotional development.   
4. Demonstrate the selection and use of age-appropriate discipline specific methodology, research-based best practices, and materials that support and enhance student learning of the Virginia Standards of Learning and the Virginia’s Foundation Blocks for Early Learning: Comprehensive Standards for Four-Year-Olds.  
5. Demonstrate cultural and linguistically teaching practices that support diverse learners, including, but not limited to English Learners, gifted, and students with disabilities.
6. Recognize the importance and role of families in the development of children and school success. 
7. Know and use methods of improving communication between schools and families, and ways of increasing family involvement in student learning at home and in school.
8. Reflect and evaluate the effects of their instructional and professional decisions, and actions on children, families, and other professionals in the learning community.
9. Know, understand, and use formal and informal assessment strategies to plan, evaluate and strengthen instruction that will promote continuous intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development of each child.
10. Demonstrate the use of technology for instruction, professional learning, communication, and collaboration.

REAL goal and objectives:

Learning Goal: Through instruction and feedback, students become more adept at producing appropriate and effective written work.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Students demonstrate proficiency in the writing conventions of education.
2. Students communicate through writing their understanding of academic, reflective, and job-related writing in education. 

VIII. Assessment Measures:

Assessment of teaching in the early field experience is both formative and summative and is collaboratively completed by the by the classroom teacher and University faculty. Evaluation is based upon the INTASC Standards for Beginning Teachers which are embedded in the Teacher Candidate Evaluation forms. 

• Key CAEP Performance Assessment: Lesson Plan Assessment
• Key CAEP Performance Assessment: Instructional Work Sampling Unit/Impact on Student Learning
• Key CAEP Performance Assessment: Professional Characteristics and Dispositions form
• Key CAEP Performance Assessment: Teacher Candidate Evaluation form

Other Course Information

None

Review and Approval

March 01, 2021