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Student Teaching

FAQs

What is student teaching?

Student teaching is a full-time classroom experience in the student’s area of licensure in which s/he is supervised regularly by both a faculty member or supervisor from a teacher education program and the classroom teacher(s) with whom the student is placed. The primary objective of student teaching is to provide the opportunity for acquisition and demonstration of instructional competence with beginning professional educators. The student teaching experience has been carefully designed to be as realistic and as intensive as actual teaching. This involves placing student teachers in schools with carefully selected and qualified cooperating teachers. Supervision is regarded as absolutely essential and is a mutual responsibility of the cooperating teacher and the university supervisor, who are proven successful classroom teachers. The extent of actual student teacher or practicum student involvement and the assumption of full class responsibilities rest upon the mutual agreement of the candidate, the cooperating teacher, and the university supervisor, who make up the Student Teaching Triad.

The basic role of the triad members is to work as a team through constant communication to support, enhance, and prepare the student teacher to become a reflective professional. Each member has a specific set of responsibilities outlined in this handbook.

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When are the deadlines for the student teaching applications?

The application process begins one year before you intend to student teach. You need to schedule an appointment and file a completed application in the Office of Student Teaching, Neff Hall, Room 243, between October to December for students who plan to student teach in the Fall semester, or January to March for students who plan to student teach in the Spring semester. Due to the process that placement requests must go through, late applications cannot be accepted. Your student teaching will be delayed if you have missed the application deadline. Please do not submit an application unless you actually intend to complete your student teaching during the coming school year.

Exact dates are available by contacting by the Office of Student Teaching (Neff Hall, Room 243, 260-481-6457)

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What if I turn my application in after the deadline?

The deadline for students who plan to student teach in the Fall semester is December and the deadline for students who plan to student teach in the Spring semester is March. Due to the process that placement requests must go through, late applications cannot be accepted. Your student teaching will be delayed if you have missed the application deadline. Contact the Office of Student Teaching to find out when you can schedule an appointment with the Director of Field Services and submit an application in order to avoid further delays in your student teaching.

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Must I complete all coursework prior to student teaching?

For an elementary education major, only 6 credit hours of electives may be remaining; all general education and School of Education requirements must be satisfied before student teaching. For a secondary education major, only 6 credit hours in the teaching major may be remaining; all general education and School of Education requirements must be satisfied before student teaching. All coursework must be completed before you can apply for your license.

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I didn’t know I was supposed to apply for student teaching, but I’m ready. What should I do?

All requests for placement must be made approximately one year before your student teaching semester. The deadline for students who plan to student teach in the Fall semester is December and the deadline for students who plan to student teach in the Spring semester is March. Contact the Office of Student Teaching to find out when you can schedule an appointment with the Director of Field Services and submit your application. Due to the process that placement requests must go through, late applications cannot be accepted. Your student teaching will be delayed if you have missed the application deadline.

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Where do I get a student teaching application?

Obtain a Student Teaching Application in Neff Hall, Room 243 one year before you intend to student teach or download the application.

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Where do I turn in my student teaching application?

You will submit your student teaching application to the Director of Field Services during your scheduled appointment time. This appointment must be scheduled approximately one year before you intend to student teach. You can schedule this appointment by calling 260-481-6449 or stopping in to Neff Hall, Room 243.

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Where can I student teach?

The following school corporations have been approved for student teaching placements:

Adams County

  • Adams Central Community Schools
  • North Adams Community Schools
  • South Adams Schools

Allen County

  • Southwest Allen County Schools
  • Northwest Allen County Schools
  • Fort Wayne Community Schools
  • East Allen County Schools

DeKalb County

  • DeKalb Co. Eastern Community School District
  • Garrett-Keyser-Butler Community Schools
  • DeKalb Co. Central United School District

Huntington County

  • Huntington Co. Community School Corporation

Kosciusko County

  • Wawasee Community School Corporation
  • Warsaw Community Schools
  • Whitko Community School Corporation

LaGrange County

  • Prairie Heights Community School Corporation
  • Westview School Corporation
  • Lakeland School Corporation

Noble County

  • Central Noble Community School Corporation
  • East Noble School Corporation
  • West Noble School Corporation

Steuben County

  • Fremont Community Schools
  • Hamilton Community Schools
  • MSD Steuben County

Wells County

  • Southern Wells Community Schools
  • Northern Wells Community Schools
  • MSD Bluffton-Harrison

Whitley County

  • Smith-Green Community Schools
  • Whitley Co. Consolidated Schools

Private/Parochial Schools

  • Fort Wayne Catholic Schools
  • Fort Wayne Lutheran Schools
  • Blackhawk Christian School

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May I make my own student teaching placement?

Students are not permitted to make their own placements. Under no circumstances should you call teachers, principals, schools or school corporations yourself. All placements are made through the Office of Student Teaching.

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Can I student teach during the summer?

As summer school schedules usually do not provide a complete and sufficient program of teaching activities, student teaching will occur primarily during the months August through May or June when public and commissioned private and parochial schools are normally in session.

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What is the placement process?

Student teachers at Indiana University—Purdue University Fort Wayne are placed in public and commissioned private and parochial schools in the northeastern Indiana area. The school must maintain the appropriate type of state commission.

Student teachers, through discussion with the Director of Field Services, are given input as to where they desire to be placed. Assignment requests and placements are sought in the best interest of each student teacher. The decision to place a student teacher in a given situation is a cooperative agreement in which the school administrator, cooperating teacher, and the Director of Field Services give their consent.

Placements are always completed as a formal request to the school system involved. Eventual placements, of course, are subject to final approval of the Director of Field Services and the appropriate administrator of the school requested by the university. Changes in confirmed placements are extremely rare and are affected only through the placement policy of the schools involved.

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If I know a teacher in a specific school, and he/she wants to work with me, may I do my student teaching there?

What are the chances that I’ll get my request for grade, school and teacher?

While it is impossible to say what the chances are, we do try quite hard to honor special requests and place students at the grade level they would like. However, many factors are at work in arranging placements, so it is not possible for everyone to receive their specific request for grade or school/school corporation.

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When will I find out where I’m student teaching?

Students are notified on a rolling basis; that is, as soon as we have a confirmation from the school, with an assigned teacher, we send you a confirmation letter. You will receive a letter telling which school you are assigned to student teach in, who your cooperating teacher will be, and the starting and ending dates of the placement. Most placements are not finalized until the latter part of the semester, early December for spring placements and late April for fall placements. You can also check the bulletin board outside Neff Hall, Room 243 for placement information.

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What happens if the Office of Student Teaching can’t find a placement for me?

The Office of Student Teaching has always found a placement for every student teacher. Placing student teachers is very time consuming and there are occasions when we don’t receive confirmation from a school corporation until just prior to the beginning of the semester. Be patient, be flexible and a placement will be found.

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What is the student teaching day/week like?

Student teaching experiences vary across subjects and grade levels, but in most schools, you will be spending time teaching, planning and reflecting on your experiences. The morning will begin early, with preparation for the day and perhaps consultation with your cooperating teacher. You’ll follow the school’s daily schedule and end the day according to the needs of the students and school personnel. In other words, your day will not end with the dismissal bell. You often will be asked to stay for conferencing and/or to make preparations for the next day. This is all considered part of the total student teaching experience.

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How many weeks will I student teach?

Most student teaching is a minimum of 12-16 weeks. Some may have slightly longer placements than others depending on your major, program requirements, minors and endorsements.

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How long will I need to be at the school each day?

A day of student teaching is not just the time the students are present. It is, in fact, whatever time is necessary for you to be at the school as determined by the cooperating teacher, school administrators, and the needs of the students.

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Can I work and student teach at the same time? Will student teaching interfere with my job?

Student teaching should be your first priority. It is recognized that many university students maintain employment while attending university classes. Due to the excessive demands on the student’s time during the student teaching period, students are requested to arrange their schedules so that they need not work during the student teaching phase of their program. If it appears that employment is jeopardizing the success of the student teacher’s program, the student teacher will be given the option of terminating either employment or student teaching.

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Can I take other classes while I’m student teaching?

Student teachers may not enroll in more than one additional university course that will require their attendance and participation during the semester of student teaching. This class may not be scheduled during the specified daytime hours of the student teaching experience.

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Are there any duties that I may not perform as a student teacher?

You may not act as a paid substitute if your cooperating teacher is absent. You may maintain leadership of the class if your cooperating teacher is absent for a brief time during your full-time teaching period and if the principal designates a teacher-in-charge who is an employee. You are not an employee of the school or under contract with your school corporation. You may not receive payment from the school or school corporation during your student teaching experience-this includes for coaching and other extra-curricular activities.

As a student teacher, you may not participate in any job actions (e.g. strikes or picketing). You also may not administer or witness corporal punishment.

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Can student teachers be substitute teachers?

  • In an emergency situation, the student teacher may be used as a substitute teacher for the cooperating teacher provided that a member of the school faculty is designated to serve in a supervisory capacity and provided that the student teacher has achieved the degree of competency to continue the educational program. An emergency situation is defined as:
    • the cooperating teacher cannot notify the school administrator of failure to arrive on time,
    • the regular faculty member becomes suddenly ill,
    • the regular faculty member is called away from school due to an urgent family matter,
    • or any other similar emergency.
  • The student teacher may not serve as a substitute teacher for any faculty member other than the cooperating teacher.
  • It is considered advisable that a student teacher not be used as a substitute for more than one (1) day.
  • The office of student teaching must be notified if the student teacher is to be used as a substitute teacher.

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Should I go to faculty meetings?

You should participate in faculty meetings and parent conferences held during student teaching.

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Will I need to help with extra-curricular activities?

Extra-curricular activities and assignments are an important part of teachers’ lives. It is to your advantage to become involved in school activities which extend beyond the regular classroom setting. These include assemblies, dances, concerts, plays, athletic events and contests. You may be required to be involved in some activities. Be sure to consider these experiences when preparing your portfolio.

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Can I be paid to assist with coaching or other extra-curricular activities?

You may not receive payment from the school or school corporation during your student teaching experience-this includes for coaching and other extra-curricular activities.

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When are my vacations?

Student teachers will observe the vacation periods of the school to which they are assigned, not the university vacation schedule.

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Who do I contact if I need to miss a day of student teaching? How many absences am I allowed?

  • Student teachers are expected to be on duty each day.

  • All absences must be reported to the school to which the student teacher is assigned, to the cooperating teacher, to the university supervisor and to the Office of Student Teaching.

  • Student teachers may be excused by their cooperating teacher for the following reasons: personal illness, illness or death in the immediate family, and (with advance approval of the principal and the university supervisor) professional meetings and actual job interviews.

  • Student teachers may not be excused for personal reasons such as weddings, athletic contests, dances, or other social events.

  • Excessive absences for any reason will result in an extension, rescheduling or termination of the student teaching period.

  • Tardiness is never acceptable.

  • In case of violations, the cooperating teacher must notify the university supervisor or the Office of Student Teaching.

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What about snow days?

Since student teachers must meet both certification standards of the State of Indiana and university graduation requirements, school closings and adjustments in attendance days may result in adjustments in the student teaching period.

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What should my cooperating teacher do?

The cooperating teacher discusses with student teacher timetable, range of content, expectations, responsibilities, and evaluation criteria for each class. The cooperating teacher observes and consults with the student teacher on a regular basis. The cooperating teacher regularly evaluates the progress of the student teacher and helps the student teacher to develop by providing written feedback as well as engaging in reflection about what happens in the classroom. The cooperating teacher encourages the student teacher to try a variety of teaching methods and approaches. The cooperating teacher is readily available to the student teacher even though the student teacher may have complete responsibility.

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What if there are serious problems with my placement?

We do our very best to resolve any problematic situations, whether they occur before or during student teaching. It may be possible to find a new placement if the situation cannot be resolved, and either the principal, cooperating teacher, or university supervisor recommends that a change be made.

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What happens if I don’t like my placement or cooperating teacher?

Students always have the option of withdrawing from student teaching (following the guidelines for withdrawing from any course) and receiving a new placement during a subsequent semester.

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What if I develop a reason for needing to drop student teaching, or cancel my intentions for the semester?

If you need to drop your student teaching for any reason, you should contact the Director of Field Services immediately. The Director will work with you to provide assistance when needed. If you drop or cancel your student teaching, it is possible that you may need to go through the application process again.

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If I change my name/address at the Registrar’s office, is it changed for Student Teaching?

The Office of Student Teaching maintains separate information from the Registrar’s Office. Therefore, you must notify the Office of Student Teaching of any change in name or address.

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Where do I find the evaluation forms my cooperating teacher must complete for my student teaching experience?

All evaluation forms are available in the Office of Student Teaching or in the Student Teaching handbook, and many are available online.

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What paperwork do I need to turn in, or check on to make sure it was submitted?

The following reports must be submitted by the student teacher.

  1. Student Teaching Experience Record
    Completion of this form is the responsibility of the student teacher and should be done periodically throughout the entire student teaching period. It must be signed by both the student teacher and the cooperating teacher and returned by the cooperating to the Office of Student Teaching along with other designated reports. No grade for student teaching will be recorded until this form is on file.

  2. Student Teaching Progress Report
    This report is to be completed and sent to the Office of Student Teaching in compliance with the schedule printed in the calendar of student teaching.
    You should make sure your cooperating teacher mails your final evaluation to the Office of Student Teaching. You should also confirm that your university supervisor has turned in his or her final evaluation.

How will I be graded? Who is responsible for my final grade?

The evaluation of the student teacher is a shared responsibility involving the cooperating teacher, the student teacher, the university supervisor, and the Director of Field Services. Though each of these individuals is expected to make a contribution to the evaluation of student teaching performance, it is the Director of Field Services who is charged by the university with final authority and responsibility for assigning the grade.

Grades

  • Indiana University: Grades of “S” (Satisfactory) or “U” (Unsatisfactory) are utilized to designate the student teacher’s performance.
  • Purdue University: Grades A through F are used to designate the student teacher’s performance.

When should I apply for my teaching license?

You can apply once your degree has been posted and/or all course work has been completed successfully and all required testing has been completed

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