Overview of Field Experiences in the UMUC Master of Arts in Teaching Program

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Overview of Field

Experiences in the

UMUC Master of Arts

in Teaching Program

University of Maryland University College

Education Department

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University of Maryland University College (UMUC) is committed to developing and certifying teachers who demonstrate research-based and practice-validated strategies for teaching and learning. In this context, the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program aims to cultivate reflective teachers who not only create a learning culture where students exist at the center of the educational situation, but who also teach with the conviction that all students can learn at high levels.

UMUC believes that in order to nurture the highest levels of professionalism in teacher candidates, the candidates must be immersed in clinical experiences, both to observe and to teach. Therefore, the MAT program is inherently a clinically-based teacher development program, where the courses in the program underpin the field and clinical experiences in which the teacher candidates participate throughout the program.

Field Experience Procedures and Dispositions

The successful completion of the field experience requirements is a critical component of the MAT program. Every course in the MAT program has at its core several field experiences. It is the teacher candidate’s responsibility to be prepared to engage in the field experiences. In many school systems, this will often entail having to complete specific forms and paperwork in a timely manner, having background checks, and even being fingerprinted. Each school system is different. Candidates are responsible for completing any needed requirements prior to requesting placement in districts (see “Field Experience Placement Guidelines” document).

All teacher candidates are required to demonstrate professional dispositions and demeanor (as outlined in the MAT Professional Dispositions Policy). Failure to follow the dispositions policy and/or to complete field experience requirements may result in actions by the school or university. Please remember that when you complete field experience activities you are representing University of Maryland University College (UMUC) and are also setting the stage for potential employment opportunities. It is important that you read and follow the procedures outlined below for a successful experience in the schools.

1. Completion of all field experience hours and activities is required.

2. Field experiences are to be conducted at the secondary grade level (grades 7-12) in the candidate’s designated content area, unless otherwise indicated. NOTE: Foreign language candidates will conduct three observations at the K-6 level to align with MSDE certification bands. These experiences are marked with an asterisk (**) after the content/level indication in the description (Field Experience #3 in EDTP 600; Field Experience #1 in EDTP 635; and Field Experience #5 in EDTP 639).

3. Candidates are responsible for following the procedures for setting up observations in the

district(s) of interest. Please review the “Field Experience Guidelines” document provided to you by the Assistant Director of Student Support and Success and posted in your LEO classroom to familiarize yourself with these processes. It is extremely important that you follow the proper process for observing in each district.

4. It can take several weeks to request, receive approval for, coordinate, and conduct classroom observations. Do not wait until the week before a field experience is due to initiate the request. Begin working on setting up classroom observations as soon as possible each semester to ensure that you are able to submit your request, have it approved, and be able to observe by your due dates.

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5. In the case of illness or family emergencies on the date you have scheduled an observation, immediately contact the school, the teacher(s) you are set to observe, and your university

instructor. If you are ill, please do not visit the school and expose students or school personnel to contagious diseases.

6. It is important to be on time and to stay in the school for the duration of the scheduled visit. To avoid disrupting the school schedule, it is best to arrive and depart at times that correspond to class changes. Notify the site if you are going to be delayed. Make sure that you have a picture identification card (i.e., driver’s license) ready to show school security and follow the procedures for signing-in at the front office. Wear any identification badge that is required by the school. 7. You are permitted to visit the school only during the designated time that has been

pre-established with school personnel.

8. In advance of your visit, familiarize yourself with the school setting and procedures (i.e., visit the school website).

9. Professional attire is required.

10. Maintain professional boundaries at all times.

11. If you have any questions about the requirements, or requests from the classroom teacher, please notify the Assistant Director of Student Support and Success or your course instructor.

12. It is important to save the artifacts from each field experience for inclusion into your electronic portfolio in Tk20.

13. The locations where field experiences are completed will be tracked in Tk20. There will be an “MAT Field Placement Location Form” for each field experience in each class. By the end of the semester in each class, you are to enter the name, location, district, and other pertinent details about what/where you observed.

14. The opportunity to observe in classrooms is vital to the development of best practices, so be vigilant in taking notes and collecting artifacts that will contribute to your own professional knowledge base.

Diversity Policy for MAT Field Experiences

The MAT program is committed to field placements where our candidates can learn to teach diverse students in diverse settings. These field experiences give candidates opportunities to observe and work with students whose diversity includes differences which are consistent with CAEP’s definition focusing on “differences among groups of people and individuals based on ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, gender, exceptionalities, language, religion, sexual orientation, and geographical area” (NCATE, 2008). This priority allows our candidates to develop and practice their knowledge, skills, and dispositions for working with all students and to ensure all students “can learn at high levels”.

Candidates in the MAT program observe or participate in classrooms with at least three of the four types of diversity listed below during their field and/or clinical experiences; the first three are required.

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non-school field placements. Prior to EDTP 639 (the third of five courses), candidates must have

placements which are diverse in terms of race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and

exceptionalities. Candidates document their placements in Tk20 through forms associated with each course. Criteria for a diverse school setting include:

 Race / Ethnicity (schools with two or more of the following race/ethnicity

groups: Black, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, Native American or Alaska Native, white, and ideally >25% non-white)

 Socioeconomic status / Free and Reduced Meals (schools ideally with >25% FARMS)  Students with exceptionalities (schools ideally with >10 students with disabilities)  English Language Learner (ELL) enrollment (schools ideally with >10 English Language

Learners)

This following information provides an overview, course by course, of the field experience activities that teacher candidate should expect in the MAT Program. These experiences are subject to change. You will be notified in each course of the specific field experiences required for the particular course.

EDTP 600 – FOUNDATIONS OF TEACHING FOR LEARNING (6 s.h.)

EDTP 600: Field Experience #1

Focus: Classroom Climate (3 hours; on-site, school day)

You will observe in your content area (grades 7-12) for a minimum of 3 hours. The purpose of this assignment is to promote in the teacher candidate the skills of classroom observation and analysis. This set of observations focuses on the encouragement of student motivation and creation of a student-centered learning environment. Answer the following questions by describing what you see. Be specific in your descriptions—look for connections between your course content and classroom practices. While

observing in the classroom, take notes and transcribe them soon afterwards, so that your final submission is effectively communicated. Use the write up to demonstrate your interpretation and analysis of the field experience.

Observations

1. Where, when, and how does the teacher acknowledge the students entering the classroom?

2. What signals the shift from when students enter the room to when teaching begins?

3. How is the classroom set up? What physical props or other materials provide students in the classroom with information or resources associated with the purposes of the classroom? How are the desks

arranged?

4. What was the percentage type of interaction in the classroom [you can estimate here, e.g.: 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%.] that takes place for each of the following?

a. between the teacher and the whole class b. between the teacher and small groups

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c. between the teacher and individual students d. among students

5. Describe classroom routines and procedures. Take note of procedures that are new to you so that the methods can be incorporated into your own classroom practices.

6. Describe the relationships within the classroom (you can use words like: excellent, good, poor, and non-existent).

a. teacher-student b. student-teacher c. student-student.

7. How does the teacher set and encourage positive expectations? Can you tell what the expectations are? How are students prompted to achieve them?

Write Up and Submission

1. Analysis - In no more than a page, describe your interpretation of what you observed using the data from above. You may also indicate any questions or uncertainties you have.

2. Application - Include how you think you might apply your learning (from the readings, from what you observed, and from your analysis) to setting up your own classroom.

Focus: Understanding the Lesson (3 hours; on-site, school day)

For this observation, you will observe in your content area (grades 7-12) for a minimum of 3 hours. Please observe and note the following:

1. Identify the teacher’s instructional strategies. For note-taking, use Observation Form "Process of Instruction" [Teaching Standards: Process of Instruction Classroom Climate Page 8] in the Standards for Excellence to guide you in trying to understand what is going on in the lesson. What you are looking for here is how the teacher structures and delivers instruction. How do students respond to the teacher? Is there anything you might have done differently in this lesson?

2. Identify the teacher’s command of content and his/her ability to teach content to students. For note-taking, use Observation Form "Knowledge Subject Matter and Pedagogy" [Teaching Standards: "Subject Matter and Pedagogy" Page 4] in the Standards for Excellence. What State or National standards seem to be applied in the content that is being taught? Make a note of the exact questions the teacher asks and then check in the Webliography for the Type of Learning and Category you think apply. Get a general feel for the lesson and what’s going on in the classroom. Pick out some things you really liked and try to think of things you might want to do differently.

Write Up and Submission

1. Review your findings. Pay particular attention to the Performance Indicators (What Does This Look Like?). Look for patterns.

2. Prepare an organized and clearly written three paragraph summary. [Don’t just list what you found.] In paragraph one, describe the Performance Indicators that suggest the teacher’s process of instruction.

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a) Don’t just list what you found. Summarize. Provide at least one example to support your conclusions.

b) In paragraph two describe the Performance Indicators that suggest the teacher’s Knowledge of Subject Matter and Pedagogy. [Don’t just list what you found. Summarize. Do give examples to support your conclusions.]

c) In paragraph three, reflect upon your overall observations and potential applications to your future classroom.

Focus: Classroom Management (3 hours; on-site, school day)

For this observation, you will observe in your content area (grades 7-12)** for a minimum of 3 hours to identify and describe classroom management procedures that are effective, or less effective, with adolescent students.

Prepare a 2 – 3 page reflective journal entry that describes the demographics of the class, provides an overview of the observations and addresses a minimum of eight, or more, of the following questions:

1. How are students seated in the classroom? 2. How does the class start?

3. How are time and materials managed? 4. Is the schedule evident?

5. How are questions managed?

6. What type of rapport does the teacher demonstrate? 7. How does the teacher circulate around the room?

8. How are the classroom furnishings arranged? Draw a diagram to illustrate the arrangement. 9. What are the interaction patterns?

10. What is the focus of attention? 11. Are the students engaged? 12. How are transitions managed?

13. How are different learning styles addressed? 14. How are off task behaviors managed? 15. How is late work managed?

**Foreign language candidates should observe in a K-6 setting for this experience.

Focus: School / Community-Based Observation (3 hours; on-site, after school)

The purpose of the observation is to gain insight into the various ways that the school interacts with the greater community, and is part of a larger educational system.

Spend a minimum of 3 hours attending an event in the school or a professional/community meeting such as a PTSA meeting, School Board meeting, educational conference, or meeting at the state level. (Make sure to keep the agenda of the meeting as an artifact for your teaching portfolio.) Write a 1-2 page summary of the meeting/event to include several of the following:

1. Introduction and general description of the meeting. 2. Describe the purpose of the event.

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3. Identify the participants, and their roles, at the meeting.

4. Observe one person at the meeting that you feel is particularly effective in communicating – what skills does the person utilize?

5. Describe the intended and unintended outcomes of the event. 6. How is discussion managed?

7. How are questions from external participants handled? 8. What are your impressions of the meeting?

9. What did you learn from attending the event?

EDTP 635 – ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING NEEDS (6 s.h.)

Focus: Tracking Verbal Flow and Class Traffic (3 hours; on-site, school day)

Conduct an observation in your content area (grades 7-12**) for a minimum of 3 hours. During your observations, record 1) teacher-student and student-student interactions on a verbal flow diagram, and 2) teacher movement around the classroom.

Prepare a 2 – 3 page reflective journal entry that provides

the data you collected as well as an analysis of the data.

Verbal Flow:

1. Create a seating map of the classroom using boxes to represent the teacher and students. You may note the race and/or gender of each individual within the boxes.

2. When the teacher makes a comment or asks a question to the whole class indicate with an arrow from the teacher box.

3. When the teacher speaks specifically to a student indicate with a downward arrow in that student’s box.

4. When the student speaks to the teacher or the whole class indicate with an upward arrow in that student’s box.

5. When a student speaks to another student indicate with an arrow between the two students’ boxes noting the direction.

6. Use notches on the arrows to keep track of the number of comments or questions. Class Traffic:

1. Create a map of the classroom that includes the physical layout.

2. Record teacher movement around the classroom on the map over a 15 minute period. Use arrows to designate teacher movement and mark verbal, and non-verbal, interactions with students by numbering every interaction sequentially, 1, 2, 3, etc.

3. Analyze teacher movement and interaction patterns in the classroom. **Foreign language candidates should observe in a K-6 setting for this experience.

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Focus: Learner Engagement (3 hours; on-site, school day)

For this observation, you will observe in an inclusion setting (grades 7-12) for a minimum of 3 hours and complete a report based on the following questions. Prepare a 2 – 3 page reflective journal entry that provides the data you collected as well as an analysis of the data

1. Describe the class (grade level, content area, topic of lesson)

2. Choose three students to unobtrusively observe. What do you notice about these students

(physical appearance, dress, cultural background, language, social interaction, skills and abilities, motivation, attitude, self-concept)? What made you select these three particular students? 3. Complete a Nonverbal Behavior Chart. See instructions.

4. Collect any additional quantitative or qualitative data necessary to conduct your analysis (proximity diagrams, wait time data, record of participation, etc.).

5. What did you learn about student engagement? For example, what strategies were effective with the three students you observed? What strategies were ineffective?

6. How will you apply this knowledge in your own classroom?

Focus: Adolescent Learning / Classroom Management (3 hours; on-site, school day)

Conduct an observation in an inclusion setting (grades 7-12) for a minimum of 3 hours for two primary purposes:

1) Identify and describe developmentally appropriate practices that work effectively with adolescent learners, and

2) Identify and describe classroom management procedures that are effective, or less effective, with adolescent students.

Describe the setting (class, grade level, content area, class composition) Prepare a 2 – 3 page reflective journal entry that addresses a minimum of seven of the following questions:

1) How are students seated in the classroom?

2) Describe the sequence of instructional activities [warm- up, management of homework, note type of activities (active or passive), etc.]

3) Describe how the teacher responds to off-task behaviors. 4) What is the role of co-teacher?

5) How are time and materials managed?

6) Are the schedule and instructional objective evident?

7) How are questions managed? What is the level of questioning? 8) What type of rapport does the teacher demonstrate?

9) What are the interaction patterns? 10)What is the focus of attention? 11)Describe the students’ engagement.

12)Take note of how transitions are managed from direct instruction to active learning, independent practice, or cooperative learning.

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14)How are groups formed and monitored? Are the groups’ heterogeneous, mixed ability, or ability grouped?

Focus: School-Based Extracurricular Observation (3 hours; on-site, during/after school)

This observation should be conducted during school or after school events (club meetings, athletic events, pep rallies, special programs, fundraising events, field trips, Back to School Night, etc.) for a minimum of 3 hours. Write a 1 - 2 page reflective journal entry that addresses the following questions: Write a brief introduction and description of the event and then address the questions below:

1. What types of students are attending the event? 2. What is the official purpose of the event? 3. What are intended and unintended outcomes?

4. What do notice about social interactions among students?

5. Describe the role of the adults involved and the planning that has occurred (parents, volunteers, educators).

6. What did you observe that will impact your impact your teaching?

Focus: Interview with Co-Teaching Instructors (3 hours; after school/virtual)

Interview a classroom teacher in your content area and a special educator or ESL instructor at the middle or high school level about a particular class in which they co-teach. The total time that is required for this task is a minimum of 3 hours. (Note: While it is ideal if they co-teach with one another, this is not required.). You may interview teachers before or after school, via email, via phone, or through a teacher networking site.

Suggested questions for the classroom teacher:

1. What is the grade level and age range of students in the class we are discussing? 2. What strategies do you use to meet the particular needs of adolescents?

3. What types of diversity are represented by the students in your class? (Demographics? Number of males versus females? Cultural/religious affiliations? Languages spoken? Socioeconomic levels? Special needs?)

4. What is the range of ability in the class?

5. How are identified special needs students served? 6. What types of accommodations/modifications are made? 7. Who creates the differentiated materials?

8. How do you and the special educator work together to plan instruction? 9. How do you and the special educator work together to deliver instruction? 10. Do you use any particular grouping plans? How were these developed?

11. Are there teaching strategies that you use that reflect the students' cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds?

12. Are there materials that you use that reflect a multicultural perspective?

13. What other strategies do you use to respond to the wide variability that students bring to the class?

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1. How are identified special needs students served in the class we are discussing? 2. What types of accommodations/modifications are made?

3. Who creates the differentiated materials?

4. Do any students who are not identified with special needs ever need modifications? Are they provided?

5. How do you and the classroom teacher work together to plan instruction? 6. How do you and the classroom teacher work together to deliver instruction? 7. As a future regular ed teacher, what do I need to know about co-teaching?

Focus: Interview with Adolescent(s) and Parent(s) (3 hours; after school/virtual)

Conduct an interview with adolescent student(s) and parent(s) with the objective of gaining insight into adolescent and parent perspectives about the issues they face and their views on schooling and social issues. The purpose is to increase understanding of secondary students and their families. The total time spent on this field experience is to be a minimum of 3 hours.

Adolescents/parents may be interviewed face-to-face, via phone, via email, or web technologies (i.e., Skype, Google Hangouts, etc.).

Write a 2- 3 page summary from interview findings. Confidentiality is essential, and individuals are not to be referred to by name. Questions to consider for the interview include the following:

For adolescents:

1. Do you feel safe at school?

2. How would you describe your academic performance at school? 3. What do you like about school?

4. What would you change about school? 5. What do you and your friends do for fun? 6. Describe your favorite teacher?

For parents:

1. What do you need teachers to know about your son or daughter? 2. What concerns you as a parent of a teenager?

3. Looking back at your child’s educational experiences, what was the most memorable experience, why?

EDTP 639 – READING AND MULTIPLE LITERACIES (6 s.h.)

Focus: Literacy Development (6 hours; on-site, school day)

Conduct an observation in your content area (7-12) for a full day (minimum 6 hours). Use observation forms for preparing the Observation Write-Up and, later, the Strategy Lesson I:

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 Observation Note-Taking Form (or develop your own)

 Reading Lesson Components Checklist Identify:

1. Description of context: Identify the class subject, grade level, date, time of the class period and the number of students.

2. The teacher’s purpose: What was the teacher’s purpose during these lessons, and how did he or she attempt to meet these purposes? Discuss purpose in light of the teacher’s course content. 3. Lesson components: a) Name each major reading/skill component you observed; b) Identify what

you thought to be the most effective component; c) Using the Reading Components Checklist, identify components you would like to have seen added to the lessons? If you were the teacher, what would you accomplish if you were to include one or more of the components you would add?

4. Student engagement: Which components allowed for the most student engagement/involvement? Why do you think students were engaged?

5. Implications of the lesson

Focus: Full Day Shadow of Teacher (6 hours; on-site, school day)

Shadow a teacher in your content area (grades 7-12) for a full day (minimum 6 hours, from before school begins until after the final bell). Keep track of how a teacher spends the day – not only teaching, but also attending meetings, participating in other duties (ex. hallway monitoring, lunch duty, bus duty),

collaborating with others, calling parents, fielding emails, etc. Reflect on:

1. What roles and responsibilities do teachers have in addition to providing instruction to students? 2. What is the teacher’s daily schedule?

3. How does the teacher you observed “multi-task” to accomplish his/her many responsibilities? 4. With whom (administrators, teachers, paraprofessionals, other staff members, etc.) does the

teacher you observed interact during the school day? For what purpose?

5. What interactions does the teacher have with students outside the formal classroom setting (between classes, lunch, etc.)?

Focus: Shared Observation via Video (3 hours; virtual)

This experience is completed in the LEO classroom (3 hours minimum will be required for this

assignment). Observe a discussion and demonstration featuring a guest reading teacher, which focuses on six reading comprehension strategies. Specific preparation for experience: selected readings.

After viewing the video, you will:

1. Work with Study Group team members to develop 2-3 questions to ask the reading teacher during the Field Experience #4, which is an interview with this reading teacher.

2. Inform the course instructor about participation in the interview in the LEO classroom. Note: Students participating synchronously in the interview will ask their own questions, while students who participate asynchronously will have their questions asked to the teacher by the interview moderator.

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3. For synchronous participation, students must prepare to participate in the interview directly via the live webinar.

Focus: Shared Interview via Web Conferencing (3 hours; virtual)

This experience is completed in the LEO classroom (3 hours minimum will be required for this

assignment) as follow up to Field Experience #3, students will ask questions of the guest national board-certified reading teacher, who provides answers drawn from her knowledge and experience.

After the interview, students collaborate to develop their Study Team Strategy Lessons, following directions provided separately by the EDTP 639 instructor in the LEO classroom.

Focus: Shared Observation of Strategies (3 hours; virtual)

This experience is completed in the LEO classroom (3 hours minimum will be required for this assignment). Observe a teaching demonstration on comprehension strategies. Participate in a virtual discussion led by an experienced teacher which focuses on strategies to promote literacy. Specific preparation for experience: selected readings.

Focus: Community-Based Observation (3 hours; on-site, during/after school)

Attend a community-based school event**, or visit a location, for a minimum of 3 hours. The objective of this activity is to become familiar with the different ways that school personnel interface with the community through events and field trips. Acceptable activities include school events, school field trips (such as museums, historical sites, etc.), summer/after school programs. Write a 1 - 2 page summary of the observation and be prepared to discuss the learning outcomes in a virtual conference. The write – up should the following:

1. Introduction

2. General description of the event, or location

3. Explain why you selected this event, or site, for your field experience

4. Explain what you learned as a prospective teacher from attending the observation. For example, visiting a museum, you could anticipate planning the field trip . How would you organize the visit – how does the site connect to school curriculum and objectives? What would you need to consider for transportation, chaperones, food, cost, etc.?

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Focus: Florida Virtual School (90 hours; virtual)

In this final pre-internship course, you will participate in a 90-hour practicum over ten weeks working with Florida Virtual School (FLVS), a public virtual high school. During the practicum experience, you will spend a minimum of 10 hours per week engaged in a variety of activities, including observing live lessons presented by FLVS teachers, grading, providing feedback to students, holding office hours, tutoring (small groups, one-on-one), participating in parent conferences, and presenting your own FLVS-created live lessons.

You will complete three reports throughout the practicum reflecting on the work you have done, what has gone well, what you could improve upon, and what you plan to continue to do in the experience to engage the students and support their learning. Additionally, you will log all of the time you spend on FLVS-related activities in an FLVS workbook that will be shared with you through GoogleDocs when you begin EDTP 645.

EDTP 650 – PROFESSIONAL INTERNSHIP AND SEMINAR (6 s.h.)

Focus: Full-time professional student teaching internship (80 days; on-site, school day)

Candidates will apply the concepts, techniques, methods and theories learned in previous coursework and field-based experiences. Internship activities include completing observations, activities, and engaging in clinical practice – including taking over full responsibility of classroom duties (lesson planning,

instruction, classroom management) – in an approved secondary classroom appropriate for the content area being pursued, under the supervision of a school-based mentor teacher and university field

supervisor. The internship is a full-time commitment for 80 in-school days, during which time interns are in the school five days a week from before the first bell until after the last bell. Student teaching is available in the fall and spring semesters only.