Field Courses

Field Courses

Field courses are known as Introductory Field, Pre-Professional Field and Professional Field experiences. These classes involve observing, working with, and teaching children in public schools. Which field class you take depends on the level of the children you intend to teach.

Introductory Field

Students take Introductory Field class as part of their admission requirements for entering their major program in education. Because of this, all students in Introductory Field are �Intended� majors, meaning that they have not been admitted to the major program yet via the Declaration of Major process. These are the choices.

• • EMSE 2800: Exploring Teaching/Laboratory Experiences in Multicultural Elementary School Classrooms (for students majoring in Elementary K-5)

  • EMSE 2801: Introductory Field Experiences in Subject Area Instruction K-12 (for students majoring in K-12 teacher certification)

  • EMSE 2802: Exploring Teaching/Laboratory Experiences in Multicultural Middle School Classrooms (5-8) (for students majoring in K-5�5-8 elementary/middle school certification)

The introductory field class meets for three hours per week. Generally, nine of these class meetings take place on campus, three take place in a urban school, and three take place in a suburban school. This is your first official academic step into a classroom so put your best foot forward. There are behaviors that are expected of any professional in a school and there are things that must not be done. These are detailed in the Teaching Performance Center�s Guide for Professional Laboratory Experiences: Introductory Field Experience Handbook I. Handbooks can be downloaded from the TPC website

During introductory field class, you will begin to work on your Philosophy Statement of teaching and you will begin to learn the fine art of reflection as it is used professionally in education. Also, you will complete Section 1 (Contextual Factors) of your Teacher Work Sample Portfolio. As you will learn, teachers learn new things from their first day in a classroom until their last year. Therefore, anything in the Teacher Work Sample is never completely done and is subject to revision and improvement.

You will receive several assessments in the Introductory Field class in addition to your final grade. To enter Introductory Field you must be an Intended education major. This means that your official major of record must be one of the major programs in education with Intended status.

Pre-Professional Field

Pre-professional Field classes generally meet one day per week in a school for 15 weeks. Here you observe and work with a cooperating teacher who will guide you through the activities in their classroom. Typical activities include observing and assisting the teacher with the children, planning and presenting small lessons, and finally larger lessons. Entry into Pre-professional field class is made via application to the Teaching Performance Center .

To help you understand the content, you should be enrolling in Junior Block courses along with Pre-professional Field. The appropriate courses are listed below. Pre-professional field and Junior Block classes are available only to Declared education majors.

• • EMSE 3800: Pre-professional Field Experience (K-5 certification)

    • Junior Block classes are EMSE 3123, EMSE 3140, EMSE 3903

  • EMSE 3801: Pre professional Field Experiences in Instruction in Subject Areas K-12 (K-12 teacher certification)

    • Junior Block classes are EMSE 3122, EMSE 3903, and one of the following depending on your teaching speciality: EMSE 3210, 3220, 3230, 3240 or 3250.

  • EMSE 3802: Pre professional Field Experiences in Middle School (5-8) (K-5�5-8 elementary/middle school certification)

    • Junior Block classes are EMSE 3123, EMSE 3140, EMSE 3300, EMSE 3903

Each certification program has a mandatory companion course that must be taken with Pre-professional Field class.

PRE-PROFESSIONAL FIELD AND COMPANION CLASSES

During the entirety of this pre-professional experience (field and course work) you will complete the Mini-Teacher Work Sample including the following sections of the Teacher Work Sample:

• • Section 2 (Learning Goals)

  • Section 3 (Assessment Plan)

  • Section 4 (Design for Instruction)

  • Section 5 (Instructional Decision-Making)

Professional Field

Professional Internship the final component of your field experience. The courses listed below are 9 credits and are taken with the appropriate class of Senior Seminar.

PROFESSIONAL FIELD AND SEMINAR CLASSES