Student Teaching

Dominican's Director of School and Community Partnerships will arrange all field placements. 

Candidates who are student teaching (final semester of program): 

•  Participate actively as a member of the school community for the duration of the placement

•  Receive 1-2 placements, which involves observing, preparing, teaching, and conferencing. 

• Work with a credentialed teacher; as candidates begin student teaching, mentor teachers have a substantial presence in the classroom to offer feedback, guidance, and support. As candidate transitions into lead teaching, mentor teachers may reduce  interactions to increase candidate autonomy.

• Arrange their schedules to allow for weekly meetings with mentor teachers (or support teachers for interns/permit) during their planning/conference times to review lesson plans, reflect on instruction, and focus on continuous improvement of their practice. 

Please see "Fieldwork Scheduling & Hours" section in Chapter 3 of the Teacher Preparation Handbook for additional information about fieldwork policies.

Members of The Candidate Support Team 

1.      Supervisor (University-based or Site-based)– provides 10-12 observations & participates in evaluation.

2.      Mentor Teacher – provides daily oversight, provides 5 hours per week of support/guidance & participates in final evaluation.

3.     Support Teacher- serves as primary contact to coordinate a minimum of 5 hours per week of support/guidance for candidate from school site.

4.      School Principal – approves placements and coordinates with university supervisor as needed.

5.      Content Coach (Single Subject only) - provides support specific to single subject content areas.

Characteristics of Support Team Members

Please review "Support Team Characteristics" for your role in the DU Teacher Preparation Handbook.