Clinical Experiences

Clinical experiences are sequenced and scaffolded as candidates move through a Teacher Education Program.  The experiences are intended to begin with structured observations in the classroom and culminate in the candidate's full engagement in the professional activities of planning, instructional delivery, and assessment. Candidates will be required to complete Clinical Experiences in any of the following categories: 

All candidates must complete a background check prior to their first clinical experience visit to a school. Visit the Background Check Instructions page for more information.

Clinical Experience Placement Policy

Candidates will receive clinical placements as required by each professor. Placement from the Clinical Experience Coordinator will only be given to candidates that complete the Clinical Experience Request Form.

• Candidates may secure their own placement if approved by a course instructor. In order to ensure that self-placement is acceptable, candidates should speak with the course instructor or Clinical Experience Coordinator as needed.

A full list of partner schools candidates may visit to conduct clinical experiences can be found on the Partner School page. Candidates may request a specific school, area or community (as provided by the Clinical Experience Coordinator), but candidates should not remain with the same placement for consecutive pre-residency semesters. Candidates should ensure that they are exposed to a variety of grade levels and/or subject areas within their certification area throughout their time in a program.

Candidates are expected to adhere to all Clinical Experience Guidelines. A placement may be terminated due to any problem created by the candidate.

Placement Process Overview

1.  Candidates Request Placement using the Clinical Experience Placement Request Form

2. The Clinical Experience Coordinator (Mrs. Crawford) contacts school principals or district personnel to request placement for candidates.

3. School principals communicate with teachers to select placements for candidates.

4. School principals send placements to the Clinical Experience Coordinator. 

5. The Clinical Experience Coordinator sends placements to each candidate.

6. Candidates are responsible for contacting the teacher directly to coordinate and schedule classroom visits. The candidate should provide the teacher with some information about the requirements of their clinical experience.

   • Candidates must follow the teacher's direction and schedule for all planned visits.

7. Candidates continue to work with their placement teacher for the remainder of the semester as needed to complete clinical experiences.

*NOTE: Because there are a variety of factors that impact placement, it may take up to 1 - 2 weeks for a candidate to hear back about their placement. If a candidate is not contacted after several weeks, they should email the Clinical Experience Coordinator to inquire about their placement status.

Guidelines for Clinical Experiences

Partner Teacher Contact

1. After receiving your placement, visit the school's website to locate an email address that can be used to contact the teacher. If an email address can not be located, call the school's number to obtain the teacher's email address from the administrative and/or leave a message for the teacher at the school. 

2. Contact the partner teacher within one to two weeks of receiving a placement. Candidates should not expect the principal or partner teacher to make initial contact. If you have difficulty contacting the partner teacher via email, contact the school by calling the phone number listed on the school's website. Let the administrative assistant know that you need to get in touch with your placement teacher.

   • In your initial email or phone call, introduce yourself and briefly describe the clinical experience you will need to complete in their class. Include some potential dates/times you are available to complete the experiences so that they can let you know when you can visit.

3. Upon entering the partner school, introduce yourself, be courteous, and present  any documentation from the professor assigning the clinical experience you are conducting.

   • Provide your partner teacher with information about your clinical experience requirements.  Explain the type of activity you will need to complete and the amount of time you expect to be in the classroom.

4. Be flexible when scheduling times for clinical experiences with the partner teacher. Remember that you are a guest in the school and in the teacher's classroom. 

5. If possible, candidates should avoid missing class to conduct clinical experiences. Conducting a clinical experience visit during class times should only be done as a last resort.

6. If there are complications, inform the Clinical Experience Coordinator as soon as possible, so that the problem can be solved.

   • If you are having extreme difficulty getting in touch with your partner teacher, let the clinical experience coordinator know via email. Please ensure that you have pursued every option prior to contacting the clinical experience coordinator for assistance.

Expectations of Candidates During Clinical Experiences

During clinical experiences, candidate appearance and manner should reflect favorably upon the teaching profession. Candidates are to remember that they represent the university and the teaching profession and serve as models for P - 12 students at all times.

• During clinical experiences, candidates will be viewed as a teacher by many stakeholders in the partner schools they visit. Candidates should ensure that their dress, attitude, and behavior are appropriate for P - 12 school settings.

• Candidates are to adhere to the Clinical Experience Dress Code and the Code of Behavior addressed in the following sections.

• Candidates should be prompt for all scheduled clinical experiences. Always report directly to the school office unless otherwise instructed. Candidates should introduce themselves as a Nicholls Education Candidate and present documentation from the professor assigning the clinical experience (if applicable). Candidates will likely be required to present a license or official photo ID in order to allowed into the school.

• If a candidate is unable to keep a commitment (due to extreme circumstances), they should contact the partner teacher as soon as possible in advance and/or call the school in advance and ask them to inform the partner teacher.  The candidate will also be expected to contact the partner teacher to reschedule the clinical experience.

• Candidates should always remember that they are a guest in the school.  Do not criticize the school, staff, or students in any way.

Clinical Experience Dress Code

Candidates will maintain their person and clothing in a modest, clean, and orderly manner that reflects pride in self and the University.  These guidelines are designed to assist candidates in setting a standard for their personal appearance which can indirectly affect attitude, behavior, and the learning process within an assigned partner school.

1. Overall Dress

   • Patches, symbols, writings, etc. which are vulgar or offensive will not be allowed.  Words that advertise alcohol, cigarettes and/or drugs are prohibited.

   • Hats or caps will not be worn inside the school buildings.

   • Unless prescribed by a doctor, dark glasses or any type of sunglasses will not be worn in school buildings.

2. Pants/Skirts/Shorts/Skorts

   • Skirt slits (long or short skirt) should not extend higher than four inches above the back crease of the knee.

   • Shorts, of any kind, should not be worn, with the exception of teaching P.E.

   • Blue jeans should not be worn at any time unless it is explicitly discussed with a partner teacher and is approved by a specific school. DO NOT wear jeans during an initial visit to any school site.

3. Shoes: Slippers, flip flops, beach shoes or cleats are not allowed.

4. Jewelry: Jewelry permission guidelines will follow the policy of each individual school district that candidates visit. If you are not sure if something is allowed, do not wear it. Jewelry requiring body piercing, such as nose rings, eyebrow rings, lip rings, cheek rings, tongue rings, etc. may not be permitted in certain schools or school districts. It is the candidate's responsibility to determine if an item of jewelry is allowed in their placement school prior to the initial school visit.

Clinical Experience Code of Conduct

It is the goal of the Nicholls Department of Teacher Education to have candidates conduct clinical experiences in a manner that will provide an orderly process of education and that will ensure the safety and welfare of all students who attend these schools.  When the behavior of a candidate comes in conflict with the rights of others, corrective actions may be necessary both for the benefit of the candidate and the school involved.

The College of Education and Behavioral Sciences and the Partner Schools are in agreement that candidates in violation of this policy will not be allowed to complete clinical experiences in the partner schools.

Behavior

1. No candidate is to eat, drink, or chew gum while in a partner teacher's classroom. If a candidate will be conducting clinical experiences during the school's lunchtime, they may bring money to purchase a school lunch or bring their own prepared lunch. (Reminder: many schools do not allow any products containing peanut butter in order to ensure that those with extreme allergies are protected. Please consider this and other factors when packing a lunch.)

2. The use of offensive or vulgar language on or around the school campus and/or classroom is prohibited.

3. The candidate is prohibited from displaying any behavior that interrupts or distorts the learning taking place within the schools and/or classrooms.

4. External Devices: The use of cell phones and other mobile devices is prohibited on the partner school campus with the exception of extreme circumstances. Devices may be used to teach specific lesson components; however, a discussion with the partner teacher should take place prior to utilizing devices when implementing lessons.

Criteria and Process for Removal

Candidates may be removed from clinical experience placements if any of the following occur:

• The candidate violates any College of Education and Behavioral Sciences policy concerning the teacher education program.

• The candidate violates policies of the partner school, professional development school, or the school board.

• The performance and/or actions of the candidate are detrimental to the welfare of the pupils as agreed upon by the partner teacher, principal, university professor, and/or Coordinator of Clinical Experiences.

Process for Removal

• The university professor, partner teacher, principal, school board personnel will inform the Coordinator of Clinical Experiences or course instructor with any areas of concern.  The clinical Experience Coordinator or course instructor will meet with the relevant personnel to determine if the candidate needs to be removed or the appropriate plan of action to pursue.