Each semester, the Field Placement Office arranges student teaching orientation meetings, during which students have the opportunity to inquire about general requirements, and speak to faculty about school sites. Students will be assigned to schools with which NYU has established relationships over time.

**The Field Placement Office will notify students of their elementary drama placements prior to the start of the semester, but students will not contact their mentor teacher until after their faculty field supervisor sets up an initial meeting for them. For the secondary social studies placement, students will follow the guidance they receive from the Field Placement Office.

While the amount of time spent in a school may vary from one semester to the other, students will spend no fewer than 20 hours per week for each week of the semester, distributed over multiple days, in their assigned school.  All students must complete a minimum of 70 days student teaching. 

Students in secondary education must be at the school each day their assigned class meets (typically five days per week). All programs expect students to assume increasing teaching responsibilities over time, eventually assuming primary responsibility of at least one classroom period per day. All student-teaching placements are supervised by NYU faculty.

Below, you will find expectations for Elementary Drama Student Teaching Placements. For students in the dual certification programs for English (ETED) or Social Studies (ETSS), you must contact the Office of School and Community Partnership to obtain their expectations for student teaching placements, as their student teaching placements are governed by the Department of Teaching and Learning, not the Program in Educational Theatre. 

Expectations for Elementary Drama Student Teaching Placements

1. All students enrolled in MPAET-GE 2174 are placed in an elementary setting (grades Pre-K-6).

2. Emerging teachers are expected to be in their placements 3 full days or 5 half days (approx. 20 hours per week) from the start of NYU’s semester through to the last days of classes. Emerging teachers are expected to follow the calendar for their field placement school. (Students teach through NYU breaks if they do not correspond with their placement school’s breaks.)

3. If an emerging teacher needs to be absent because of an illness or an emergency they MUST contact their mentor teacher, the NYU field supervisor, and the seminar instructor prior to the scheduled beginning of the school day. All parties should be sure to exchange appropriate contact information (email, school phone, home/mobile phone) to help facilitate communication.

4. Emerging teachers in educational theatre are working to teach drama/theatre techniques and skills in the theatre classroom. They are specialists trained in using drama and theatre techniques as teaching tools. They have a broad understanding of the elementary classroom experience; however, mentor teachers should introduce and review the curriculum used in each of the subject areas addressed in a given classroom.

5. Mentor teachers should review their own classroom management styles as well as the school’s disciplinary code with their student teachers.

6. Emerging teachers are required to teach both stand-alone lessons (at least 40 minutes) and one or more mini-units (five lessons). During these experiences, the mentor teacher should turn the class over to the emerging teacher, but remain in the room for support. The lessons and the unit may be linked to the classroom curriculum if it is not a theatre class, but they must use theatre terminology, skills, and exercises to explore those curricular areas. Please note that a warm up exercise does not constitute a dramatic activity.  

7. An NYU field supervisor will be assigned to each emerging student and will visit the classroom twice.  During the first visit, the mentor teacher and supervisor will observe the emerging teacher teaching one of the lessons from the mini-unit. During the second visit, the emerging teacher will be observed teaching either a stand-alone lesson or one lesson from an additional mini-unit. Immediately following both lessons, the emerging teacher, the mentor teacher, and the field supervisor will meet in a triad discussion to debrief the lesson. These discussions generally last for approximately 20 to 30 minutes. Therefore, observations should be scheduled just prior to a teacher preparation period.  The emerging teacher is responsible for scheduling these observations with the field supervisor and the mentor teacher. 

8. Emerging teachers are required to submit all lesson plans to their mentor teachers for feedback well in advance of teaching the lessons. The emerging teacher and the mentor teacher should come to an agreement about what constitutes “well in advance.” Observed lessons must also be submitted to the field supervisor at least 24 hours in advance of the observation.

9. NYU field supervisors will check in with mentor teachers, seminar instructors, and emerging teachers throughout the semester to monitor progress. Mentor teachers are encouraged to contact NYU field supervisors with questions or concerns as they arise.

Return to the Handbook Homepage

• Ed Theatre MA Handbook Homepage

ETSS Pages

• ETSS MA - Educational Theatre with Initial Certification in Theatre, All Grades and Social Studies, 7-12

  • ETSS Curriculum

  • ETSS - Sample Programs of Study

  • ETSS - Fieldwork Observation

  • Ed Theatre Teacher Performance Assessment (TPA)