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University Supervisor’s Guide for Mentoring Student Teachers
Eastern Kentucky University
Introduction:
This guide is an attempt to
provide assistance to supervisors of Eastern Kentucky
University’s Student Teachers. EKU has a long and distinguished
history in providing teachers for the Commonwealth and nation.
Our program has ranked among the largest in the nation in terms
of producing teachers for the schools. Often, Eastern produces
more teachers than any university or college in Kentucky during
a given year. Our graduates can be found throughout Kentucky
and the nation serving the youth of America. We are the keepers
of the excellent tradition that the EKU College of Education
enjoys, and we strive to provide the very best supervision for
our student teachers.
Requirements for student teaching:
Our student teachers are well
prepared when they reach the student teaching site. They must
have attained an overall GPA of 2.5 and a 2.5 GPA in their
teaching area(s). We do not allow students to student teach
unless they have completed the required courses in their
program. Prior to student teaching, our students have had at
least one hundred fifty (150) hours of field experiences in
various courses preparing them to teach. Except on rare
occasions, they are not allowed to take a college class during
student teaching. They enter the student teaching experience
with an acceptable portfolio that represents a snap shot of
their work. They have had a TB test, proved negative, and a
general physical exam attesting to their good health. They
cannot student teach without the recommendations of their
college advisor and department chair. For more specific
information about the requirements for student teaching review
the student teaching HANDBOOK on our web site.
Requirements for supervisors:
We strive to provide our
student teachers with the best-qualified supervisors. Regular
EKU College of Education faculty or professors from other
departments who hold a terminal degree in their area of
specialization supervise the majority of our student teachers.
We hire a number of part-time or adjunct faculties each semester
to supervise as well. Mostly, these people are master teachers
who are skilled educators. Many are retired teachers or
administrators with many years of practical experiences in the
schools. We prefer that our supervisors become certified in the
Kentucky Teacher Internship Program (KTIP) and use the KTIP
process at least for part of the supervision process. KTIP
addresses the nine new teacher standards established for
beginning teachers in Kentucky. We believe that student
teachers can adequately address at least seven (7) of these
standards. Thus, using the KTIP process with student teachers
provides a standards-based element to our program and
familiarizes our students with the internship program they must
complete in order to be fully certified in Kentucky. Also, it
provides excellent documentation for evaluating the student’s
teaching performance.
We prefer that our supervisors
attend the seminars scheduled during student teaching. Our
student teachers must complete several assignments generated by
the seminars, and the supervisors need to know what their
student teachers are required to do.
Kentucky law requires
university supervisors of student teachers to conduct at least
four (4) formal observations of student teachers. We want at
least two of those observations to be done using the KTIP IPR
(intern performance record). Other options for observing the
teaching performance of student teachers may be left to the
discretion of the supervisor. It is important that a written
feedback be given to the student teacher, and a growth plan
should be initiated in the early stages of student teaching in
order to guide the novice teach. Again, the KTIP process
provides for both with the IPR and the growth plan format.
These instruments (the IPR and the Professional Growth Plan) may
be obtained from the Office of Professional Laboratory
Experiences.
The student teacher’s portfolio
should be reviewed and evaluated periodically. Again, using the
KTIP process allows one to incorporate the developing portfolio
as evidence of teaching performance since some standards are
best evaluated using samples from the portfolio.
Scheduling the visits to the
student teacher is the responsibility of the university
supervisor. Reimbursement must follow Kentucky and EKU
guidelines. Observation visits should be spread out so that the
student teacher is given guidance as the student teaching
experience develops.
We rely on our supervisors to
facilitate the flow of information between the university and
the student teachers. We ask supervisors to provide us
information that will assist in maintaining correct records or
data.
Cooperating Teachers:
Many excellent cooperating
teachers work in our schools and do a great job with our student
teachers. We select cooperating teachers who have the
experience and proven skills to work with our student teachers.
These teachers must have a Rank II certificate, four years of
teaching experience, and at least one-year experience at the
school where we send the student teacher. Their principal or a
central office administrator must recommend them. We endeavor
to place our student teachers with cooperating teachers who have
had training in working with student teachers. We offer KTIP
training to our cooperating teachers, a graduate level course in
supervising student teachers, and many receive training at their
school sites. In the future, we hope to offer web-based
training. Cooperating teachers are evaluated by their student
teachers, and we track these evaluations to determine which ones
to use. In addition, we often receive formal or anecdotal
information from university supervisors regarding the job done
by cooperating teachers. Kentucky law now allows cooperating
teachers to receive tuition free credit for classes at public
colleges and universities in the Commonwealth. In addition,
they receive a stipend for their work with student teachers from
the Education Professional Standards Board. We pay cooperating
teachers and the principal a modest stipend as well.
Student Teaching “Triad:”
The crucial element for the
success of the student teacher is the student teaching triad of
the university supervisor, cooperating teacher, and the novice
teacher. Research consistently shows that the cooperating
teacher has tremendous impact on the success or failure of the
student teacher. It is very important that the university
supervisor cultivates a good working relationship with
cooperating teachers, communicates our expectations for student
teachers, and invites the cooperating teacher to become a
partner in the development of the student teacher. The best
approach to take with the other members of the triad is a
“collaborative” rather than a “nondirective” or “directive”
style. Student teachers should be made to feel that they are
professionals in a cooperative endeavor aimed at advancing their
skills as a teacher. Where possible, allowing the student
teacher and/or cooperative teacher to analyze problem situations
and develop realistic plans of action will work better than
simply telling the other members of the triad what to do. The
university supervisor has to provide the emotional support often
needed by student teachers who can be overwhelmed by the normal
disappointments, stress, and adjustments to change that
accompany daily classroom instruction. Student teachers want
feedback from their supervisors, both the cooperating teacher
and their university professor. Often cooperating teachers have
difficulty criticizing student teachers, especially in a
constructive way. The university supervisor must provide the
feedback when it is not always forthcoming from the cooperating
teacher, and then work with the cooperating teacher to provide
daily and weekly evaluation, in a non-threatening manner.
Working with the Difficult Student Teacher:
For a variety of reasons, some
student teachers experience difficulty that requires immediate
attention by the university supervisor. The problems may be
related to pedagogical issues, conflicts with the cooperating
teacher, or personal issues that impact the student’s daily
classroom performance. If a student teacher is experiencing
marital strife, economic problems necessitating work outside of
school, or feelings of inadequacy, then job performance will
suffer. Whatever the reasons, the university supervisor should
address serious problems impacting the student teacher’s
performance directly and quickly. Letting issues fester will
only make the problems worse. In some cases, the university
supervisor becomes a counselor, advising the student teacher
regarding personal problems. For example, if it appears that
the problems are related to a lack of preparation, low energy,
and an unenthusiastic demeanor, maybe the novice teacher isn’t
getting enough sleep or proper nutrition. Student teachers
don’t anticipate the energy necessary to teach daily, and when
they experience the daily grind and try to maintain the same
routine of late night life in the dorm, or an after school job,
they can’t handle student teaching. Other problems may arise
because the student teacher has not mastered the art of
teaching. Areas that consistently give student teachers
difficulty are: (1) writing lesson plans, (2) matching
educational objectives with assessments that evaluate learning,
(3) providing multiple forms of assessment, (4) incorporating
technology into lesson plans, (4) classroom management, (5)
selecting relevant samples for the portfolio. Whenever
evaluations indicate poor performance, or a personal problem of
the student teacher precipitates a crisis, it is best to meet
with the student teacher, and possibly the cooperating teacher,
and try to resolve the problem. A plan of action, with defined
roles for each of the triad, should be discussed and
implemented. Monitoring the situation is necessary, and
additional visits to the school site are probably a good idea.
In cases where more help is needed, don’t hesitate to discuss
the situation with the Director of Professional Laboratory
Experiences. In some cases, it is necessary to relocate a
student teacher, but this should be done only with the full
approval of the Director.
Portfolio Process:
Student teachers are required
to develop a portfolio during their experience. The purpose of
the portfolio is to document, through samples of activities and
lessons, their work with children that contributes to learning.
Student teachers must have an acceptable portfolio, developed
during their undergraduate program, as a prerequisite to student
teaching. The task of the student teacher is to extend and/or
convert their undergraduate portfolio into a “show” portfolio
he/she can use to interview for jobs that accurately portrays
himself or herself as a teacher. During student teaching the
portfolio is useful for evaluating teaching performance since
several of the new teacher standards lend themselves to
evaluation using portfolio documentation. The KTIP process
requires evaluation using the portfolio. Student teachers need
guidance in preparing the portfolio, especially organizing it
and deciding what to put into it. Often cooperating teachers
don’t provide much guidance in this area, so it becomes very
important that the university supervisor assist the student
teacher with the portfolio. The Elementary/Middle School Packet
accessible to student teachers provides guidelines regarding
what samples to put into a portfolio that address each of the
nine new teacher standards. The best way to organize the
portfolio is to set up a section for each of the nine standards
and then feed each section with documents. Some of the samples
in the undergraduate portfolio may still be useful. For
example, the student’s educational philosophy, or the classroom
management plan, may still work during student teaching and can
be retained in the portfolio. Or, a student teacher may revise
his/her ideas on classroom management and then change the plan.
Student teachers must present an acceptable portfolio that
addresses the nine standards, approved by the cooperating teacher(s) (some students have two cooperating teachers) and the
university supervisor in order to pass student teaching.
Evaluation of Student Teachers:
University supervisors are
responsible for the final grade of the student teachers under
their supervision, in accordance with the policies of EKU. This
means that a mid term grade and a final grade must be entered
into the university computer system. Grades for student
teaching are recorded as satisfactory (S), unsatisfactory (U),
or incomplete (I). The Banner system only recognizes
supervisors whose students are enrolled in their section of ELE/ESE/SED/CRF/
499, which is the student teaching course. Therefore, the
supervisor enters the grades. Once gaining access to the
system, the supervisor can enter grades from a computer at home
that connects to the Internet. Using the system is simple, once
the person is logged in. The university supervisor is
responsible to make sure that the cooperating teacher completes
weekly evaluations and a mid term evaluation which are shared
with the student teacher. The final evaluation must be
completed by the cooperating teacher, the university supervisor,
and properly signed by the student teacher before it is returned
to the Office of Professional Laboratory Experiences. The
Director should be notified if there is a possibility that a
student teacher will receive a “U” or an “I” for the mid term or
the final evaluations. In all cases, proper documentation
should be maintained in case a student challenges a grade.
Absences or Extended Illnesses:
Student teachers must report
any absences to their cooperating teacher and their university
supervisor. In the cases of excessive absences by a student
teacher, the university supervisor should contact the Director.
Each situation will be analyzed on a case-by-case basis. In the
event that excessive absences or an extended illness
necessitates that the student teacher must extend the period of
student teaching, then the Director will notify the student
teacher in writing. It is very important that the university
supervisor and the Director confer before requiring a student
teacher to be extended.
Travel:
The Office of Professional
Laboratory Experiences processes requests for travel
reimbursement consistent with the policies of Eastern Kentucky
University. Requests for university vehicles should be made
through this office. Travel reimbursement must be requested
using the EKU travel voucher obtained from the EKU web site.
The Director should approve any overnight expenses in advance.
University supervisors should file travel reimbursement requests
in a timely manner and not wait until the end of the semester.
What Do I Have to Turn In?
Listed below are the pertinent
forms that university supervisors are responsible for:
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Location Form : Lists the exact names of the
student teachers and the cooperating teachers.
-
Request for travel : Filed through the Office of
Professional Laboratory Experiences to secure a university
vehicle for travel to student teaching sites. Several weeks’
notice is necessary in order to secure a vehicle.
-
Travel Reimbursement Form : Secured from EKU
website. Filed in the Office of Professional Laboratory
Experiences. Mileage must correspond to the chart provided on
the EKU website. Must be signed and dated.
-
Portfolio Exit Form : Verifies the completion of
the student teacher’s portfolio. Must be signed by both
cooperating teachers for those having a split assignment and the
university supervisor.
-
Cooperating Teacher Voucher : Cooperating teachers
receive a “voucher” from the Kentucky Department of Education
that they must send back to KDE for verification of their
service in order to receive the stipend from the state. This
form requires the signature of the school principal, the
cooperating teacher, and a university representative.
Supervisors may sign this form to verify the cooperating
teachers’ service.
-
Cooperating Teacher Program Evaluation : Each
semester we collect surveys from cooperating teachers regarding
Eastern’s teacher education program. The various departments
analyze these data in order to make program changes.
Supervisors should make sure that cooperating teachers have a
copy of this survey and remind them to mail it to the Office Of
Professional Laboratory Experiences. The survey is given to
student teachers for dispersal to the cooperating teachers and
should be online at the Office of Professional Laboratory
Experiences website.
Program Evaluation:
At the last seminar student
teachers evaluate their cooperating teachers and their
university supervisors. We track the data on the cooperating
teachers, which are used in making decisions regarding the
selection of future cooperating teachers. We compile the data
on each university supervisor and maintain these records in the
Office Of Professional Laboratory Experiences where university
supervisors may view them. Student teachers also complete an
evaluation of their program area, and these data are shared with
particular departments in the College of Education.
Contacts:
Dr. Bruce D. Bonar, Director (E-mail:
Bruce.Bonar@EKU.EDU)
Office of Professional Laboratory
Experiences
Eastern Kentucky University
521 Lancaster Avenue
Combs 425
Richmond, Kentucky 40475
Phone: 859-622-1544
Fax: 859-6221546
Office of Professional Laboratory
Experiences Website:
Go to EKU Home Page, Academics, Education,
Professional Laboratory Experiences
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