This partnership insures greater communication, collaboration, and resource sharing. Teacher candidates across the four schools attend these bi-weekly seminars to discuss issues and concerns which arise throughout the course of the semester. Topics range from ESOL and the regular education classroom, to the hiring process and experiences of the first year teacher. Beginning this semester students will have the opportunity to spend time observing and participating in classrooms at other PDS network sites. Peer Observations Teacher candidates are encouraged to develop collaborative relationships with each other in the network.
Students pair with other interns in their school and observe each other teach lessons.
During conferences they reflect, problem-solve, and develop goals for subsequent instruction. Integrated Experience Teacher candidates and teachers plan their semester in innovative ways. Traditionally, student teachers have been asked to assume full responsibility for a class during the last two weeks of the semester. However, within the network these arrangements are flexible and may be decided between cooperating teacher and intern. For example, some students chose to assume responsibility for one week early in the semester as a trial experience.