Suggested guidelines for EPE5200 Professional Experience: Professional experience in schools helps to develop the professional knowledge, skills and attitudes needed for beginning teachers. The professional experience promotes learning about professional contexts, about educational settings and practices, about schools and other learning settings and most importantly about teaching and learning strategies that foster pre-service teachers (PSTs) growth and development. The following schedule is a guide to provide ideas and elaborate on the unit content and in-school learning tasks for EPE520. The schedule can be varied or added to according to the needs/situations of the school, the context and pre-service teacher. TIMELINE PRE-SERVICE TEACHER MENTOR TEACHER Before the Professional Experience Contact your mentor teacher to clarify details regarding placement and initial expectations of placement. Prepare yourself for the commitment of a school day: 20 minutes before the students start school at one hour after school finishes, depending upon the school activities Organise a timetable of days of attendance for the pre-service teacher Familiarise yourself with the requirements of the professional experience and with the assessment forms Week 1 (Days 1 – 5) & Week 2 Begin reflective journal and discuss entries with mentor teacher Introduce yourself to the children and other staff Pre-service teachers should be involved this week with: Marking attendance, yard duties Undertaking individual observations and individual summaries of children or general observations to the "student resources" tab in InSchool) to gain an understanding of the teaching context Focus on observations of the class(es), the teacher(s), the Introduce PST to the director/principal and other staff where appropriate Discuss the reflective journal with the PST. Give feedback on how you will respond to planning and teaching Give the PST opportunities to complete and discuss observations Provide access and time to discuss your observations and program as well as how you plan your program and undertake observations Allow the PST opportunities to manage lesson transitions and working with small groups draft lesson plans and provide feedback
program(s) and the resources, assisting as a co- teacher/aide in: assisting and coordinating transitions Attend staff/room meetings Prepare draft lesson plans and seek feedback Undertake further ongoing planning and daily teaching for groups/individuals. Begin discussions, planning and organisation with a focus on meeting APST 3 & 5 for planning and teaching, and assessment and reporting of student learning. Planning and teaching (with collaboration, input and feedback from mentor teacher) at least two weeks incorporating solid/fulltime teaching. Pre-service and mentor teacher discuss: the language of the profession emergent teacher identity, personal philosophies, developing and shaping philosophies/beliefs, development of positive attitudes and perceptions – culture and environment of room, routines and layout teacher and child interaction techniques fostering relationships with children, teaching strategies duty of care the Australian Curriculum policy/planning documents practices in catering for diverse learning needs At the end of Week 2 - Complete Interim Report and send to: Weeks 3, 4, Pre-service teacher’s involvement continues plus the following: Planning and teaching (with collaboration, input and feedback from mentor teacher) full days building up to a minimum of 10 sequential lessons Continue reflective journal entries Ensure that your mentor has lesson plans at least one day before they are to be taught; sequences one week ahead Manage lesson transitions, assessment of tasks, setting up for teaching and learning Research different ways of gathering Give the PST (and if necessary, CDU) feedback as to progress. (See “Reporting Degrees of Concern” procedures if necessary) Give the PST opportunities to complete and discuss planning and reflection Assist PST’s reflection through oral and written feedback on day book plans and teaching Allow the PST opportunities to teach Discuss the reflective journal with PST