Teacher Candidate Quick Start Guide

This quick start guide is for students in the undergraduate and graduate teacher licensure programs.

Term 1 Overview

Required student teaching hours:

Undergraduate, elementary: 2 ½ days per week.
Undergraduate, secondary: 20 hours per week.
Graduate, elementary: 4 hours per day.
Graduate, secondary: 4 hours per day.

During the first term, you will gather information about the school district, local community, and the classroom in which you’ve been placed.

In the first four weeks of the term, you should plan on spending approximately one and a half days per week in the clinical teacher’s classroom and one day per week observing in a total of four diverse settings. Examples of diverse settings include Title I, ESOL, Special Education, observing a counselor, and shadowing a specialist teacher (e.g. music, physical education, technology, art).

During the remaining weeks of the term, you will spend all two and a half days (or 20 hours) in your clinical teacher’s classroom.

There will be one week in the third month of the term when you will be in the classroom full-time. During this week, you will teach a lesson(s).

Term 1 General Responsibilities

Actively observe in the classroom for the required hours.
Have weekly 15-minute meetings with your clinical teacher to plan for the week, get informal feedback, and ask questions.
Interact with students on an informal basis (e.g. learn their names, begin to assess academic and social strengths and challenges, ask about their interests).
Work with individual students and facilitate small group activities in a variety of content areas.
Attend faculty meetings and participate in Professional Learning Community (“PLC”) meetings when possible.

Term 1 To Do’s

Attend a start-of-term meeting with your clinical teacher and university supervisor for an orientation on term 1 requirements. During the meeting, you should:

Exchange contact information.
Go over the term 1 quick start guide for each role to make sure you all understand what’s expected.
Set up a schedule with the clinical teacher to actively observe in the classroom for the required hours.
Set up a schedule with your clinical teacher to observe in four diverse settings.

Plan, teach, and assess a whole group lesson(s), as assigned by your cohort leaders.
Coordinate with your clinical teacher to schedule two formal observations of one lesson.

Meet with your clinical teacher before the lesson they’re observing to discuss your plan.
Email lesson plans to your clinical teacher at least five business days prior to teaching a lesson.
Plan a 20-30 minute debriefing session with your clinical teacher after the lesson they observed to get feedback.
Upload your observation form to Canvas after your debriefing session.

Coordinate with your university supervisor to schedule two formal observations of one lesson.

Email lesson plans to your university supervisor at least five business days prior to teaching a lesson. Use feedback given to adjust lesson plans before your observation.
Plan a 20-30 minute debriefing session with your university supervisor after the lesson they observed to get feedback.
Upload your observation form to Canvas after your debriefing session.

Complete the Educator Readiness Scale (ERS) form and participate in a summative (end-of-term) consensus meeting with your clinical teacher and university supervisor. You should upload your Educator Readiness Scale form in Canvas prior to the meeting. You should also email both your’s and your clinical teacher’s ERS to your university supervisor before the day of your summative (end-of-term) consensus meeting.

Term 2 Overview

Required student teaching hours:

Undergraduate, elementary: 2 ½ days per week.
Undergraduate, secondary: 20 hours per week.
Graduate, elementary: At least 4 hours per day.
Graduate, secondary: At least 4 hours per day.

During the second term, you will continue your work from term 1 (usually with the same cooperating teacher) and complete WOUTPA requirements.

There will be two weeks in the last month of the term when you will be in the classroom full-time. During these weeks, you will teach a unit of instruction, including what’s required for WOUTPA (literacy instruction for elementary candidates and content area instruction for secondary candidates).

Term 2 General Responsibilities

Be in the classroom for the required hours.
Have weekly 30-minute meetings with your clinical teacher to plan for the week, get informal feedback, and ask questions.
Start taking on more planning and teaching responsibilities.
Work with students 1-1, in small groups, and teach whole group lessons.
Be involved as a professional in the school community (e.g. attend faculty meetings, staff development days, PLC meetings, and student conferences).

Term 2 To Do’s

Attend a start-of-term meeting with your clinical teacher and university supervisor for an orientation on term 2 requirements. During this meeting, you should:

Go over the term 2 quick start guide for each role to make sure you all understand what’s expected.
Set up a schedule with your clinical teacher to work in the classroom for the required hours.
Discuss WOUTPA timeline plan, teach, and assess a whole group lesson(s).

Coordinate with your clinical teacher to schedule two formal observations of one lesson prior to full-time weeks.

Meet with your clinical teacher before the lesson they’re observing to discuss your plan.
Email lesson plans to your clinical teacher at least five business days prior to teaching a lesson. (Google Doc is preferred for offering feedback)
Plan a 20-30 minute debriefing session with your clinical teacher after the lesson they observed to get feedback.
Upload your observation form to Canvas after your debriefing session.

Coordinate with your university supervisor to schedule two formal observations of one lesson prior to full-time weeks.

Email lesson plans to your university supervisor at least five business days prior to teaching a lesson. (Google Doc is preferred for offering feedback)
Plan a 20-30 minute debriefing session with your university supervisor after the lesson they observed to get feedback.
Upload your observation form to Canvas after your debriefing session.

Plan, teach, and assess a unit of instruction based on guidelines given by your seminar leaders. As part of this, you should:

Collaborate with your clinical teacher on the content, planning, and implementation of the unit.
Upload lesson plans to Canvas at least five days prior to teaching the unit for feedback from your university supervisor.

Coordinate with your clinical teacher to schedule two formal observations of one lesson in the unit.

Meet with your clinical teacher before the lesson they’re observing to discuss your plan.
Plan a 20-30 minute debriefing session with your university supervisor after the lesson they observed to get feedback.
Upload your observation form to Canvas after your debriefing session.

Coordinate with your university supervisor to schedule two formal observations of one lesson in the unit of instruction.

Email lesson plans to your university supervisor at least five business days prior to teaching a lesson. Use feedback given to adjust lesson plans before your observation. (Google Doc is preferred for offering feedback)
Plan a 20-30 minute debriefing session with your university supervisor after the lesson they observed to get feedback.
Upload your observation form to Canvas after your debriefing session.

Complete the Educator Readiness Scale (ERS) form and participate in a summative (end-of-term) consensus meeting with your clinical teacher and university supervisor. You should upload your Educator Readiness Scale form in Canvas prior to the meeting. Email your ERS to your university supervisor before the day of your summative (end-of-term) consensus meeting.

Term 3 Overview

Required student teaching hours: Full-time for 10 weeks (all programs). It’s your final term of student teaching! During this term, you’ll teach a unit of instruction around the middle of the term.

Term 3 General Responsibilities

Be in the classroom full-time for 10 weeks.
Take over all classroom responsibilities full time for 3 weeks. Leading up to full time weeks, begin teaching more in order to be ready to teach full-time.
Have biweekly 30-minute meetings with your clinical teacher to plan, get informal feedback, and ask questions.
Take a leadership role in the daily planning, teaching, and managing of the class.
Continue to be involved as a professional in the school community (e.g. attend faculty meetings, staff development days, PLC meetings, and student conferences).

Term 3 To Do’s

Attend a start-of-term meeting with your clinical teacher and university supervisor for an orientation on term 3 requirements. During this meeting, you should:

Go over the term 3 quick start guide for each role to make sure you all understand what’s expected.
Set up a schedule with your clinical teacher to work in the classroom for the required hours.

Plan, teach, and assess a whole group lesson(s)/unit.
Coordinate with your clinical teacher to schedule two formal observations of one lesson prior to full-time weeks.

Meet with your clinical teacher before the lesson they’re observing to discuss your plan.
Email lesson plans to your clinical teacher at least five business days prior to teaching a lesson.
Plan a 20-30 minute debriefing session with your clinical teacher after the lesson they observed to get feedback.
Upload your observation form to Canvas after your debriefing session.

Coordinate with your university supervisor to schedule two formal observations of one lesson prior to full-time weeks.

Email lesson plans to your university supervisor at least five business days prior to teaching a lesson.
Plan a 20-30 minute debriefing session with your university supervisor after the lesson they observed to get feedback.
Upload your observation form to Canvas after your debriefing session.

Plan, teach, and assess a unit of instruction. As part of this, you should:

Collaborate with your clinical teacher on the content, planning, and implementation of the unit.
Upload lesson plans to Canvas at least five days prior to teaching the unit.

Coordinate with your clinical teacher to schedule two formal observations of one lesson in the unit.

Meet with your clinical teacher before the lesson they’re observing to discuss your plan.
Plan a 20-30 minute debriefing session with your university supervisor after the lesson they observed to get feedback.
Upload your observation form to Canvas after your debriefing session.

Coordinate with your university supervisor to schedule two formal observations of one lesson in the unit of instruction.

Email lesson plans to your university supervisor at least five business days prior to teaching a lesson. Use feedback given to adjust lesson plans before your observation.
Plan a 20-30 minute debriefing session with your university supervisor after the lesson they observed to get feedback.
Upload your observation form to Canvas after your debriefing session.

Complete the Educator Readiness Scale (ERS) and participate in a formative (mid-term) consensus meeting with your cooperating teacher and university supervisor. You should fill out your Educator Readiness Scale form in Canvas prior to the consensus meeting.
Complete the Educator Readiness Scale form and participate in a summative (end-of-term) consensus meeting with your cooperating teacher and university supervisor. You should fill out your Educator Readiness Scale form in Canvas prior to the consensus meeting.
If needed, ask for a letter of recommendation or ask your University Supervisor and Clinical Teacher to serve as a reference for when you apply for teaching positions so they are aware they will complete district online recommendation forms.

College of Education

Richard Woodcock Education Center

Phone: (503) 838-8471

Email: education@wou.edu