Methods Course Partnership Schools

Recommendations and Framework for

developing the Program

 

 

Goal: To develop stronger relationships with schools where students are placed for their 20-hour field experience/service required for methods courses. The initial goal is to develop relations with schools that fit the NCATE standard three of acceptable collaborations.

 

Recommendation: Currently all students must complete a total of between 580 and 610 hours in a school setting before being eligible for licensure. This includes 60 hours for core classes, 40 hours in secondary methods or 70 hours for elementary, and 480 hours for student teaching. Each one of these levels requires different activities, with the core classes asking for a minimal amount of direct teaching and assessment, while student teaching requires activities that are expected of full time teachers. Therefore it is advisable to develop relationships with schools and classrooms based on the course requirements. This would broaden the amount of schools that Augsburg has relations with while allowing to focus on building stronger relations with appropriately partnered school.

Responsibilities for placement:

Core classes – Course instructor or Service Learning Department (Merrie Benasutti)

Methods courses – Course instructor or Chris Brown

Student teaching – Barbara West and advisor

 

The following steps should be implemented in order to develop stronger relations with schools in regards to the methods course requirements.

 

Step 1 – Consistent approach to Field Experience outcomes

1. All professors (WEC) should clearly state in their course syllabus the expectation of 20 hour fieldwork experience. Must stress that this is to be active participation rather than merely an observation. (Hyland example)
2. All methods course teachers (adjunct and fulltime faculty) develop the framework within their syllabus for their classroom experience. This would provide consistency as well as help develop stronger relations with partner schools. Recommend that the framework include:
1. Minimal initial observation – getting to know the classroom
2. Tutoring or helping small learning groups – getting to know the students
3. Develop a lesson or small unit to be delivered to a small learning group or an entire class
4. Implement the lesson
5. Suggest videotaping if possible
6. Assess the lesson- develop tools and give students feedback
7. Reflect on classroom experience – Journal, collage, etc
8. All class reflect / debrief near the end of the course (ideal would be a weekly debrief of previous weeks experience)
3. All classroom experience should be part of the students final assessment / grade.

 

 

 

 

Step 2 – Targeting partner schools

1. Identify urban and first ring suburban schools to target as partners. The first concentration would be on Minneapolis schools. These may differ from the identified schools for the orientation and core education courses. (urban education, etc.) Possibly look at a few out-state sites in communities such as Rochester, or other areas where WEC students may be coming from.
2. Choose a variety of schools based upon geographic location, school diversity (racial, socio-economic, cultural, etc.) approaches to teaching and learning, past history with school, willingness to develop partnerships, etc. While many WEC students come from further away and find it difficult to come to some of the identified schools, pressure should be placed on them to work in one of these schools. If that is impossible it would then be their responsibility to find an appropriate placement in their area.
3. Contact appropriate placement people (i.e. volunteer coordinator, Title 1 coordinators, APs etc.) in targeted schools
4. Gather feedback from targeted schools and begin dialogue with each school on schools expectations. At the same time the expectations that are placed on Augsburg students would be addressed. Share a typical syllabus with the schools
5. Develop a placement plan with the school for students coming into the partner school at the beginning of each Augsburg term. This plan would include the number of students per term, appropriate classrooms and staff to work with, appropriate learning activities, etc.
6. Bring the participating teachers into the dialogue.
7. Place students in the partnered school

 

Step 3 – Solidify placements

1. After the term and placement has begun begin to gather feedback from cooperating teachers. The assessment and feedback forms already exist but may need to be altered based on partnership schools needs and course requirements.
2. Visit school and classroom at least once during the term.
3. At the end of term gather the feedback from cooperating teachers, Augsburg students and the learners they worked with.
4. Meet with each partner school (volunteer coordinator and cooperating teachers) at the end of the term to discuss the feedback and to plan for next term. This would include looking at the next term schedule and looking at the classes where there will be needs.

Step 4- Developing a strong (targeted) relationship

1. Work with the partnered schools to develop a series of workshops that would support the effective use of teacher candidates and other volunteers in the classroom. These workshops would offer cooperating teachers appropriate CEUs.
2. Host a series of open discussions with partnered schools and Augsburg faculty for the purpose of the faculty to hear the reality and concerns of P-12 teachers.

 

Where are we currently?

1. There is still a wide variety of requirements and understanding of the requirements for the field experience in the current methods course syllabi. This leads to a bit of confusion amongst students being placed and partnered schools. It is also more difficult to articulate the requirements to the partner schools.
2. The full time faculty have developed their own relations with schools and classrooms, while the WEC students tend to be spread out much more. There is little or no dialogue between WEC faculty and the schools they are placed in.

 

 

Schools sites that have been visited and plans around partnership issues, successful student placements, classroom expectations, and future possibilities have been discussed with appropriate staff. These schools all have had student placements.

 

Minneapolis Schools                                                   Other Schools

Richard Green K-8                                                      St. Paul Family Learning Center

Annes Sullivan k-8                                                      Parkview K-8 (Roseville)

Foplwell Middle School                                              Eden Prairie (District level)

Marcy Open                                                                Crosswinds Middle (Woodbury)

Barton Open                                                                Ellis Middle (Austin MN)

Dowling Urban

Seward Montesorri

Field / Hale

Southside Family

El Colegio Charer (9-12)