The Comprehensive Guide to Working with Student Teachers: Tools and Templates to Support Reflective Professional Growth

This is a must-have resource for clinical and field experience coordinators and all educators who find themselves in the position of guiding teacher candidates. The authors provide a comprehensive toolkit for the complex work of field instruction, including mentoring approaches; conversation stems; conferencing techniques; lesson debriefing questions; understandings of programmatic goals; observation, assessment, and feedback methods; and more. They also demonstrate how to use video viewing and conferencing to adapt support for candidate growth in digital environments. The book clearly defines what field instruction entails and show how to move from a pre-prescribed technical approach toward one that fosters candidates' abilities to embody the roles of empowered, self-directed, and agentic teachers. With the help of this text, new and seasoned teacher educators will guide candidates to not only learn how to meaningfully reflect on practice, but also internalize these competencies for their own future professional development and continuous self-improvement. Chapters are accessibly written and filled with concrete examples, tips, worksheets, and activities. Book Features: Clear directions, tools, templates, and protocols for how to do the job of field instruction. A "Voices from the Field" chapter with practical advice from field instructors across multiple programs. Annotated sample conversation with candidates.

Table of Contents:
Contents Acknowledgments xi Introduction 1 Focus on Empowerment 2 Social Justice and Equity 3 How Do I UseThis Book? 5 1. What Is Field Instruction? 11 Field Instructor or Supervisor: What’s In a Name? 11 Purpose of Field Instruction 12 Necessary Conditions to Support Candidate Learning 15 “Seeing” Growth Competence, Collaborative Expertise, and Adaptive Teaching Expertise 17 2. Roles and Responsibilities:  Bridging the PK12–University Divide 19 Introduction 19 Key Roles and Responsibilities of Field Instructors 19 Field Instructor as Coach 21 Field Instructor as Broker 25 Field Instructor as Humanizing Pedagogue 30 3. Orienting Your Teacher Candidate to Student Teaching 34 Introduction 34 Pitfall 1: Candidate Does Not See the Practicum as a Course    Governed by Clear Expectations 34 Pitfall 2: Candidate Believes the Myth That Teachers Are “Born to Be Great” 43 Pitfall 3: Candidate Is Overwhelmed Before the Experience Starts 48 Pitfall 4: Candidate Makes Assumptions About the School and the Surrounding Community 51 Pitfall 5: Candidate Does Not Feel a Sense of Belonging 56 Pitfall 6: Candidate’s Decisionmaking Is Unprofessional 58 Pitfall 7: Candidate’s Communication Is Unprofessional  61 4. Helping Candidates Audit and Explore Their Professional Emotional Needs 65 Introduction 65 Wait, I’m Not a Mental Health Counselor. I’m Not Qualified to Unpack Emotions With My Candidate! 65 Teacher Candidates’ Professional Emotional Needs 66 Okay, I’m With You. So, How Do I Do That? 67 Really Though, How Important Is Unpacking Emotionality? It Feels Too Touchy- Feely 71 What Are You Talking About? I Need an Example! 73 Wow, That Sounds Great, But I Don’t Have Time for All That 78 5. Tools for Observation 82 Introduction 82 From the “Trip Sheet”’ to the Framework: Paradigm Shifts in Field Instruction 82 Getting Started: The Pre-Observation Conference 84 Selecting an Observation Instrument 85 6. Post-Observation Debriefing Conference 99 Introduction 99 What Do Candidates Learn From My Feedback? 100 One-on-One Conferencing After Observing a Lesson 104 The Protocol: A Living, Breathing, and Ever-Changing Document 106 7. Assessing Lesson Effectiveness 119 Introduction 119 The Problem With University-Based Evaluation Forms for Summative Evaluation 120 The Problem With University-Based Evaluation Forms for Formative Evaluation 122 Improvement Plan Document 124 Advice for Balancing Your Roles: Evaluative Gatekeeper and Instructor 124 Advice for Communicating About the Value of University-Based Scores and Ratings 127 8. Video-Based Debriefing Tools for Virtual and Face-to-Face Placements  128 Introduction 128 Candidates Can Complete Pre-Orientation Preparation Work Online 128 Parallel Conferencing 130 Okay, I’m Convinced. How Do I Do It? 131 How to Conduct a Parallel Conference 133 Remote Field Instruction: Recorded Teaching Without Live Pupils 136 Remote Field Instruction: Recorded Teaching 141 9. Voices From the Field  148 Introduction 148 When the Student Becomes the Teacher: A Less Than Ideal Clinical Educator 149 How Did It Go? Great! Uh Oh, No It Did Not: Candidates Lack of Focus on Pupil Learning 150 A Lesson in Communication: Candidates’ Use of Problematic Langauge 151 Mentoring Mismatch: Navigating Ill-Paired Partnerships (CE/TC Dyads) 151 When Supportive Accommodations Are Insufficient: Two Tales 153 Never Underestimate the Power of Belonging: Advocating for Candidates’ Inclusion in the School Community 155 When Good Teaching Is Not Enough: Problematic Performance Assessments 156 Community Immersive Field Placements: Reeducation of Candidates 157 10. Finding Your Voice 159 Introduction 159 Developing Inquiry as Stance 160 Unpacking My Personal Theories of Field Instruction 162 Deepening Your Understanding of Self Through Self-Study 162 Getting Started With Self-Study 164 Preparing for the Self-Study Journey 164 Defining Your Inquiry 165 Identifying Critical Friends for Your Inquiry Journey 165 Collecting and Making Sense of Evidence During Your Self-Study: Assessing, Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating 167 Why Is Developing Your Voice Through Self-Study Important? 169 References 171 Index 179 About the Authors 189

About the Author :
Elizabeth Soslau is associate professor of education at the University of Delaware. Monique Alexander is assistant professor of elementary and early childhood education at Slippery Rock University.