Learning to Teach: Responsibilities of Student Teachers and Cooperating Teachers

Learn about what your cooperating teacher or student teacher is really thinking — no mind reading necessary! This concise book is written for both teacher interns and mentor teachers, and addresses “relationship” problems in real world language that interns and mentors may encounter as they begin their placement together. Each chapter of Learn to Teach: Responsibilities of Student Teachers and Cooperating Teachers outlines a new topic pertinent to a cooperating teacher and student teacher pair. Each section is broken into the two perspectives — the student teacher and the mentor teacher. Working relationships between teacher interns and mentor teachers do not need to feel stiff and obligatory! The sections within this book are brief, easy to read, and will lead to meaningful discussion that will create connections between an educator-student educator pair. When student teachers and cooperating teachers begin their professional relationship out on the right foot students, parents, administrators, university professors, teachers, and teachers-to-be win!

Table of Contents:
Preface Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: Feedback—Constructive Criticism Meets Pat on the Back Chapter 2: Slow Down, One Thing at a Time Chapter 3: Appreciate Your Students Chapter 4: Get a Life! Chapter 5: Plan to Plan Chapter 6: Navigating Professional Relationships Chapter 7: (Sometimes) Making Yourself Scarce During Planning Time Chapter 8: No Complaining Rule Chapter 9: Co-Teaching: Supporting Each Other Chapter 10: Student Teacher as the Teacher, Cooperating Teacher as the Student Chapter 11: Do As I Say, Not As I Do Chapter 12: It’s Not Your Classroom Chapter 13: Flexibility is Key, for Both Mentor & Teacher Intern Chapter 14: Be Your Own Advocate Chapter 15: Administrators’ Role Conclusion: Closing Remarks Appendixes References

About the Author :
Carley Meyer Schweinberg is an elementary school teacher and cooperating teacher. She lives in Bloomington, Illinois with her husband and daughter.

Review :
Learning to Teach is a very timely and important text that explores many of the unforeseen complexities and nuances associated with student teaching. This book is unique from other books on the topic, in that, it speaks to audiences of cooperating teachers and student interns simultaneously. In this text, Schweinberg shares a wealth of practical strategies on a host of issues and topics that student and cooperating teachers are confronted with on a regular basis. In addition, Schweinberg provides many rich and meaningful illustrations for cooperating and student teachers to use as case studies for improving their professional practices. The book is written in a style and voice that is highly accessible to a wide audience of readers. I strongly recommend this book for anyone works with student teachers as well as university faculty member who serve in a supervisory capacity. This text is an absolute must have! Through real life scenarios, Schweinberg skillfully navigates the reader through the challenges of student teaching from the perspective of both the mentor and student intern. In doing so, she offers practical yet empathetic advice to both. I started implementing Schweinburg's suggestions for cooperating teachers while I was in the process of reading Learning to Teach! Ms. Schweinberg's work captures the perspectives of both the cooperating teacher and student teacher necessary to generate the empathy required to establish a necessary collaborative relationship during the student teaching practicum. Her insights are a reflection of a veteran teacher's experiences from the 'trenches' that will facilitate and stimulate professional educators to better prepare tomorrow's teachers. I highly recommend this book to all teachers, university supervisors, and teacher education programs. This cleverly crafted book allows cooperating teachers and student teachers to see a snapshot of some potential situations they may encounter while together. Schweinberg gives us the insight to be proactive rather than reactive when embarking on a positive, meaningful, and mutually respectful relationship with one another. Through real life examples, she shows us how we can manage our reciprocal relationship through acceptance, understanding, and team work!