Overview

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

A full term of classroom experience supervised by University appointed school associates. The school placement is appropriate to the grade level and subject specialties which the student expects to teach after graduation. Grading is on a pass/withdraw basis. (Not offered in summer term.)

COURSE DETAILS:

COURSE RATIONALE & DESCRIPTION 

EDUC 405/406 immerses student teachers in an intensive teaching experience as their final program semester. It includes the opportunity to develop and refine the skills of teaching through the certifying practicum component of the Professional Development and Professional Linking programs. 

The EDUC 405/406 semester addresses the program imperative of developing the competent teacher, one able to manage the full demands of teaching, while at the same time focusing on the areas of professional development that will shape the student teacher into a professional who is committed to the K-12 education, career-long development, and the ethic of care for children. 

EDUC 405/406 is the final semester of Preservice Professional Studies. As with EDUC 401/402 and EDUC 402/403, student teachers are immersed in a wide range of teaching and learning experiences that have been organized to assist them in becoming competent and confident teachers. 

 

The EDUC 405/406 semester begins with an introductory period on campus and most of the time is concentrated in the field. This semester includes a certifying practicum of 10 weeks, whereby student teachers are fully immersed for 7 weeks and teach 75% (secondary) or 80% (elementary) of the school day.  This is the semester when student teachers hone their skills as teachers and complete their teaching practicum, thus demonstrating professional readiness for certification with the BC Ministry of Education’s Teacher Regulation Branch (TRB). 

 

COURSE CURRICULUM  

 

The focus of student teachers’ learning and knowledge development in 405/406 shifts to the student teachers’ ability to demonstrate the skills of teaching (lesson and unit planning, lesson delivery, creating a positive classroom culture, assessment, etc.).  Performance in the classroom becomes the essential vehicle for assessing the student teachers’ development and proficiency. The student teacher must demonstrate that they are active learning participants in both the professional world of teachers and school staff, and in the learning/caring world of children and parents.  Students are expected to show competency in the ten Professional Program Goals and develop their capacities as they relate to the four Guiding Dispositions.  These goals and dispositions are aligned with the B.C.T.C. Professional Standards.  Please find the learning outcomes below that have been organized to parallel the B.C. Curriculum. 

Big Ideas (UNDERSTAND):
A clear, coherent and justified view of education (Goal 1)
Content Competencies (KNOW)*:		Curricular Competencies (DO):
The development of knowledge about curricular content, educational theory and effective practice (Goal 5):  Indigenous Education  Inclusion  English as an Additional Language  Core French Instruction (FSL)   Gender Equity, Social Justice and Schooling in a Pluralistic Society   Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE)   Anti-oppression and Anti-Racism Education   Literacy and Numeracy Across the Curriculum   Health and Physical Education   Creativity and Artistry   Child Development and Learning Theories   Teaching Strategies and Classroom Management   Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting  Effective Planning and Curricular Implementation   Elementary or Secondary School Curricular Foci   Information Technology in Teaching   Reflective Practices and Discourse   Epistemological Basis of Education   *Some content areas above are not required for all student teachers (ie. Core French Instruction)		A clear commitment to lifelong and life-wide learning (Goal 2)  A clear commitment to uphold the principles that should govern a democratic and pluralistic community (Goal 3)  A clear commitment to maintain ethical and functional working relationships with all members of the educational community (Goal 4)  The clear commitment to respect and celebrate all students (Goal 6)  The ability to create a caring, cohesive community of learners (Goal 7)  The ability to create opportunities for learning (Goal 8)  The ability to blend theory and practice in well-organized ways (Goal 9)  The ability to use assessment and evaluation practices in a thoughtful and ethical manner (Goal 10)
Core Competencies (based on the PPS Guiding Dispositions)
Personal/Social  I can approach all my students with pedagogical sensitivity.  I can use other directedness to inform my planning and my interactions with all members of the school community.	Communication  I have a self-awareness of my practice and can professionally communicate my reflective capacity.		Thinking  I plan through the lens of critical mindedness and provide opportunities for students to develop their own critical mindedness.

COURSE ASSESSMENT 

EDUC 405/406 is graded on a pass/withdraw basis. Assessment is ongoing, deeply personal, and focused upon the student teacher’s understanding of their own progress toward the outcomes of the course as outlined in the PPS Program Goals. Evidence is based upon the student teacher’s work in schools, their classroom planning and performance, and all other professional interactions including those on campus. 

 

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT(S): 

 

At the end of the semester, students will submit a Student Teacher Final Report, and the SA(s)/FA team will submit a Program Final Report.  Both documents will be submitted to the Teacher Regulation Branch (TRB) and the recommendation for certification is based on the evidence provided in the Final Reports of the student teacher’s competencies in relation to the 10 Professional Program Goals/4 Guiding Dispositions. The documents are formative in that progress towards these goals does not terminate at course completion. A Professional Growth Plan (PGP) that outlines the student teachers continued plans for professional development will also be developed by the student teacher and submitted for review and approval by the faculty associate/adjunct. The reports set the course for professional development that the newly certified teacher will undertake for the rest of their career. 

 

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT: 

Assessment is ongoing, deeply personal, and focused upon the student teacher’s understanding of their own progress toward the outcomes of the course as outlined in the PPS Program goals. Evidence is based on the student teacher’s work in schools, their classroom planning and performance, and all other professional interactions and assignments, including those on campus.  

Formative assessment is collected through: 

Faculty Associate:  

• Unit & Lesson Plan Review 

• Observations & Post-Conferences 

• Ongoing Feedback 

• Midterm Conference 

• Course Assignments  

School Associate:  

• Unit & Lesson Plan Review 

• Observations & Post-Conferences 

• Ongoing Feedback  

• Midterm Conference 

Student Teacher (self-assessment):  

• Post Observation Packages (including Post Observation Synthesis) 

• Midterm 
• Professional Growth Plan 

COMMON ASSIGNMENTS 

The experiences of planning (collaboratively and individually) for teaching and then carrying out that teaching constitute the essential activities of EDUC 405/406. Specific assignments designed to support success in this experience, and to bring the content areas to the fore in this experience, are as follows: 

ASSIGNMENT	DESCRIPTION
Teaching Credo/Philosophy Statement	On-going revision and development of a student teacher’s teaching philosophy;
Unit Plans	These are a continuation of the work done in EDUC 401/402, EDUC 402/403 and/or EDUC 404 with focused integration of the following elements: elementary or secondary school curricular knowledge; appropriate and relevant instructional planning and design methods; learning theories; and assessment as, of, and for learning.
Lesson Plans	LP with a focus on revision that is dependent upon accurate assessment of students’ learning in the classroom; teaching and management strategies come into play as the student teacher takes into consideration the needs of the students with whom they are working.
Daybook	A daily outline of specific teaching activities for the day (lives in classroom).
Report Cards	Participation in communicating student learning to families is required, including some involvement in supporting SAs in writing report cards.
Post-Observation Conference and Package	After faculty associate and school associate formal observations, the student teacher and their observers gather to discuss the observational data. The post-observation package (including a formal lesson plan, pre-conference notes, written observation data, and post-observation synthesis) is emailed to the SA and FA following the formal observation.
Midterm Evaluation Report and Conference	Prepared by the student teacher midway through the semester to document evidence of their growth towards program goals and to articulate a plan of action for the rest of the semester. The FA, the SA(s) and the student meet to discuss the student teacher’s progress to date; the Midterm Report is reviewed and (often) signed at this time.
Inclusive Education Exploration	The student teacher will continue to plan for and demonstrate differentiated and inclusive practices that promote belonging, culminating in an assessment determined by the faculty associate.
Indigenous Education Exploration	The student teacher will apply Indigenous pedagogies within their practicum setting; assessment determined by the faculty associate.
EDUC 405/406 Final Report and Conference	Prepared by the student teacher near the end of the semester to document evidence of their further growth towards program goals (note: the faculty associate and the school associate(s) also prepare a Final Report). The FA, SA(s) and the student meet to share the final reports that they have written that assess the student teacher’s competency as a beginning teacher; this conference is often to celebrate the student’s successful completion of the EDUC 405/406 practicum.
EDUC 405/406 Professional Growth Plan	Included in the Final Report indicating the student teacher’s direction for future professional development.

 

DISCLOSURE NOTICE: 

Pursuant to the British Columbia Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (RSBC 1996, c. 165), by enrolling in this program you consent to SFU disclosing and storing your personal information, as necessary. You further acknowledge and understand that your personal information (which includes your name, the K–12 subject area in which you have been accepted into the Faculty of Education to teach, your SFU email address, and in specific cases SFU Student Number) may be disclosed to the following organizations: 

• School Districts throughout the Lower Mainland, the Fraser Valley, northern British Columbia, and Squamish (and other districts, as necessary).The above-noted personal information is disclosed to these districts in order to facilitate the placement of student teachers in practicum or other school-based experiences with school-based mentors (School Associates) and Faculty Associates. 

The above listed information may be used and/or disclosed for the purposes of supporting the placement of a student teacher in a K–12 classroom with a School Associate for a practicum or other school-based experience, and to support the ongoing educational oversight and supervision of the student teacher during the course of their placement. 

 

Materials

REQUIRED READING NOTES: