Student teaching is a 15-week experience for all traditional teacher candidates at Roosevelt University. However, programs organize the experience in different ways:
- Early Childhood student teachers complete two placements: an 8-week primary placement and a 7-week, pre-K placement. The placements may be at the same site, but not necessarily.
- Elementary and Middle School Education student teachers complete a 15-week placement, usually within a single classroom, but not always.
- Secondary Education student teachers complete a 15-week placement consisting of teaching three to five periods, with two preparations, at the high school level.
- Special Education student teachers complete a 15-week student teaching placement.
Stages of Student Teaching
To facilitate the achievement of pedagogical effectiveness, Roosevelt expects that teacher candidates will move through their student teaching experiences in developmentally appropriate ways, as determined by their cooperating teachers and university supervisors.
In general, the initial week or two of student teaching should be used to orient student teachers to their new students and environment. The Department of Teacher Preparation does not recommend that student teachers take on full-time teaching responsibilities immediately upon an introduction to students and a cooperating teacher.
Once the student teacher is oriented to the classroom and school setting, they can take on teaching responsibilities at a pace to be determined by their cooperating teachers and university supervisors. Depending upon the situation and the judgments of the cooperating teachers and university supervisors, student teachers can lead parts of the daily teaching schedule or even take on a full load of teaching. During the middle stage of their student teaching experience, student teachers should prepare full lesson plans, deliver lessons with good pacing and effective closure, and assess students and classroom conditions. By the half-way point in the experience, student teachers should be responsible for a full schedule of teaching responsibilities.
The final week is a time of transition with student teachers giving back responsibilities to cooperating teachers so that their departures will not be too abrupt or confusing to learners. Typically, student teachers teach right up to the end of the 15-week experience, but in some cases it may be advantageous for student teachers to use the last week for observations of other teachers or other closure activities recommended by cooperating teachers and university supervisors.
Placement Site Concerns
Difficulties and challenges are not unusual during student teaching. Any student teacher in a placement that they perceive as unsatisfactory must meet one-on-one with the assigned university supervisor and/or cooperating teacher. In most cases, the university supervisor and cooperating teacher will be able to resolve any problems that might exist. Under no circumstances should a student teacher unilaterally remove themself from a placement; doing so will prevent the student teacher from completing the experience and necessitate a Student Performance Review and withdrawal from student teaching.
University supervisors who have issues with or concerns about a placement site or cooperating teacher should request a meeting with the Chair of the Department of Teacher Preparation and the Executive Director of the Office of School and Community Engagement.
Other Important Policies
Cooperating teachers are required to actively supervise the teaching of student teachers. Consequently, student teachers are not to serve as substitute teachers for a school or district. Student teachers are allowed to teach without a cooperating teacher in attendance at the school, but a paid substitute must be present, or an alternative plan must be in place to provide adequate supervision of the student teacher. Under no circumstances should a student teacher substitute for another teacher not present at the school.
If a teacher union implements a work stoppage (strike), student teachers will not report to school and they will notify their university supervisor immediately. The Executive Director of the Office of School and Community Engagement will monitor the situation and provide guidance to impacted student teachers about timelines and next steps. In the past, work stoppages have not impeded the licensure of Roosevelt student teachers.