EDUC 446

I. Course Title: Early Field Experiences in Teaching English Grades 6-12

II. Course Number: EDUC 446

III. Credit Hours: 3 credits

IV. Prerequisites: Admission into the Teacher Education program.
     Corequisites: EDUC 456

V. Course Description: 

The purpose of early field experiences is to provide teacher candidates with real-world perspectives of teaching, learning, and school community while integrating educational theories with practice. Early field experiences in English provide teacher candidates with opportunities to become acquainted with the classroom and the many roles of the English teacher. Teacher candidates observe, perform non-instructional tasks, and engage in some closely supervised delivery of instruction. Through regularly scheduled seminar sessions, teacher candidates use an academic lens to reflect upon their observations and contributions within the classroom while considering the early field experience’s impact on their future teaching.

Note(s): This field experience is taken in conjunction with the methods course EDUC 456: Methods for English Instruction Grades 6-12.

VI. Detailed Description of Content of the Course:

During this clinical experience, candidates are placed in a middle/secondary (grades 6-12) English classroom with a certified cooperating teacher. The semester begins with the candidate completing observations of both the teacher and the students, learning about the school culture, and assisting the teacher as needed with day-to-day classroom tasks. As the semester progresses the candidate is given additional instructional responsibilities with students – individually and in small and large groups. The candidate also takes pedagogy classes and completes assignments in the classroom setting throughout the semester, culminating in a multi-day, candidate-designed instructional sequence. During this time, the candidate teaches and assesses an instructional unit of study the candidate has planned. Candidates’ practices will utilize the Virginia Department of Education standards and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) standards for K-12 English Language Arts Education for planning and instruction.

Topics included but are not limited to:

1. Classroom Management 
2. Teaching Diverse Learners 
3. Professional growth, reflection, and evaluation 
4. Communicating with Families
5. Professional Behaviors 
6. Applications of Instructional Planning, Pedagogy, and Assessment

VI. Detailed Description of Conduct of Course:

EDUC446 is a clinical experience that involves students in a 6-12 English Language Arts classroom placement. Students work with approved clinical faculty teachers and university supervisors. The experience begins with observation and culminates in the teaching of a student-designed instructional unit based on the Virginia Standards of Learning and NCTE standards. This field experience is taken in conjunction with the methods course EDUC456: Methods for English Instruction Grades 6-12.  

VII. Goals and Objectives of the Course:

Goals, objectives, and assignments address the Virginia Department of Education regulations for preparing middle/secondary (grades 6-12) English educators. Candidates successfully completing this course will be able to demonstrate developing knowledge, skills, and dispositions of the following:

Goal 1: Incorporate state and national standards in planning and instruction.

• Design and implement structured, differentiated, original lessons that address multiple aspects of the English curriculum.

Goal 2: Plan evidence-based instruction and assessments to include differentiated instruction for diverse learners and select appropriate objectives, activities and teaching materials for English instruction.

• Design and implement lessons that address culturally responsive strategies, address students’ community, culture, and context.
• Use a variety of methods including whole class, small group, models and modeling, productive talk strategies, and concept mapping.
• Modify learning experiences to meet the individual needs of students, including students with disabilities, gifted students, and students with limited proficiency in English and children with diverse cultural needs. 

Goal 3:  Candidates demonstrate knowledge of English language arts subject matter content that specifically includes literature and multimedia texts, as well as knowledge of the nature of adolescents as readers and writers. 

• Identify the unique needs and skills of the adolescent reader incorporating reading strategies and techniques used to enhance reading comprehension skills in both fiction and nonfiction texts.
• Design instruction for the unique needs and skills of the adolescent writer, with Instructional strategies that teach the writing process and the different modes of writing and address grammar, usage, and mechanics and their integration in writing.
• Design and implement lessons that incorporate writing as an instructional and assessment tool.
• Demonstrate knowledge of, and uses for, fiction and non-fiction texts from young adult, British, American, world, and ethnic and minority texts appropriate for English instruction.

Goal 4: Apply classroom [and behavior] management techniques and individual interventions, including techniques that promote the emotional well-being of learners.

• Maintain behavioral conduct consistent with norms, standards and rules of the educational environment. 
• Design instruction using techniques to address diverse approaches based upon behavioral, cognitive, affective, social and ecological theory and practice

Goal 5: Demonstrate understanding of research-based literacy strategies in developing instructional tasks, activities, and/or lessons.

• Identify technology, materials, manipulatives, and activities that engage all literacy learners across ability and achievement levels and support student knowledge of communication and media literacy skills.
• Design literacy instruction to enhance reading comprehension skills across appropriate platforms, and modalities.
• Design instruction to teach research including ethical accessing, evaluating, organizing, crediting, and synthesizing information.

Goal 6: Apply classroom [and behavior] management techniques and individual interventions, including techniques. 

• Demonstrate behavioral management techniques that promote the emotional well-being, maintaining behavioral conduct consistent with norms, standards and rules of the educational environment.
• Demonstrate diverse approaches based upon behavioral, cognitive, affective, social and ecological theory and practice and use student data to reflect upon and improve their lessons.
• Engage in communication between schools and families as a way to increase family engagement in student learning.

Goal 7: Develop skills as reflective practitioners. 

• Describe how adolescent development, school culture, and community intersect with the English Language Arts instructional methods occurring in field placement sites.
• Examine and use student data to reflect upon and improve their instruction and engage in communication between schools and families as a way to increase family engagement in student learning

Goal 8: Use multimodal composition and communication technologies to facilitate reflection and instruction.

• Write a unit of study that allows for a variety of means of expression, including writing, speaking and listening, and multiliteracies (e.g., artistic responses, film-making, digital narratives, podcasts, etc.).

Goal 9: Use multimodal composition and communication technologies to facilitate reflection and instruction.

• Write a unit of study that allows for a variety of means of expression, including writing, speaking and listening, and multiliteracies (e.g., artistic responses, film-making, digital narratives, podcasts, or whatever else you feel will promote understanding of the concepts at hand).

Goal 10: Teach a range of lessons, reflecting on and using feedback for continued growth, inquiry, and pedagogical skill.

• Plan, design, and implement a teaching unit encompassing about 4-6 weeks of instruction organized around a specific theme or principle and should be derived from the theories of learning and teaching discussed as part of this course.

VIII. Assessment Measures:

Assessment of teaching in the early field experience is both formative and summative and is collaboratively completed by the classroom teacher and University faculty. Evaluation is based upon the INTASC Standards for Beginning Teachers embedded in the Teacher Candidate Evaluation forms. 

Key CAEP Performance Assessment: Lesson Plan Assessment

Key CAEP Performance Assessment: Impact on Student Learning

Key CAEP Performance Assessment: Professional Characteristics and Dispositions form

Key CAEP Performance Assessment: Teacher Candidate Evaluation form

Review and Approval

August 2020

March 01, 2021