Beyond the Classroom

Teacher education students have many opportunities to work with children and teachers in the local schools; in fact, we in the School of Education consider fieldwork integral to success. We believe that your skills will develop rapidly and effectively when you are learning from a professional teacher who is working with a UE professor. The UE School of Education provides three types of field placements:

Practicum

A practicum is a field placement within which a student performs a number of related teaching activities, but does not actually have many teaching responsibilities. In the practicum associated with Education 200, for example, undergraduates work with students and teachers in the school setting once or twice a week, usually for about two hours. This 9-12 week practicum is designed to help teacher education students experience life in a real classroom and get an accurate feel for teachers' responsibilities. In addition, the practicum provides an opportunity for students to work with small groups of children in very diverse classroom settings. Because students are working in the public schools, a limited criminal background check is done prior to the field placement.

Internship

Internships are much more intense than most other placements; candidates usually have regularly scheduled (4-5 times per week) planning and teaching responsibilities. During internships, candidates work closely with their respective cooperating teachers, and although the teaching responsibilities are not full-time, they can be intense and challenging. For this reason, the standards for internships are quite high; after all, candidates must be accountable for not only their own learning, but the children's learning that is taking place when they are teaching.

Student Teaching

Student teaching is full-time teaching in a local school for an entire semester. Student eligibility for student teaching requires the following:

• Completion of all education coursework with a C or better (B for internships and special methods courses)
• An overall GPA of 3.0 or above
• A GPA of at least 3.0 in the major teaching field
• A GPA of at least 2.75 in any minor field
• Successful completion of a comprehensive portfolio with assessments from at least three advisors or faculty members

The length and type of student teaching placements depend largely on which programs a student is completing and/or which endorsement a student is pursuing. The following chart presents the most common student teaching placements.

Licensure Area(s)	Endorsement	Student Teaching
Elementary	Mild Intervention (Special Education)	K-6, 16 weeks (8 in elementary, 8 in special education)
Elementary	Middle Ed (with Content area)	K-6, 8 weeks 6-8 (middle school) content, 8 weeks
Secondary (Content Area)	None	16 weeks in content-specific classroom
Secondary	Middle Education	8 weeks in high school content placement, 8 weeks in middle school content area
Special Education		Placements in special education specific categories, 16 weeks

Above and Beyond Activities

UE education majors are involved in the Evansville community, competently making life better for its citizens. Students are encouraged to get involved with organizations such as The Evansville Literacy Coalition, Early Childhood Development Coalition, and School Community Council, and volunteer for events such as Family Literacy Day, after school programs, Best Buddies, and College Mentors. Students also regularly volunteer at the Evansville Museum of Arts, History, & Science, and serve as Girl Scout or Boys Scout leaders. Through these activities, we prepare students to better serve the world as compassionate and conscientious citizens.