The Role of the Cooperating Teacher

A.     THE SUPERVISORY RELATIONSHIP

Training a future peer is a critical responsibility. What the cooperating teacher brings to this experience–personality, beliefs about and experiences with children and learning, schools and relationships–are the things that will be the greatest influence on the student teacher.

Because of the greater power inherent in the role, the cooperating teacher should take the lead in defining the nature and function of the relationship in which the cooperating teacher and student teacher will be connected as they work together toward their goals. The student teaching experience is the transition from formal course work to training for practice. In the beginning, cooperating teachers should provide high levels of encouragement, support, feedback, and structure. As the student teachers acquire experience, the need for structure and instruction diminishes, and it is the relationship that provides a supportive context as the student teachers assess and reassess their professional competencies and personal qualifications.

Cooperating teachers must have the capacity to nurture the novice and be professionally and personally capable of having their own classroom performance observed, questioned, and constructively criticized. They must also be prepared to make the logical but not comfortable extension from supervision to evaluation, dealing with the ambivalent roles of a being a mentor on the one hand and an evaluator the other. The evaluator is expected to be effectively neutral and to observe and decide, whereas the mentor should establish a positive and collegial relationship with his/her student teacher. An evaluator is expected to make decisions in the best interests of the program and the profession; the mentor is expected to place the student teacher’s interests foremost.  It is often difficult to strike a clear balance between these two roles.

B.     RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COOPERATING TEACHER

The student teaching experience is considered to be one of the most vital phases of the student’s professional preparation. The key to a successful experience is organization and preparation. The student teacher appreciates knowing exactly what is expected and the mentoring process is facilitated when time is taken to prepare the student teacher adequately.  It is also important to recognize that while our student teachers for the most part are graduate students, they come with a wide range of classroom experience and are not experienced teachers.

The following list of strategies is offered as a checklist to guide this process:

1.     Become Familiar with OSU’s Program Materials and Philosophy

• Attend orientation, planning, and training meetings as scheduled by the university program faculty.
• With the student teacher, review program materials such as goals provided by the program.
• Read the description of the program’s conceptual framework as it appears in the program materials.

2.     Orient the student teacher to:

• The school building
• School personnel (teaching and non-teaching staff)
• School policies and handbook
• Class composition and student background information
• Developmental characteristics of children at class level
• Community characteristics
• Classroom policies:
  • your philosophy of education
  • your classroom management goals and techniques, rules & consequences
  • routine procedures (e.g. before-school activities, fire drill) & other emergency procedures
• Information about curriculum and plans for the year

3. Provide the student teacher with his/her own work space for preparation

4.    Demonstrate Teaching Techniques

• Initially invite the student teacher to be an observer, and encourage participation in classroom activities.
• Provide the student teacher with seating plans, class lists, time tables, and curriculum materials as are needed.
• Structure the observation of model lessons by focusing the student teacher’s attention on particular techniques such as lesson introduction, management, assessment, etc.

5.     Structure Teaching Tasks

• Work with the student teacher in such a way that observation leads to the student teacher writing and utilizing her/his lesson plans.
• Planning responsibilities should progress from individual lesson plans to planning more comprehensive blocks of teaching time.  Plan each week with the student teacher to initiate the process of long-range planning.
• Involve the student teacher in as many aspects of student evaluation as possible.
• Work with the University Supervisor to ensure that opportunities are being provided to highlight aspects of the student teachers’ coursework.
• Give the student teacher opportunities to show initiative and creative ability.

6.   Provide Consistent Oral and Written Feedback

• Conduct three (3) formal observations over the term (with a minimum of two (2) during the work sample) using the program’s Formal Observation Form.
• Schedule regular conference times with the student teacher.  Weekly conferences are particularly important during the full-time student teaching experience and/or when the student teacher is teaching his/her work samples.
• Encourage open discussions so that student teachers can question procedures that are not understood and feel comfortable to discuss any problem in connection with the student teaching experience.
• Give constructive criticism in a positive, supportive manner but be very clear about perceptions of weaknesses and other concerns you may have.
• Inform the university supervisor immediately of concerns that may arise.
• Fulfill record keeping responsibilities, as required by each program
• Comply with legal requirements and restrictions.
• Determine with the university supervisor that the candidate has demonstrated in the student teaching experience the skills and competencies specified by TSPC Student Teaching Summary Report.

The Role of the University Supervisor

• RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE UNIVERSITY SUPERVISOR

The student teaching experience is a school-based experience that must be for a minimum of 15 weeks, 9 of which must be full-time.  The university supervisor works in conjunction with the cooperating teacher to orient and supervise the student teacher. The student teacher will be evaluated throughout the entire student teaching experience by both the cooperating teacher and university supervisor, using conferences focused on observation and data collection.

The supervisor facilitates the making of decisions by the student teacher.  The role of the supervisor is to help the student teacher accomplish whatever goals have been established for the classroom teaching experience. It is probable that as a result of interaction between the supervisor and the student teacher, modifications of goals may occur, but this must be a decision made by the student teacher in consultation with the supervisor and cooperating teacher.

In keeping with the above rationale, the supervisory cycle must logically begin with the establishment of objectives. Generally, a supervisor spends some time prior to an observation period with the student teacher and either helps in the formation of objectives or identifies those objectives already developed by the student teacher. This “pre-conference,” as it may be called, is then followed by an “observation” period in which the supervisor collects information or data to share with the student teacher. The final stage of the cycle, the “post-conference,” occurs when the supervisor discusses the observation with the student teacher, provides and helps organize information collected, and assists the student teacher in making decisions about future teaching behaviors.

1.     Visitation Responsibilities

• The supervisor is responsible for conducting three formal observations during each term.

2.     Instructional Responsibilities

• When possible, attend selected course work classes and become familiar with course work syllabi and program benchmarks.
• Serve as a resource person to the student teacher in the areas of curriculum development, instructional strategies, and classroom management.

3.     Record Keeping Responsibilities

• The supervisor and the cooperating teacher jointly determine that the candidate has demonstrated in the student teaching internship the skills and competencies specified by TSPC’s “Student Teaching Summary Report”

4.     Communication Responsibilities

• Serve as a liaison between Oregon State University, the school district, the school, and the student teacher.
• Facilitate communication between the student teacher and the cooperating teacher.
• Keep the program coordinator and academic advisor informed of concerns and problems as they arise.  If a student teaching experience is not viable, contact the Placement Coordinator of the School of Education.
• Attend regular meetings of supervisors as scheduled by the program coordinator.
• Attend program meetings with faculty