Field Experiences

Professional field experiences are regarded as the single most valuable aspect of the student’s entire pre-service formal education.  These experiences include both pre-student teaching experiences and student teaching.  There are four levels of field experiences:  Level One: Observation and participation, Level Two: Junior Practicum, Level Three: Senior Practicum, and Level Four: Student Teaching.  Field experiences begin during the sophomore year and increase in duration and scope with each level as the student advances through the Teacher Education Program. An attempt is made during the levels of field experiences to provide the student with a wide range of experiences in varied classroom settings and community agencies and to acquaint the student with varied instructional practices and organizational patterns. All candidates are required to obtain a minimum of 200 clock hours of field experiences prior to student teaching. The transition from student to teacher is greatly facilitated by these field experiences. 

Levels of Field Experiences

Level One Field Experience: Observation and Participation      
All candidates will participate in the Level One Field Experience. This experience is a requirement for the course EDU 230, “Introduction to the Foundation of Education.”  Other observation and participation experiences may be a part of other professional education and specialty area courses. In he Level One Field Experience, students begin with observation and gradually move to active involvement and participation in the work of the classroom.  Activities the students can participate in can include but are not limited to assisting the teacher, tutoring, working with small groups, and preparing materials.
The cooperating teacher will assess all candidates using the Level One Field Experience Assessment Instrument.  Each teacher education candidate will complete fieldwork assignments as required in the Level One field experience.

Level Two Field Experience: Junior Practicum                                   
The Junior Practicum is the second level of field experience in the Teacher Education program at Johnson C. Smith University.  It is a required semester course in early field experience for which juniors receive one semester hour of credit. This course is taken concurrently with Education 337 for elementary candidates and the content area methods courses for Secondary and K-12 candidates; Math, English, Social Studies, Health, and Physical Education.
The student is placed in an assignment related to his major.  Level Two Field Experience: Junior Practicum provides students quality time in the classroom and assures a close congruence between early field experiences and subsequent experiences encountered in he classroom during the student teaching.  This experience allows candidates to acquire the knowledge, skills, and disposition that are delineated in the conceptual framework.  All candidates are assessed using the Level Two Field Experience Assessment Instrument.

Level Three Field Experience: Senior Practicum                              
The Senior Practicum is the third level of field experience in the Teacher Education Program at Johnson C. Smith University.  Senior Practicum is a required three credit hours course during the first semester of the senior year. For elementary candidates, this course is part of an eighteen-hour learning community block. For secondary and special area K-12 candidates, this course is taught concurrently with the Education 395. Candidates are placed in a “student teaching” setting for full days on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the entire semester.  It is expected that the candidate will continue in the placement for the student teaching semester.

Level Four Field Experience: Student Teaching                                      
Level four is the final field experience in the Teacher Education Program at Johnson C. Smith University. After this experience, candidates will be expected to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions expected of Teachers as Reflective Decision Makers in Multi-Faceted Roles.  In addition, this experience will have prepared the candidates to assume their roles as a successful beginning teacher.  In most cases, the candidates are expected to continue in the same student teaching placement from their senior practicum.  All candidates are assessed using the Mid-term Level Four Field Experience Instrument and the Level Four Field Experience Exit Instrument.  The cooperating teaching, candidate, and the university supervisor will complete both assessments jointly.