Messiah College Overview Of Professional Semester for Elementary, Early Childhood, Secondary (Including Family & Consumer Science & Modern Languages)
The following is a brief description of the activities and expectations of teacher education students involved in the Professional Semester. This format applies to all majors except Art, Health/Physical Education, and Music, who typically have two separate student teaching placements in the Professional Semester. College supervisors who work with students in those certification areas will assist in establishing week by week expectations.
The Professional Semester for Early Childhood, Elementary, Secondary, Foreign Language, and Family & Consumer Science student teachers is structured to provide students with five weeks of intensive study and preparation on campus, followed by eleven weeks of student teaching. This is a different model that most colleges and universities follow and requires that students are enrolled in and completing academic coursework while student teaching. This model, though not ideal, allows Messiah College students to earn their degree and be certified to teach in a four-year time framework. It does require extra effort and organization on the part of students but has proven to be quite workable when students are diligent about self-pacing of their work schedules.
While there are some differences in the Early Childhood/Elementary and Secondary programs, the basic structure for their Professional Semester is as follows:
| Week of Semester |
Activities/Expectations |
| 1-5 |
Students are enrolled in their academic courses and follow a schedule of classes designed to better prepare them for their responsibilities in the schools. The courses taken during this time help them to refine knowledge and skills in planning, classroom management, school environments, learner characteristics and traits, and current trends in public education. These are graded courses with specific assignments that often apply to the student's work in the student teaching setting.
During this 5-week period, student teachers will spend at least 5 full days in their assigned schools. Campus instructors will discuss these visitations and related assignments with students in the first classes of the semester. Cooperating teachers will be informed of actual visitation dates in a letter sent prior to the first day of the Professional Semester. Appropriate activities for this series of visits include, but are not limited to:
- Getting acquainted with teacher & students Becoming familiar with the school setting and policies Surveying available resources in the classroom or school library Making preliminary plans with the cooperating teacher regarding what the student teacher might be teaching Attempting to project when certain units or classes might become part of the student teacher's responsibility
- Completing any necessary in-school portions of assignments for Professional Semester courses
Students should spend time observing the cooperating teacher to get a sense of the teacher's style, classroom dynamics, and routines. Students might spend time observing other teachers, meeting with school personnel, observing students in other classes/settings, or other appropriate activities which will help to prepare them to be more effective teachers. |
| 6 |
This is the first week of actual student teaching when the student will report to the school on a daily basis and begin to assume responsibilities as "teacher". During this time, the student should continue with some of the get-acquainted activities of the first 5 weeks, spend much time observing and assisting the teacher, begin to pick up some teaching tasks (grading papers, preparing materials, constructing bulletin board, etc.) AND assume full instructional responsibility for at least one class period per day. |
| 7-8 |
During the second and third weeks of student teaching, the student should be able to pick up instructional responsibilities for a minimum of two lessons per day while continuing to observe and assist the teacher in various ways. During the second week, the college supervisor will do a formal investigation of the student teacher's planning skills. |
| 9-10 |
The fourth-sixth weeks of student teaching should find the student teacher assuming responsibilities for about one/half of the teaching load and related functions with a movement, as appropriate for individual students, to assumption of full-time responsibility. It is during this time that the 3-way mid-term evaluation will occur. This is an opportunity to assess the student teacher's progress and set goals for the second half of student teaching. The college supervisor will arrange for this evaluation and brief you on how to prepare for it. |
| 11-end |
By now the student teacher should assume major responsibilities as full-time teacher in the classroom and, to qualify for certification, must assume full teaching responsibilities for a minimum of 5.5 to 6 weeks. Students who begin full time responsibilities early should continue these as long as possible to maximize opportunities. In other words, the student teacher should not stop planning and teaching when 6 weeks of full-time teaching have been completed. This is the minimum - not the cap -- and we expect student teachers to be working/teaching through the final week of the Professional Semester. During the last week of student teaching, the student and the cooperating teacher may want to do a day or two of team-teaching or other collaborative activities to make for an easy transition back to the cooperating teacher. Final evaluation of the student teacher's performance will be done by the college supervisor and cooperating teacher during the last week of student teaching. |
The schedule above provides a general structure for the experience and may need to be modified, since student teachers will develop their skills and confidence at individual rates. Our goal is that the student teacher be fully responsible for at least five to six weeks in the classroom, with the maximum number of weeks of full-load teaching as is possible.. The college supervisor will be able to assist, if needed, in determining a time schedule that suits the individual student. Please don't hesitate to ask for help.
SCHEDULES AND WEEKLY PLANS
Each Thursday, the student teacher is responsible for submitting a completed copy of Form A, front & back, with required signatures to the college supervisor. This form provides a schedule for the following week, an appraisal of the current week/performance, and other needed information. Form A must be turned in by 5 p.m. each Thursday. Details for completion and submission will be discussed by the college supervisor with the student teacher prior to the beginning of full time student teaching.
SEMINARS
A time for sharing and reflection is necessary for successful development of the student teacher. To provide for this, seminars will be held during the semester, and attendance by all Early Childhood and Elementary student teachers is mandatory. For Secondary, Art, HPE, and Music, the EDUC 407 course or specified content seminars are scheduled. Absence from seminars may result in failure for the student teacher. Dates for seminars are posted on the Professional Semester calendar which can be accessed from the drop down boxes at the top left of this page.
VIDEOS AND CREDENTIAL FILES
The college provides excellent assistance to students as they prepare their credential files and/or portfolios for job-hunting. Students are encourage to begin working on files and to take advantage of Career Center workshops and/or mock-interviews. The Media Center loans equipment and may provide assistance in editing video accounts of the student teacher's performance, and all students are urged to prepare a video which highlights successes during their student teaching. (An appointment and a minimal fee are required for technical assistance in the Media Center).
NOTE: Messiah College Career Center subscribes to the model of self-managed credentials. The Career Center does not manage individual student files at this time. Check the Career Center website for Career Center services, job search information and scheduled events such as workshops and job fairs.
PRESENTATION PORTFOLIO
All student teachers are required to refine their professional portfolios during their Professional Semester and ready the portfolio for use in a job search. Students have been collecting artifacts and credentials in their working portfolios since their EDUC 120 course, usually taken during the sohomore year. Special instructions for portfolio development will be offered on campus during the Professional Semester. The cooperating teacher and college supervisor may best be able to assist the student teacher with an informal critique of the working portfolio and suggesting activities or instructional opportunities in the student teaching classroom/school which would benefit learning and become a significant artifact.
