Don't Underestimate the Experience of Student Teaching
This is your best opportunity to practice your craft
- This is your best opportunity to practice your craft
- This is your chance to learn under the guidance of a master teacher
- Many times this learning comes through making mistakes
- Fortunately, most errors can be easily corrected
- Your ext question should always be, "is there anything that I can do", or "can I do that for you" or "can I help you with that"?
Write down every 'process' for every class as you observe
- You will most likely do a few days of observing the routine and structure of the classes
- Take good notes - write down phrases the teachers use and then you use them when you teach
- Pay attention to how the teachers phrase things and the method they use to communicate an idea and use them
- You should basically be a 'clone' of the cooperating teachers at first; you will find your teaching voice as time progresses
- Don't think that just because you are not in front of the class that your time is being wasted
- Move around the room
- Without talking, fix hand positions, mark missed notes/accidentals
- Just the fact that you are standing next to a student will make them more aware of what they are doing and how they are doing things
- Remember that teachers have specific ways they want to teach concepts; stick to their way as there is a reason why they do things the way they do them
- Pay attention to the culture of the programs and determine what makes their program tick
Be Inquisitive
- Ask questions - take notes and write your questions down as you think of them; you won't remember them by the end of the day
- Ask your cooperating teacher if there is a time each day when you can sit down together and 'debrief'
- If you don't know something or don't understand exactly what is going on; don't pretend like you do
- The students will know and you will lose your street cred
- Leave your ego at the door - we don't have the time or patience for it
- The students will know and you will lose your street cred
- Think past and beyond student teaching to your future self
- Ask questions about administrative tasks
- Ask about parent conferences
- If you don't see something in particular going on, it doesn't mean that it is not happening
What do you bring to the table
- What would you expect from a student teacher if you were the cooperating teacher
- What positive thing will you leave when you are gone
Seek outside professional development
- There are many PD opportunities in this area
- Young Educators Seminar at SMU
- The Texas Music Educators Conference
- The Texas Bandmasters Conference
- It is never too early for PD
- When I am reviewing resume's, I like seeing that young teachers have professional development listed
- It tells me a lot abut a person and their dedication to teaching
The mediocre teacher tells, the good teacher explains, the superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.