Clinical Practice and Placement Information
All placements for field experience and student teaching are arranged by the School of Education's Director of Student Placements. During the freshman and sophomore years, three hours per week of field experience and service learning projects are required. Candidates in the junior year must spend six hours per week in an assigned field experience. Professional year and MAT candidates are involved in a part-time and full-time student teaching.
Courses Requiring Field Experience
- Freshman Year: ED 150, ED 250/251
- Sophomore Year: ED 300/301, ED 320
- Junior: ED 400, ED 426, ED 427, ED 450
- Senior: ED 445, ED 447, ED 470, ED 471, ED 472, ED 473
What to Expect
Freshman, sophomore, and junior candidates will:
- Observe
- Duplicate material
- Create classroom material
- Construct bulletin boards
- Read/tell stories to the class
- Tutor individual students
- Work with small groups of students
- Assist with classroom projects
- Juniors begin their preparation for student teaching by attending a Professional Year Orientation in the Spring semester that outlines all the necessary requirements for their Professional Year.
Seniors in the Professional Year will:
- Attend an orientation in August before they begin student teaching
- In the Fall semester, student teach for 15 hours per week
- In the Spring semester, student teach full-time for 16 weeks
- Teach in small groups
- Assist in daily classroom routine
- Teaching isolated lessons to small groups and whole groups
- Solo teach for minimum of nine weeks
- Maintain classroom environment and establish classroom climate conducive to learning
- Design units of study and daily lesson plans
- Assess student learning and provide feedback to students and parents
- Create and provide all needed materials and resources for lessons
- Attend faculty meetings, open houses, school and district in-services
Criminal History Check
Freshman must complete and pass a criminal history check through Portland Public Schools, which is valid for three years, to participate in school field experience placements. Students must also complete a state and federal criminal check through the Teacher Standards and Practice Commission.
Contact Information
Questions about clinical experience and placements should be directed to:
Ken Struckmeier
Director of Student Placements
503.943.7237
struckme@up.edu
