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Frequently Asked Questions by Cooperating Teachers

In what area will the teacher credential candidate require the most assistance?

The candidate will need assistance in moving from classroom theory into successful practice. Particular assistance will be needed in the area of planning and classroom management.  Also, a teacher credential candidate may not be familiar with your districts’ course of study, adopted textbooks, and/or the materials available at your site.  Additionally, a teacher credential candidate should be familiarized with district and school policies, as well as, operating procedures.

 

What experiences has the teacher credential candidate had thus far?

Teacher credential candidates will vary in their range of experiences.  Some candidates may have only had limited hours of classroom observation.  However, other candidates may have teaching experience, as substitute teachers, served as teacher assistants, or they may have taught at a previous school or in another state.  Still, other candidates may have owned businesses, raised a family, or been in the military.

 

How can I get off to a good start with the teacher credential candidate?

  • ●Make the candidate feel welcome.Remember your first day as a teacher credential candidate and be sensitive to the needs of an apprehensive candidate. Communicate your needs and inquire about his/her needs. Provide a secure place where the candidate may place his/her personal belongings and supplies.
  • ●Introduce the teacher credential candidate to other teachers, especially in neighboring classrooms.
  • ●Include the teacher credential candidate in appropriate social activities, such as staff luncheons, the coffee fund, special assemblies, etc…

 

How do I help ensure a successful placement for the teacher credential candidate?

  • ●Engender trust and a non-threatening environment.Be clear, open and honest.
  • ●Define expectations early.
  • ●Provide needed textbooks, including the teacher’s edition, materials, equipment, as well as a faculty handbook.
  • ●Provide a weekly, daily and/or monthly schedule of school events, both teaching and extra-curricular activities.
  • ●Jointly develop a long-term plan of when the teacher credential candidate can expect to take over specific areas of instruction.
  • ●Discuss and jointly agree on how the candidate will be introduced to the students in your class. Will the candidate’s role be as “another teacher?” a “team teacher?” a “student teacher?” or…?
  • ●Start a dialogue journal (a small notebook will work) to jot down notes during the day. Allow this to be the “safe space” for questions and comments. Encourage the teacher credential candidate to use the notebook daily.

 

How do I approach a difficult conversation with the teacher credential candidate regarding an aspect of his/her performance?

  • ●Be assertive, not aggressive.
  • ●Begin by stating what you value about the candidate’s performance.
  • ●Directly state what needs to be addressed, improved or changed.
  • ●Provide the candidate with a plan of how to remediate a behavior that must be changed.

 

How do I effectively plan for instruction with a teacher credential candidate?

  • ●Clearly communicate the planning preparation expectations.That is, when do you plan? How do you plan? When do you expect to see the teacher credential candidate’s plans?
  • ●Inform the candidate of where you would like plans written; digitally submitted to you, printed, in the plan book or elsewhere.
  • ●If something is not done to your liking or approval, redirect the teacher credential candidate in a timely manner.
  • ●Share samples of your prepared lesson plans.
  • ●Be a resource for ideas, strategies and techniques.
  • ●Encourage ongoing development of teaching skills.
  • ●Maintain a log for your teacher credential candidate. Record and monitor the development of your candidate’s teaching abilities and professional conduct.Provide constructive feedback in a timely manner. This log should be shared with the candidate on a daily or weekly basis and should be shared with the University Supervisor during his/her virtual visit.This log can me a composition book or a loose leaf pages in a notebook, or anything that can be referred to in an organized manner.
  • ●Be a role model in all areas: instruction, discipline, peer communication, ethics, professionalism, etc…
  • ●Guide and correct in a non-judgmental, non-critical way.
  • ●Be committed and have patience.
  • ●Allow for the development of the candidates individual teaching style.
  • ●Encourage creativity.

 

Consider a simple three-phase progression: “I do it, we do it, and you do it”.

  • ●I do it.Initially, you will be modeling lessons, as the teacher credential candidate observes.During this phase, provide the candidate insight.Tell him/her what to specifically look for during your lessons.
  • ●We do it.This phase guides the credential candidate in their transition to teaching students by Co-Teaching.In the Co-Teaching model, the Cooperating Teacher works in tandem with the candidate by working together with the whole class and/or groups of students.Co-teaching involves sharing the planning, organization, delivery, and assessment of instruction.Instruction is “chunked” into manageable pieces.
  • ●You do it.Finally, in the last phase, when the teacher credential candidate is ready, allow the candidate to teach “solo”; on their own jot down notes during the observations about what went well and what could have gone better.
  • ●Debrief the lesson at the first opportunity.Ask him/her if they would like you to model a lesson again, or observe next time.As one teaching skill is learned, move on to another skill or focus.As a candidate gains confidence, they will learn more quickly, become more creative, and become less dependent on modeling.

 

How can I ensure quality communication?

  • ●Be available.
  • ●Set up a regular, meeting day, time, and place to talk with the candidate; and stick to it to it!
  • ●Understand that this experience is a growth process for the candidate.As such, address both successes and failures.
  • ●Again, be clear and specific.Hints may be missed.When in doubt about whether a particular point was understood, put it in writing.Record the point in the candidates log book.
  • ●Be aware of your candidates learning style; are they visual or an auditory learner?
  • ●Provide feedback immediately and, if possible, in private. In many instances, a written note or an entry in the communication log works extremely well.
  • ●Be receptive to questions.
  • ●Have an appropriate sense of humor.
  • ●Keep the University Supervisor informed of the candidate’s progress.The University Supervisor is the link between the school site, the Cooperating Teacher and the University.

 

What candidate behavior should I report to the University Supervisor?

Please contact the University Supervisor and/or the Program Director immediately if the candidate is not performing responsibly, professionally, nor meeting what you consider minimal standards of performance in the classroom.