Field Experience Stages

Field Experience Description:

There are four stages of field experiences and practicums that teacher candidates participate in throughout their teacher education program. Each of these field experiences stages serves a particular purpose in assisting in the development of our teacher candidates.

Stage I: Early Field Experience
The early field experience occurs prior to candidates’ entrance into the Teacher Education Program. This field experience is designed to meet several objectives. One objective is to assist candidates in deciding what level of teacher education they are interested in, that is, elementary, middle school or secondary. In this manner, the field experience is structured such that candidates have the opportunity to visit, observe and interact with classroom students at each of the three levels of schooling. A second objective is to provide to candidates an understanding of the work of the teacher from a teacher’s perspective as opposed to their candidate perspective. By having candidates visit and interview teachers about the work that they do, candidates begin to gain a better understanding of the depth and scope of the work of the teachers. In class assignments, such as, developing a lesson for microteaching, demonstrates the work involved in planning for instruction. A third objective achieved through candidate’s classroom observation is the introduction to the concept of classroom student diversity. A fourth objective is to introduce candidates to the institutional organization of schools. Through classroom assignments and conversation with teachers, administrators and school staff, candidates develop an understanding of schools as institutions governed by certain procedures peculiar to each school as well as each school district. This objective assists candidates in their understanding of how schools are organized via state and local regulations.

The early field experience for candidates is EDUC 181: Field Experience I. The course description is as follows: Introduction to public school teaching, school visits, classroom observations and discussion seminar. It is a one credit hour course. Candidates are required to perform eight hours of field experience work.

Each of the program specializations within C&I have a similar early field experience designed to meet the general objectives above, plus, serve as an introduction to a candidates’ major area of interest, that is, bilingual (EDUC 103) or early childhood education (ECED 257).

A related course is EMD 250: Introduction to Education. The course description is: An Overview of the American education system with emphasis on organization, governance, law, demographics, and professional practice. Candidates often take a field experience course concurrently.

Stage II: Field Experience: Community Learning and Secondary Field Practicums

All candidates within the Teacher Education Program are required to take EDUC 315: Multicultural Education. The course is described as: The conceptual manifestations lf culture, race and ethnicity, class, gender, exceptionalities, language and bilingualism within the schooling process. The multicultural education course requires a 30-hour field experience. This field experience takes place within a community agency. The purpose of this field experience is to assist candidates in making connections between the issues of diversity addressed in the university classroom context and the complex reality of how diversity is played out in the large social arena. Candidates are able to work in a variety of settings (e.g. Community Food Bank, Senior Center, Homeless Shelter, Medical Clinic). Agency personnel are required to complete an evaluation form for each candidate.

At this stage of their teacher preparation program, Secondary Education candidates complete two additional field experience practicums (EDUC 281/203 and EDUC 381/303) that provide in-depth experiences with middle and high school classrooms. Candidates are assigned to secondary classrooms in their specific teaching field/content area for 24 hours for each course during which time they participate in all aspects of the classroom. They meet in a university classroom setting bi-weekly in a reflective seminar and produce a portfolio developed in the school setting.

Stage III: Methods Field Experience

Once admitted to the TEP, candidates are permitted to take their method courses. Each of the secondary methods courses requires a field experience component. Presently, the amount of time required for each field experience is left to the discretion of the individual methods’ instructor, but generally ranges from 24-30 hours. The practicum takes place in middle/high school classrooms in the candidate’s specific teaching field/content area. Typically, candidates assist the classroom teacher in all areas (planning, management, assessment), micro-teach, and produce portfolios of their work. University methods classes are reflective in nature and provide a forum for connecting theory to practice. Candidates also must take a practicum when taking RDG 414: Reading in the Content Area and EDUC 475: Contemporary Issues in Education. Candidates must successfully complete the courses and practicum prior to student teaching.

Elementary candidates, once enrolled in the TEP, take two 12-hour semesters of methods courses arranged in a block system. In one semester, candidates are enrolled in courses in emergent literacy and content reading; science; early childhood education; and a three-hour course for art, music and physical education (soon to be replaced by a Special Education class). The following semester, candidates take a course load of reading assessment, math, social studies and language arts methods. There is a field experience attached to each of these methods block.

Candidates are assigned to a classroom for 30-hours per semester. The purpose of these field experiences is to connect theory discussed in class with actual classroom practices observed in their field placement. Candidates’ classroom observations are used as a means to develop candidates’ reflective practices through the keeping of reflective journals. Candidates may, for example, be asked to perform certain tasks such as listening to students read and perform a miscue analysis. This activity may also involve a candidate writing up a plan to assist the classroom student with whom they worked. A second purpose is to assist candidates in the development of their instructional planning and execution. Candidates may be asked to develop a lesson plan, teach it, critique and then re-teach it, eventually, leading to candidates developing a unit plan. Assessment strategies are introduced and evaluated as candidates teach and re-teach their lessons. A final purpose of these field experiences is to assess candidates developing professional attitudes related to work relationships and student-teacher relationships. Each of these field experiences has an evaluation component completed by the classroom teacher. These evaluations forms become part of the application packet for candidates applying for student teaching, the final field experience.

Other programs in the unit require practicum and early field experiences prior to student teaching. Special Education requires two intensive practicums, SPED 481, which is a three-hour class and requires over 90 hours and EDUC 489, which are the Dual Licensure Practicum and a required experience in an elementary classroom that is similar to student teaching. Candidates must successfully complete these experiences prior to student teaching or an internship.

Music, Agriculture Education and Family and Consumer Science all have courses that require practicum-based experiences. All of these programs require RDG 414: Reading in the Content Area, which has a field experience component, and at least one methods course that requires a field experience component. All of these early field experiences must be completed successfully in order to student teach.

Physical Education Recreation and Dance requires candidates to participate in a variety of field experiences including EDUC 181: Field Experience, PE P 313: Practicum in Physical Education, RDG 414: Reading in the Content Area, which requires a practicum and EDUC 315: Multicultural Education which requires a community service practicum.

Stage IV: The Student Teaching Experience

Once candidates are admitted to student teaching, they embark on a sixteen week supervised field experience. Student teaching at New Mexico State University is a full day and lasts an entire semester. Candidates are assigned in collaboration with the school principal and the professional development council representatives at the school. Teachers assigned a student teacher must have taught for three years and be fully licensed in the area in which they are teaching.