Are you a student teacher who is completing their practicum requirement? Firstly, congratulations! This part of your journey is so exciting, but may also be intimidating (and it definitely was for me). To help you feel comfortable and confident before you jump into student teaching, I’ve compiled a list of advice below. Good luck and Happy Teaching!
Before I started my first student teaching placement I was so nervous. No matter how confident I am in my ability to teach, my comfort in working with children, or my excitement at moving along in my Master’s program… I was intimidated! There’s just something next-level nerve-racking about having someone constantly observe you. Especially when they’re observing you teach 25 tiny humans (who are very unpredictable).
Since we are still in the awkward stage of COVID where our university classes are virtual but our placements are in person, we had to submit a 20 minute recording of our lesson. Here’s a snapshot of what that looks like!
Student Teaching Practicum: What to Expect
Of course, every program will be different. But there are some basic things that you can expect as you enter a new classroom as a student teacher.
You will be expected to interact with the students, to plan and execute lessons, and to participate in the everyday happenings of a classroom.
Be sure to remain actively engaged in everything that is going on – Whether you are watching your Associate Teacher teach (also sometimes called your ‘Mentor’), you’re circulating as students work, or you’re helping with assessment.
For us, we were given a hefty PDF of things we needed to know before practicum. Be sure to read any documents and correspondence from your university as it is delivered so that your first day goes as smoothly as possible!
Advice for Your First Week as a Student Teacher
Remember when you were a child and you were anxiously awaiting the first day of school? That’s how I felt day 1 of practicum! Here are 6 tips to help you feel prepared for your first day.
- Dress for the job you want, not the job you have
- Trade in your university sweats and dust off that blazer, friend! Go for a business-casual look for your first few days (even if you tone it down later). You are going to be meeting teachers, principals, and maybe even future employers – It’s important to look the part!
- You never get a second chance at a first impression – Make it count!
- Professionalism is so important. Proof read your emails, be conscious of not asking too many questions, and be kind and courteous in your interactions with your new Associate Teacher. You will be working closely with them for the next few weeks, so it’s important that you start off on the right foot!
- You don’t grow in your comfort zone
- Practicum is the perfect time to take safe risks. You will have an experienced teacher mentoring you who can give you feedback, advice, and support as you try new things and practice teaching subjects that may otherwise intimidate you!
- Say “Yes!” as often as you can
- Again, take risks! Intimidated by teaching drama, math, or science? Now is the time to get your feet wet!
- The admin team may ask you to do extra things, like lunch time supervision. Taking these things on when needed is a great way to show initiative
- On that note… Define your boundaries and stick to them. Do not do things that make you uncomfortable! As a student teacher, you are in a vulnerable position. Make sure you consider this before filling your plate too full
- Get comfortable with feedback
- How will you grow if you don’t know where to improve? Your Associate Teacher and your Practicum Advisor will have excellent feedback to help strengthen your teaching practice. Get used to asking for feedback from them, be humble when you’re told about things to strengthen (or maybe not do at all), and don’t take things personally!
- Also keep in mind that when you have your own classroom, you can do things your own way! For now, stick to what you’ve learned in university and what your teachers are telling you.
- Get to know your teacher, your students, and the rest of the faculty
- Create a first day (and last day) activity for your students
- Doing this gave me a good icebreaker for day 01. I also found that it helped me learn the student names quickly because I could associate their name/face with a fact about them!
- I created a “Get to Know the Student Teacher” worksheet (I’ll upload a post about it soon!)
- Learn from the good and the bad
- I was so lucky to have a phenomenal Associate Teacher that I clicked with right away. Her values, teaching style, and pedagogy were all in line with mine. This meant that we had many excellent conversations that I learned from
- Even if you don’t click with your mentor, you can still learn lots from them! Hold close the things that you want to implement in your own teaching, and reflect on why you may not align with other practices you see
- Getting to know the other teachers in your school is important, too
- Establishing rapport with everyone is important (as much as you can). I learned a lot from teachers during lunch hours or recess supervision!
- Create a first day (and last day) activity for your students
Preparing for Your Future (After Student Teaching)
You may feel flooded with information during your practicum. As a student teacher, you will be constantly reflecting on what you have learned in school and engaging your prior experience. On top of this, you will be learning your mentor’s teaching style and getting to know your students. That’s a lot!
Here are 4 tips that will help you stay organized throughout practicum and set you up for future success:
- Keep copies of student work, your planning, and your assessments
- Keeping copies of student work (or photos) is great for helping you assess. Marking can be tough when you’re starting out, so try to find samples of student work that models all levels (here in Ontario that’s a 1, 2, 3, 4, or 4+ grade)
- Hard copies of these things are great come interview time! Consider what you may want to add to your teaching portfolio
- Saving your lesson plans and resources means saving time later. Who knows which grade you will be teaching in the future! Chances are, you can recycle your resources
- Check in with your mentor and university professors as you go
- Did something in your lesson totally flop? Did a tough situation come up?
- Debriefing with the professional supports you have is very important. I often ask questions like “Is there a way I could have handled that better?” or “Have you ever experienced something like this? If so, how do you recommend approaching the situation?”
- Did something in your lesson totally flop? Did a tough situation come up?
- Take notes
- Whether you create a written or audio journal, I recommend you take notes throughout your practicum. This is good practice for ongoing learning, and will be a good refresher before you start teaching!
- Keep in contact with teachers
- Once you start job-hunting, it will be super helpful to know people in your board. If they enjoyed working with you enough, they may even recommend you for supply teaching roles in the school, too!
There you have it, friends! 10 tips for succeeding in your student teaching practicum! I hope that you found some helpful advice in this post. Now, go enjoy your student teacher experience!
Thank you for reading. ♡
