School of Education & Human Sciences Unified Early Childhood Preschool Student Teaching Handbook

Unified Early Childhood Program Student Teaching Handbook

Student teaching is a chance to implement the skills, strategies, and values you have learned in your coursework and implement them in a real-world setting. Effective student teaching experiences focus on three broad outcomes: (1) developing your identity as an educator; (2) understanding the field of early childhood education as a profession and early childhood special education as a specialization within the profession; and (3) developing your conceptual, analytical and technical skills as a teacher candidate. Students enrolled in student teaching are referred to as teacher candidates. Teacher candidates are expected to participate in all aspects of teaching and learning practice, to think carefully about the purposes, complexities, and consequences of what they do, and to learn from their experiences. Teacher candidates are evaluated based on important knowledge, skills, and dispositions articulated in each of the licensure and endorsement Regulations and Standards of the state of Kansas for educators and specifically for Early Childhood Unified Educators (birth to grade 3). Student teaching is a labor-intensive activity that requires commitment and professionalism, and is a space to share, problem-solve, and collaborate.

This handbook is designed to be a general reference during student teaching semester at the University of Kansas for teacher candidates, their clinical supervisors, university supervisors, and administrator of the placement program or school. The information contained in this handbook addresses requirements and expectations to better guide the student teaching process.

Standard 1	The educator demonstrates the ability to use the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of each discipline he or she teaches and can create opportunities that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for all students.
Standard 2	The educator demonstrates an understanding of how individuals learn and develop intellectually, socially, and personally and provides learning opportunities that support this development.
Standard 3	The educator demonstrates the ability to provide different approaches to learning and creates instructional opportunities that are equitable, that are based on developmental levels, and that are adapted to diverse learners, including those with exceptionalities.
Standard 4	The educator understands and uses a variety of appropriate instructional strategies to develop various kinds of students' learning including critical thinking, problem solving, and reading.
Standard 5	The educator uses an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation
Standard 6	The educator uses a variety of effective verbal and non-verbal communication techniques to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom.
Standard 7	The educator plans effective instruction based upon the knowledge of all students, community, subject matter, curriculum outcomes, and current methods of teaching reading.
Standard 8	The educator understands and uses formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and ensure the continual intellectual, social, and other aspects of personal development of all learners.
Standard 9	The educator is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effects of his or her choices and actions on others (students, parents, and other professionals in the learning community), actively seeks out opportunities to grow professionally, and participates in the school improvement process (Kansas Quality Performance Accreditation [QPA])
Standard 10	The educator fosters collegial relationships with school personnel, parents, and agencies in the larger community to support all students' learning and well-being.
Standard 11	The educator demonstrates the ability to integrate across and within content fields to enrich the curriculum, develop reading and thinking skills, and facilitate all students' abilities to understand relationships between subject areas.
Standard 12	The educator understands the role of technology in society and demonstrates skills using instructional tools and technology to gather, analyze, and present information, enhance instructional practices, facilitate professional productivity and communication, and help all students use instructional technology effectively.
Standard 13	The educator is a reflective practitioner who uses an understanding of historical, philosophical, and social foundations of education to guide educational practices.

Standard 1	Child Development and Learning: Candidates prepared in early childhood unified degree programs are grounded in a child development knowledge base. They understand and value learner differences. They use their understanding of young children’s development and learning, to create environments that are healthy, respectful, supportive, and challenging for each learner.
Standard 2	Content Knowledge: Candidates understand the central concepts, tools of inquiry and structures of the discipline he or she teaches and creates learning experiences that make the discipline accessible and meaningful for learners to assure mastery of the content.
Standard 3	Application of Content Knowledge: Candidates understand how to connect concepts and use differing perspectives to engage learners in critical thinking, creativity, and collaborative problem solving related to authentic local and global issues.
Standard 4	Observing, Documenting, and Assessing to Support Young Learners and Families: Candidates prepared in early childhood B – G3 degree programs understand that child observation, documentation, and other forms of assessment are central to the practice of all early childhood professionals. They know about and understand the goals, benefits, and uses of assessment. They know about and use systematic observations, documentation, and other effective assessment strategies in a responsible way, in partnership with families and other professionals, to positively influence the development of each and every learner.
Standard 5	Planning for Instruction: Candidates prepared in early childhood B – G3 degree programs use their knowledge of preacademic / academic disciplines to design, implement and evaluate experiences that promote positive development and learning for every learner.
Standard 6	Using Developmentally Effective Strategies: Candidates in early childhood B – G3 degree programs understand that teaching and learning with young learners is a complex enterprise, and its details vary depending on learners’ ages, characteristics, and the settings within which teaching and learning occur. Candidates know, understand, and use a wide array of developmentally appropriate approaches, instructional strategies and tools to connect learners and families and positively influence each and every learner’s development and learning.
Standard 7	Professional and Ethical Practice: Candidates prepared in early childhood B – G3 degree programs identify and conduct themselves as members of the early childhood profession. They know and use ethical guidelines and other professional standards related to early childhood practice. They are continuous, collaborative learners who demonstrate knowledge, reflective and critical perspectives on their work, making informed decisions that integrate knowledge from a variety of sources. They are informed advocates for sound educational practices and policies.
Standard 8	Leadership and Collaboration: Candidates prepared in early childhood B-G3 degree programs understand that successful early childhood education depends upon collaborative partnerships. They know about, understand, and value the importance and complex characteristics of learners’ families and communities and respect families as the primary decision-maker for their learners. They use this understanding to create respectful, reciprocal, and culturally sensitive relationships that support and empower families, and to involve all families in their learners’ development and learning.

School of Education & Human Sciences Unified Early Childhood Preschool Student Teaching Handbook

Handbook contents

Unified Early Childhood Program Student Teaching Handbook

Contact Information

Faculty contacts

Staff contacts

General Information

UEC Program Overview

UEC Student Teaching - Preschool

Hours

Dates

UEC Student Teaching Requirements & Procedures

Application Process

Application Process Steps:

Roles and Responsibilities

University Supervisor

Clinical Supervisor

The Teacher Candidate

Responsibilities of the Teacher candidate

Professionalism

Incident Reporting

Evaluation and Observations

Educators Performance Assessment

Grading

Student Teaching Seminar

Appendix A

Kansas Professional Education Standards

Appendix B

Kansas Program Standards for Early Childhood Unified Birth-Grade 3 Educators