Policies & Procedures
Field Experience Philosophy and Rationale
Field experiences in teacher education are those experiences that are conducted at a school site. Field experiences are carefully designed to prepare prospective teachers to work effectively in school classrooms. Teacher education field experience sites are systematically selected to meet state standards, and experiences are sequenced to provide opportunities for prospective teachers to observe, plan, and practice in diverse settings appropriate to the professional roles for which they are being prepared. Progressively, these experiences include classroom observations, assisting and conferring with classroom teachers and school administrators, individual and/or small group tutoring, participation in classroom, school and community-wide activities, whole group instruction, and other professional roles in schools. Field experiences are accompanied by professional support and feedback from cooperating teachers and university supervisors.
Policies and Procedures Governing All Teacher Education Field Experiences
Policies and procedures have been established to better facilitate the field experiences of Mercer's Teacher Candidates in the schools. These policies and procedures are described here.