Field Experiences
After the first week of classes on campus, students are placed in a two-week observation in a classroom in the Puget Sound region. Following the two-week observation, students return to campus for reflection and discussion about their experience. During the first quarter, students are placed in pairs in partnership schools for a peer coaching field experience in which they observe and teach three separate weeks throughout the quarter.
During the second quarter of the program, students begin to participate in their student teaching setting while attending classes on campus and in the field. Integrating the student teaching experiences with on-campus classes allows the prospective teacher to integrate theory and practice. Students are placed in student teaching settings located within a 30-mile radius of campus. Prior to being assigned to a classroom, students participate in an interview with the cooperating teacher. The teaching internship continues into the third quarter of the program. Additionally, MIT students participate in service learning at school sites and in a focused field experience in a middle school setting. Approximately 50% of MIT program learning occurs in field settings.
TEED 510: The Teacher as a Reflective Decision Maker
Students are assigned to observe and participate in an elementary, middle, or high school for seven days. Observations are guided by a set of questions designed to lead the student in reflection on instructional decisions based on the nature of the school, the community, the individual classroom, and the students in the classroom.
TEED 523: Middle School Field Experience/Seminar
This field placement provides the opportunity for a range of experiences in a middle school. Students observe and participate in middle school classrooms for two days. An MIT graduate at each school coordinates field experiences, orients MIT students to the middle school and conducts a seminar. Reflection in the field is guided by research and information on best practices provided in the MIT classroom.
TEED 513: Peer Coaching Field Experience
Pairs of students are assigned to a cooperating teacher and have opportunities for participation in instruction supported by peer coaching. Three separate weeks of full time field experience are supported by classroom preparation and reflection in the elements of instruction in week one, classroom management in week two, and teaching diverse learners in the final week. Students teach a lesson or part of a lesson during each week and receive both formal and informal feedback from the cooperating teacher.
TEED 525 & TEED 527/528: Teaching Internships (Special Education and General Education)
MIT SPED students complete two student teaching assignments, one in a general education classroom and one in a special education setting. The teaching internships extend across two blocks of the MIT SPED program. During Block II, students are in the classroom with one of their cooperating teachers one day a week for focused observations. During Block III, students are in the classroom full time for twelve to fourteen weeks and gradually assume full time teaching responsibilities. MIT SPED students split their time between each of their two classrooms. The cooperating teachers and university supervisor formally observe student teachers using the “Performance Based Pedagogy Assessment of Teacher Candidates”. Students are expected to successfully meet the demands of the classroom and the competencies required by the program and for certification by the State of Washington.