Clinical Experiences

Secondary Education pre-student teaching experiences in public schools are referred to as Clinical Experiences. These forty-five hour experiences provide teacher candidates with the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills in real classrooms in public schools.

Philosophy Behind Clinical Experiences

The goal of Clinical Experiences is for education students to begin to view the classroom and students from the perspective of a teacher. During these experiences, they should observe, practice and reflect on teaching strategies, classroom management and student engagement; they should focus on professional practices and student success.

Registration

Students should register for clinical course(s) in conjunction with their content methods class(es). Contact content or TEAL advisor for information about specific 3300 or 4300 clinical courses/sections prior to enrollment.

Guidelines For Secondary Teacher Preparation

General Policies

Secondary Education students typically take two or more clinical courses for their program of study. Since one purpose of Clinical Experiences is understanding of 7-12 grade teaching/learning environments, students will generally have both a middle school placement and a high school placement. These Clinical Experiences should be in two different schools with different teachers, and when possible, in different subjects within content. While The Office of Field Experiences will do its utmost to facilitate this, it may not always be possible due to limited placement options.

Clinical Experiences are funded each semester by either differential tuition, or, in some departments, course fees. Stipends are paid to the mentor teacher(s) who assume responsibility for supervision of USU students in the schools. The role of mentor teacher(s) is to work with students and provide oral and written feedback including completion of final evaluation form.  Students should submit final evaluation to The Office of Field Experiences; they may also be required to provide copy to their content methods or clinical course instructor when directed.

Procedures

Secondary Education students enrolled in clinical course(s) should completed their application(s) in eGrad for clinical experience placement(s) during first week of semester.  The Office of Field Experiences processes applications from all contents and develops a comprehensive list of school/teacher placement requests. The Office of Field Experiences then sends these requests to district and school administrations.  When placements are approved, The Office of Field Experiences shares information with methods or clinical instructor to give to students. 

Students should contact mentor teacher(s) promptly upon receiving their placement(s).  In the event of difficulty with a particular clinical placement, The Office of Field Experiences will work with mentor teacher(s) and methods or clinical instructor to resolve concerns.

Note

At end of each clinical experience, mentor teacher(s) should complete a Clinical Experience Evaluation Form and provide a copy to their clinical student to upload into The Office of Field Experiences "Secondary Education Canvas Course."

Expectations for Professional Conduct

During Clinical Experiences, education students should be fully engaged.  They are expected to demonstrate professional behaviors such as appropriate dress, punctuality, respect for students and school staff, faculty, and administration.  They are also required to adhere to ethical standards.