According to an email by Dr. Levine sent to elementary-education students, Neag students will follow rotations between clinics and classes. After each rotation students will return to campus for a few weeks of intensive work then return back to clinic. (Tyler Benton/The Daily Campus
The Neag School of Education has completely redesigned their program for next fall’s seniors focusing in elementary education by allowing more clinic time.
“The program redesign resulted from an investigation into current best practice research in teacher education, student and partner school feedback, faculty input and self study,” Director of Academic Advising and Certification Officer Ann Traynor said.
Sixth-semester elementary education student Jasmine Patel said her class is the first to experience the newly designed program.
This new program will allow more clinic time, or student teaching, in order to best prepare for teaching every day in the spring semester, Patel said.
“We have redesigned our program to increase your chances to learn from, and try, teaching during your time in schools,” Assistant Professor in the Curriculum and Instruction Department Dr. Tom Levine said.
According to an email by Dr. Levine sent to elementary-education students, the students will follow rotations between clinics and classes. After each rotation students will return to campus for a few weeks of intensive work then return back to clinic.
During the student’s time back on campus, they will debrief on their clinic experience then learn new methods of teaching for their next clinic rotation, Dr. Levine said.
In past years, Patel said elementary-education students only went to clinic once a week during the fall semester, but this year’s fall semester they will have longer periods of time spent within clinic to learn how classrooms work.
There are also new courses included in the program for all of Neag’s education students.
The secondary education students will be offered a methods course in the spring of their junior year, Traynor said. All education students will also be offered a multicultural education course in the fall of their junior year.
“This schedule allows you to see how teachers develop norms and routines with students at the beginning of the year, to learn how one day’s instruction influences the next, and to take over more teaching responsibilities,” Dr. Levine said. “These arrangements will leave you better prepared for full-time student teaching in the spring.
Emma DeGrandi is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. She can be reached via email at emma.degrandi@uconn.edu.
