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WHAT IS A PRACTICUM?
WHY DO I NEED PRACTICUM EXPERIENCES?
WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT TO DO WHILE I’M AT MY SITE?
I DID OBSERVATION HOURS AT ANOTHER COLLEGE. CAN I USE
THOSE HOURS TOWARDS MY 100 HOURS OF OBSERVATION FOR SUNY
OSWEGO?
WHAT DO I NEED TO DO TO GET A PLACEMENT?
WHEN DO I REGISTER FOR MY FIELD PLACEMENT?
WHEN DO I SIGN UP WITH THE FIELD PLACEMENT OFFICE (FPO) FOR MY
PLACEMENT?
WHY DO I NEED TO KNOW MY PROFESSORS’ NAMES?
WHY DO I NEED TO KNOW MY SCHEDULE FOR NEXT
SEMESTER?
CAN I ARRANGE MY OWN PLACEMENTS?
HOW WILL I FIND OUT MY PLACEMENT INFORMATION?
MANY OF MY FRIENDS HAVE ALREADY GOTTEN THEIR PLACEMENT
INFORMATION BUT I HAVEN’T GOTTEN MINE. WHAT SHOULD I DO?
WHEN SHOULD I START ATTENDING MY SITE?
WHY DO I NEED TO GO EVERY WEEK THAT SCHOOL IS IN
SESSION?
WHAT SHOULD I DO THE FIRST DAY I’M SCHEDULED TO ATTEND MY
PLACEMENT?
WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I AM SICK OR HAVE AN
EMERGENCY?
WHAT DO I DO IF MY SCHEDULE CHANGES AND I CANNOT GO TO MY
PLACEMENT DURING MY SCHEDULED TIME?
WHERE WILL MY PLACEMENTS BE LOCATED?
WHAT SHOULD I DO WHILE AT MY PLACEMENT?
I COMPLETED MY REQUIRED NUMBER OF HOURS AT MY
PLACEMENT. CAN I STOP ATTENDING?
I HAVE A DISABILITY. HOW DO I REQUEST SPECIAL
ACCOMMODATIONS?
WHAT IS A PRACTICUM?
A Practicum is the name we give to the time teacher candidates attend a real
school setting for some number of hours as part of a course requirement.
Teacher candidates are required to complete 100 clock hours of classroom
experience prior to student teaching. This may be the first time you
enter a classroom to view it from the prospective of a teacher (instead of a
student, or maybe a parent). A Practicum is directly attached to
other courses within your program and has assignments directly linked to course
content.
WHY DO I NEED PRACTICUM EXPERIENCES?
New York State Department of Education requires that all candidates seeking
certification must complete 100 hours of field experience prior to student
teaching. The Practica developed by your department faculty
provide specific opportunities for you which meet all New York State
certification mandates. Additionally, each Practicum experience is
aligned with your college courses and provides opportunities for you to observe
and apply theory learned in your program in an authentic classroom
setting.
WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT TO DO WHILE I’M AT MY SITE?
At all levels of practica, you are asked to act as a “participant observer,”
and to closely monitor all classroom interactions. You also are asked to
seek ways to contribute to the classroom where you are placed. The
practicum is not limited to just one classroom setting, though, so with your
cooperating teacher’s approval, you may also visit other places in the
school. Use your practicum time to learn as much as possible about the
roll of a classroom teacher.
I DID OBSERVATION HOURS AT ANOTHER COLLEGE. CAN I USE THOSE HOURS
TOWARDS MY 100 HOURS OF OBSERVATION FOR SUNY OSWEGO?
Only those hours completed while enrolled in your SUNY Oswego teacher education
program count towards fulfillment of the New York State 100 hour field
experience requirement.
WHAT DO I NEED TO DO TO GET A PLACEMENT?
Every semester, you will both Register and sign up for your field
placement. You must do both every semester because we need updated
information from you each semester.
WHEN DO I REGISTER FOR MY FIELD PLACEMENT?
You Register for your placement through the Registrar (you can do so
through MyOswego) at the same time you register for your other classes.
WHEN DO I SIGN UP WITH THE FIELD PLACEMENT OFFICE (FPO) FOR MY
PLACEMENT?
You sign up for your placement with the Field Placement Office during
sign-up sessions which will be scheduled every semester. The session
dates and times will be advertised on posters and on the FPO’s website.
Click
here for C&I Sign-up Information.
WHY DO I NEED TO KNOW MY PROFESSORS’ NAMES?
We try to place as many of a professor’s students as possible together
in the same school for several reasons. It makes it easier for
classmates to find rides, it facilitates class discussions, and it is easier
for your professor to provide supervision.
WHY DO I NEED TO KNOW MY SCHEDULE FOR NEXT SEMESTER?
The FPO needs to know the times you will be available for
placement, therefore, you will need to bring a copy of your college schedule
(and your work schedule if applicable) for the semester for which you’re
seeking placement.
CAN I ARRANGE MY OWN PLACEMENTS?
The Field Placement Office is responsible for making all
experiential placements for teacher candidates. Schools are being asked
for placements by many colleges and universities besides our own and it is just
too difficult for principals to have individuals contact them and/or their
teachers to request their own placements. The FPO works hard to
maintain excellent relationships with our cooperating schools; we abide by
their placement procedures and comply with all school policies.
Therefore, students must refrain from seeking their own placement; all
practicum and student teaching assignments must be arranged through the Field
Placement Office.
HOW WILL I FIND OUT MY PLACEMENT INFORMATION?
The FPO will mail you a letter which will give you all your placement
information; it will be mailed to the address you give us when you sign up for
placement. You may also get a phone call and/or an email. If
your placement is late, you will receive a phone call prior to our mailing you
a letter.
MANY OF MY FRIENDS HAVE ALREADY GOTTEN THEIR PLACEMENT INFORMATION BUT I
HAVEN’T GOTTEN MINE. WHAT SHOULD I DO?
If you are sure you signed up for your placement with the FPO, you
shouldn’t worry until after the 6th week of the semester. If you haven’t
gotten your placement information by then, you should stop in the FPO (208 Park
Hall) and check on your status.
If you are not sure whether you have signed up for your placement, you
should stop in the FPO (208 Park Hall) immediately. There is a cut-off
date early each semester for accepting applications for placement, so if there
is any chance you have not signed up, you need to check with our
office immediately .
WHEN SHOULD I START ATTENDING MY SITE?
You should begin attending your placement on the date noted in your
notification letter or on the next school day following your
notification. For example, if your placement letter arrives on Monday and
your placement day is scheduled for Wednesdays, you should begin your placement
on Wednesday of that week. You will want to begin immediately to be able
to be part of your classroom for as many weeks as possible each semester.
WHY DO I NEED TO GO EVERY WEEK THAT SCHOOL IS IN SESSION?
Each field experience is designed to give you opportunities to see
what it is like to be a teacher. One of the most important jobs that a
teacher must do is monitor their students’ growth over the course of the
year. By attending your field placement each week, you will be
able to observe (and promote) this growth in the students in your assigned
classroom. You will also be able to participate in a greater variety of
activities by attending weekly than you would if you completed all your hours
in one extended block of time.
WHAT SHOULD I DO THE FIRST DAY I’M SCHEDULED TO ATTEND MY
PLACEMENT?
You should report to your assigned school’s main office one-half hour
prior to the placement time. Be sure to follow all sign-in procedures in
the main office every time you report. Introduce yourself to the
office staff and the principal and ask for directions to your cooperating
teacher’s classroom.
WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I AM SICK OR HAVE AN EMERGENCY?
Your cooperating teacher will have made some preparation for you, so
if you are unable to participate in any practicum session, you will need to
call the school as soon as you know you cannot attend and let the office know
you will not be there:
- Identify yourself by name and college
- State that you are a practicum student in (your cooperating teacher’s name)
classroom;
- Indicate your reason for your absence;
- Ask that a message be given to your cooperating teacher.
WHAT DO I DO IF MY SCHEDULE CHANGES AND I CANNOT GO TO MY PLACEMENT
DURING MY SCHEDULED TIME?
You should go to your first placement at your scheduled time and then
work with your cooperating teacher to find a time that is mutually agreeable
for the remainder of the semester. You would regularly attend according
to this new scheduled time every week. You do not have to notify the FPO
of your schedule change; just change it on your time log.
WHERE WILL MY PLACEMENTS BE LOCATED?
Several of the Syracuse City schools are willing to host a great many
of our candidates for practica each semester. This means that we can
place large numbers of candidates in one building, thus facilitating
carpooling, class discussions, and supervision, while allowing you to
observe/assist in several urban situations to gain valuable experience in
meeting diverse student needs. In addition, you will be able to provide
valuable assistance in the Syracuse school classrooms, helping their
cooperating teachers with student achievement.
WHAT SHOULD I DO WHILE AT MY PLACEMENT?
There are many activities that you can do during your
practicum. A few of these include hearing about
and seeing how your cooperating teacher plans activities, lessons, units,
curriculum; plans for managing behavior; plans class activities, student
movement, daily schedules; communicates with parents, other teachers, aides and
teaching assistants, secretaries, principals and other administrators;
contributes to the larger community (clubs, sports, projects); continues to
learn and grow; deals with social issues around gender, race, (dis)ability,
poverty, sexuality, and so on. In addition, you could be involved
in interactions with children in small groups, one on one, as part of
whole class activities, in conjunction with centers, etc..
A more comprehensive list of suggested activities in which you might
engage during your practica is located at the end of the FAQ’s.
I COMPLETED MY REQUIRED NUMBER OF HOURS AT MY PLACEMENT.
CAN I STOP ATTENDING?
The MINIMUM number of hours requirement is just that – it is expected
that you will attend your placement at your assigned time every week for the
entire semester.
I HAVE A DISABILITY. HOW DO I REQUEST SPECIAL
ACCOMMODATIONS?
You will need to contact the Disability Services Office; the FPO will
arrange for accommodations for you based on their determination of needs.
The Disability Services Office is located in 226 Hewitt Union,phone - 312-3358;
e-mail dss@oswego.edu
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