Field Placement Office

WHAT IS A PRACTICUM? 
WHY DO I NEED PRACTICUM EXPERIENCES?  
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? 
CAN I ARRANGE MY OWN PLACEMENTS?
WILL I NEED TRANSPORTATION?
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? 
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 SHOULD I DO WHILE AT MY PLACEMENT?
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. 


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. 

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. 

WILL I NEED TRANSPORTATION?

Students can expect to have one placement within a 30-45 mile radius of their given address; however, we do not have enough available teachers at cooperating schools to guarantee that both placements will be within that range.  It should be expected that one placement may be up to a 1-1.5 hour commute.  Therefore, it is strongly suggested that you arrange for transportation in advance of your Student Teaching experiences. 

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 not sure whether you have signed up for your placement, you should stop in the FPO (252 Wilber 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 . 

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. 

You should then call your college supervisor with the same information. 

Make arrangements to deliver to your cooperating teacher any materials for which you are responsible for developing for that day (such as lesson plans and/or materials for that day’s classes).

WHAT SHOULD I DO WHILE AT MY PLACEMENT?

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

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. 

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