Thank you for accepting a teacher candidate from Boise State University into your classroom. The field experiences candidates have are critical to their preparation as future teachers. We appreciate the time, energy, and expertise you give to our candidates. You have been selected as a mentor because of your strong dedication to the teaching profession, use of effective teaching strategies, willingness to guide the progress of our BSU candidates, and your high level of professional ethics. We understand your acceptance of a BSU candidate adds responsibilities to your full-time professional duties. However, we know the benefits to the teacher candidates and the students in your classroom are significant.
Purpose of this Guide:
This guide has been designed to assist you with a variety of issues related to accepting BSU candidates in field experiences. These professional experiences are required by the College of Education for candidates working on their requirements for an Idaho teaching certificate.
Candidates preparing to become teachers are expected to complete a wide variety of courses on campus and field experiences off campus. Where your candidate is in the program will determine the expectations for the candidate and for you, as the mentor teacher.
Definitions:
Mentor:
A PreK-12 teacher who accepts the
responsibility to help prepare BSU students in PreK-12 settings to become certificated
teachers.
Supervisor:
A university faculty member who accepts
the responsibility to coordinate the activities between the mentor and
the candidate and assess the candidate based upon the Idaho Beginning
Teacher Standards.
Liaison:
A university faculty member who not only is a supervisor but also
accepts the responsibility to develop an extensive, collaborative
partnership with a
particular educational institution.
Candidate:
A BSU student who has been accepted into the BSU teacher education programs
Intern:
A student who works in a PreK-12 educational institution prior to the
Student Teaching Semester as part of the preparation to become a
certificated teacher.
Student Teacher:
A candidate who is in the final semester of the preparation program.
Professional Year:
The two semesters in which candidates spend a major portion of
their time in a PreK-12 setting.
Program Goals and Objectives:
The primary goal of the student teaching experience is to foster candidate and Pre-K - 12 student learning through the skillful application of sound instructional techniques in a mentoring situation.
The objectives for the field experience at Boise State University include:
- Contributing to the further learning of prospective teachers
- Preparing teachers to enter learning communities rather than isolated classrooms
- Preparing teachers for the full range of a teacher's responsibility
- Preparing teachers to teach everyone's children and not just children like themselves.
Mentor Qualifications:
It takes a special person to be a good mentor. Maturity, self-assurance, patience, and confidence in your knowledge and ability are prerequisites for this important undertaking. More specifically, a good mentor is a teacher who:
- Is a skillful teacher
- Has at least three years of teaching experience
- Is able to transmit effective teaching strategies
- Has a thorough command of the curriculum being taught
- Is a good listener
- Can communicate openly with the beginning teacher
- Is sensitive to the needs of the beginning teacher
- Understands that teachers may be effective using a variety of styles and is careful not to be overly judgmental.