FOR STUDENT TEACHERS

Information Sessions
Each semester information sessions are held to inform students of practicum programs. Students preparing for full practicum attend an information session prior to that semester to learn how to prepare for their placement interview during Placement Week.

Orientations
Orientation meetings are held each semester for student teachers who have applied and been accepted into a practicum program for pre or full practicum.

These are usually held the first week of classes. Students are informed via direct mailings, emails, posters, and are encouraged to check the Practicum Office calendar for dates and locations.  A Practicum Calendar with all orientation dates and venues will be available online soon.

Kick Off Meeting for Full Practicum
Student teachers participating in full practicum or clinical experiences are required to attend a Kick Off Meeting the first Thursday of the semester of the student teaching experience. Students meet their clinical supervisors, receive and review the syllabus, and receive the licensure forms at this time.

Pre-Service Performance (PPA) Assessment Licensure Forms
Student teachers must maintain their own licensure forms. Pre-practicum students have 1 required form. Full practicum students seeking Initial Licensure use BC Forms #1-5 and Clinical student teachers seeking a Specialist License use BC forms A-E. Yellow copies of all forms are submitted at the end of each practicum experience and kept in the students' files in the Practicum Office.

Practicum Syllabus and Strategies Handbook
A practicum syllabus for pre-practicum, undergraduates, and Graduates lists all specific requirements for licensure and program completion, and is available on line.   Successful Strategies for Student Teaching, 2nd Edition (Pelletier, 2000) is the required text to be used with the Field Syllabus for Graduate pre-practicum and all full practicum and clinical experiences.

Special Issues in Teaching Lecture Series
The Special Issues in Teaching series is offered each semester and is required for pre-practicum students. Three topics are selected each semester relating to equity and diversity issues. Attendance at one session is required during each pre-practicum experience. Students attending all three each semester receive a Certificate of Participation for their portfolio. Full practicum students are encouraged to attend to receive updated information for their ongoing professional development.

December Graduates-Job Search
Students who are graduating in December are encouraged to attend an Information Session that provides an overview of the job market and to explore mid-year teaching positions. Date and time available in Practicum Office.

Student Teacher Portfolio Workshop
This event is offered to full practicum student teachers who are seeking job interviews. It assists students in transforming the required Evidence Binder and Reflection Portfolio into a "presentation portfolio" for the interview. How to create a brochure, interview tips, and examples are shared.

FOR COOPERATING TEACHERS

Cooperating Teacher Information Packet
Student teachers hand deliver a complete packet of information to their cooperating teacher prior to the student teaching experience (pre-practicum students deliver it the first week). The packet includes information about the program, and roles and responsibilities for cooperating teachers. The packet is updated regularly.

Techniques and Strategies for Coaching Student Teachers
A resource for both cooperating teachers and full practicum clinical supervisors is available (Pelletier, 2000), at the BC Book Store.

Orientation to Lynch School Practicum Program
Regularly scheduled meetings are held for new and returning cooperating teachers. These orientations allow teachers to ask questions, meet each other, and learn about the Lynch School program.

Cooperating Teacher Workshops (at BC or Site)
Workshops presented by the Director or members of the clinical faculty are offered as needed. Topics for workshops focus on the dynamics of supervision and mentoring, teaching and learning.

Cooperating Teacher Institutes
Summer Institutes with collaborating Practicum Directors from local area colleges are available periodically. Opportunities to learn observation and feedback techniques as well as to practice them are available.

"Community of Learners" Celebration
This formal event is held at the end of each semester at Boston College. It is a professional day for student teachers to present their Inquiry research studies and to engage in professional discussions with teacher education faculty. cooperating teachers and clinical faculty. Refreshments, awards, and public acknowledgement is given to teachers working with our student teachers.

"Supervision in Action: Cooperating Teachers As Teacher Educators"
This three-credit graduate course is offered to cooperating teachers who are currently working with a student teacher. Teachers use their course voucher while they are in the process of coaching a student teacher in their classroom, rather than receiving it at the end of the practicum. Sharing ideas at the school site, creating learning groups for sharing ideas, and teacher leadership is highlighted. A portfolio is required.

Course Vouchers
Boston College compensates cooperating school systems with vouchers, which can be used toward the tuition of a graduate course at the University. A full tuition voucher is issued for each undergraduate practicum and for each graduate clinical experience student. Vouchers for undergraduate practica and for graduate clinical experiences are issued after the close of records for the semester. Vouchers, bearing the names of the cooperating teachers who hosted student teachers, are issued to the school system, which then distributes them to the individual or individuals of the system's choice. Questions about vouchers should be directed to the Assistant Director.

Professional Development Points
Massachusetts requires licensed teachers to collect and document professional development through professional development points (PDP). One contact hour = 1 PDP. Cooperating teachers earn points. Re-licensure regulations are changing and teachers need to verify the number of points earned.

Invitations to Lynch School Events
Cooperating teachers are welcome to attend any Lynch School event. Teachers receive a list from the student teachers at the beginning of the semester for Special Issues Series and other events. PDP points can be earned for events that total 10 hours.

Educational Resource Center (ERC) Library Card
Cooperating teachers are eligible to apply for an ERC library card. Student teachers need to pick up an application and hand deliver to cooperating teachers who are interested. All circulating materials follow current ERC policies.

Leadership Opportunities for Cooperating Teachers
Cooperating teachers at cluster sites may be interested in becoming teacher leaders by hosting workshops at the school. Interested teachers should contact the Director.

FOR LYNCH SCHOOL SUPERVISORS

Summer Orientation Training and Preparation Binder
All supervisors for pre and full practicum are required to attend a two-day training in August. This event is designed by the Directors with input from experienced supervisors. Overview of the mission, observation and feedback techniques, and current issues are discussed. A January event is also scheduled for supervisors coming on board during the school year.

Practicum Observation With Director
The Director visits the field and the schools with the clinical faculty supervisors regularly. There are opportunities to talk with groups of students, practice new field observation forms, and discuss issues.

Close-Out Meeting With Student Teachers
At the end of the practicum experience, the clinical faculty supervisor and pre-practicum supervisors are required to meet with each student personally to check that all requirements have been met.

Monthly Meetings
The Associate Director leads and designs the agenda for monthly meetings on campus. Graduate assistant pre-practicum supervisors meet monthly under the direction of the Assistant Director. Topics include supervising in a variety of social contexts, observation and feedback, responding to journals, promoting reflection and self-assessment, and assisting students who are having difficulty in practicum experiences.

Licensure Endorsement Meeting With Student Teachers
Clinical faculty attend the licensure endorsement meeting with the student teachers and Director at the end of each semester.

Summer Retreat
Clinical faculty are invited to a summer retreat to plan the next year's program, review program evaluations, and refine syllabi.