Purpose, Objectives and Approval of the Student Teaching Program
Purpose
The primary purpose of the student teaching program at Missouri State University is to provide a planned, carefully supervised learning opportunity for the teacher candidate that will allow demonstration of the qualities of the teacher as a reflective practitioner. A teacher candidate who is a reflective practitioner will:
- Be an active learner who demonstrates knowledge of subject matter and serves as a mentor, coach, and collaborative creator of learning experiences.
- Examine experience-based perceptions, common strategies, and conventional wisdom about schooling and learning.
- Draw on scholarly contributions based on varied models and theories of instruction and management.
- View teaching as a dynamic process of renewal and re-examination in light of the refinement of established models and the emergence of new ones.
Educator Preparation Provider (EPP): The EPP functions as the body around which all changes are disseminated, discussed and eventually governed. The EPP is also required to document compliance with all state and DESE mandates regarding professional education programs at Missouri State for accreditation purposes.
Missouri Teacher Standards: The Missouri Teacher Standards convey the expectations of performance for professional teachers in Missouri. The standards are based on teaching theory indicating that effective teachers are caring, reflective practitioners and life-long learners who continuously acquire new knowledge and skills and are constantly seeking to improve their teaching practice to provide high academic achievement for all students. Thus, these standards recognize that teachers continuously develop knowledge and skills. Therefore, the Missouri Teacher Standards employ a developmental sequence to define a professional continuum that illustrates how a teacher’s knowledge and skills mature and strengthen throughout the career. Teaching professionals are expected to supply good professional judgment and to use these standards to inform and improve their own practice.
Objectives
Student teaching is the phase of the teacher education program when the teacher candidate has a sustained opportunity to demonstrate the theory of the teacher as a reflective decision maker in a typical classroom. Specifically, the teacher candidate is exposed to situations that enable decision making regarding teaching and learning. Reflection upon the results of those decisions enables the teacher candidate to realign or change thinking in future decision making.
The teacher candidate’s performance of these objectives will be evaluated using the Missouri Educator Evaluation System (MEES) assessment.
Approval
Teacher Education and Teacher Certification Requirements
Note:
- Successful completion of student teaching is one of the requirements for graduation and certification.
- Students who have been admitted to student teaching may be removed in certain circumstances.