Field / Clinical Experience - Field and Clinical Experiences
Requirements for Student Teaching Placement
Student Teaching Assignments are made cooperatively with the school district, the subject field coordinator of student teaching, and the Office of Educational Field Experiences.
The Code of Ethics for Educators defines the professional behavior of educators in Georgia and serves as a guide for ethical conduct. The Professional Standards Commission has adopted standards that represent the conduct generally accepted by education professionals. The code protects the health, safety and general welfare of students and educators, ensures the citizens of Georgia a degree of accountability within the education profession, and defines unethical conduct justifying disciplinary sanction. (The Code of Ethics for Educators, August 15, 2005). For the entire brochure, visit www.gapsc.com and select the Ethics tab at the top of the page.
Candidates are not to attempt to find their own placement.
Candidates should not contact school district personnel until notified by the Office of Educational Field Experiences of a confirmed placement.
Candidates should follow the schedule of their assigned school for holidays and in cases of inclement weather.
Candidates will not be placed in schools where they have relatives employed in any position.
Candidates may not serve as substitute teachers, paid or unpaid, during student teaching. When a situation requires the cooperating teacher to be absent from work or from the classroom for an extended period of time, a substitute must be obtained by the school principal. The substitute teacher must be present in the classroom at all times.
Undergraduate student teaching candidates employed as parapros may not remain employed as such during their student teaching. They should contact their district office to discuss their available options, such as taking a leave of absence. Graduate student teaching candidates should contact the Office of Educational Field Experiences in 122B Aderhold.
Candidates may not receive pay for any activity performed while student teaching. (This includes payment for participation in extracurricular activities, such as coaching.)
While student teaching is considered a full-time responsibility, UGA does allow its candidates to be employed (outside of the school in which they are placed) during student teaching. However, you may not be excused from any school responsibility to meet an employment obligation. Similarly, you may not leave school early or arrive late because of employment. Remember that you are expected to attend before- and after-school activities, such as conferences, faculty meetings, PTO meetings, etc. Planning, grading papers, developing materials and numerous other responsibilities will also consume much of your out-of-school time. Make sure that your employer knows that you are student teaching and its requirements upon your time.
Candidates should not take other coursework (besides seminars) while student teaching.
Depending on the availability of placements, candidates may drive an hour or more one way for a placement.
When a confirmed placement is secured, the student will be notified via email to their UGA email account by the Office of Educational Field Experiences.
Confirmed placements are final.
For more information about student teaching, see The Student Teaching Handbook .
If you have questions, contact Martha Pruet at mpruet@uga.edu.
Requirements for Student Teaching Placement
The academic advisor has the responsibility, in cooperation with the student, to decide when the student will do student teaching. This decision should come preferably at the end of the junior year, and should be based upon the following requirements. Each student must:
- be officially admitted to a teacher education program.
- apply for student teaching through the Educational Field Experiences Office.
- be recommended by the teaching field department.
- possess the necessary special competencies in the field of specialization for doing student teaching, in addition to courses completed and grades earned, as judged by his or her advisor.
- have satisfactorily completed the following professional education sequence and/or methods courses and required teaching field courses with a grade of “C” or better:
- Early Childhood majors: have satisfactorily completed Block I through Block III courses and field experiences.
- Middle School majors: have satisfactorily completed EDMS 5020, EDMS 5030 and all courses in Specialization I and Specialization II.
- All other subject field majors: have satisfactorily completed EFND 2110 Foundations of Education or its equivalent, and EPSY 2130, Learning and Development, and their professional curriculum courses.
- have a cumulative grade point average of 2.50 or higher, as established by the department.
- have satisfactory personal health to assume the responsibilities that are involved in student teaching and eventual full-time teaching.
