I. History of OCCETE

The Oklahoma Cooperative for Clinical Experiences in Teacher Education is a cooperative of five universities and the Tulsa Public Schools. The universities are: Langston University, Northeastern State University, Oklahoma State University, Oral Roberts University, and the University of Tulsa. The main purpose of the cooperative is to place pre-intern and intern teachers with the best cooperating teachers in the Tulsa Public Schools. The cooperative has been in existence for 27 years and involves teachers and principals in making final placement decisions. Two workshops are held each year for the interns, one first semester and one second semester, to address the special needs/concerns/ of the interns. The interns complete evaluations at the end of the sessions and this input helps the cooperative to develop the workshop agenda for the next year.

The cooperative has nine meetings during the year beginning in September. There is a set of by-laws and six standing committees, which report monthly to the cooperative. The chairperson for OCCETE revolves each year from a public school teacher, to an administrator, to a university representative.

The Tulsa Public Schools envisions the student teaching experience as a "partnership" between the intern teacher, the mentoring teacher, the building principal and the university representative. To ensure a successful experience, this teaching team must develop an atmosphere of communication and trust. The Tulsa Public Schools provides the best-trained mentor teachers to help in the development of each intern. Each mentor teacher must have a minimum of three years of experience, be considered an exemplary teacher, and be recommended by the building principal. Each person who is part of the teaching team plays a role in the success of the intern teacher. Listed below is each of the roles:

• Look upon the intern teachers as part of a teaching team with gradually increasing responsibility for planning and implementation of lessons.

• Conference regularly with the intern teacher, making sure the intern is free to ask questions and make suggestions, offering feedback on lessons taught, preferably in writing.

• Schedule a conference with the intern teacher during the first days of student teaching to clarify the role of the intern teacher in the specific context.

• Assist the intern teacher in developing a professional attitude in all of his/her contacts with the school community.

• Acknowledge the intern teacher as a professional sharing all pertinent student information with them.

• Clarify the intern teacher’s responsibilities with respect to making lesson plans, securing and organizing appropriate materials, and other necessary activities.

• Work with the intern teacher to decide together well in advance of the time when a lesson or unit is expected to be taught.

• Ensure the intern teacher is introduced to teaching at a rate appropriate for that intern teacher. One helpful model is a four phase process: 1) The cooperating teacher directly models lesson teaching, 2) the intern teacher teaches comparable lessons using the mentor teacher’s lessons plans, 3) the intern teacher plans and teaches lessons after making the plans available to the mentor, and 4) cooperating teacher and intern reflect and follow-up.

• Keep a calendar of the intern teaching experience; showing days of intern teaching – days present and absent.

• Assist intern teacher in collecting examples for his/her portfolio.

• Invite the intern teacher to attend staff development programs for teachers and administrators.

• Plan to be available when the university supervisor is observing.

• Take the necessary steps to remove the intern teacher if work is not satisfactory.

The intern teacher is part of the teaching team and carries a great deal of the responsibility for the ultimate success of the student teaching experience. The intern teacher is a pre-professional who will eventually plan and carry out lessons designed to benefit the students. A successful intern teacher will:

• Support school policies and personnel; following all school rules and regulations, including observing the school calendar.

• Understand that student teaching is a full-time job so that daily attendance and preparation reflects the seriousness of this responsibility.

• Investigate what "professionalism" means in the context of the school in which he/she is placed. He/she will dress, speak, write and act professionally each day during student teaching.

• Be familiar with and act according to laws dealing with confidentiality, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, also known as the Buckley Amendment.

• Test new ideas within the context already established by the mentor teacher, making them available to the mentor teacher several days in advance of the lesson.

• Develop written lesson plans in advance, sharing them with the cooperating teacher and discussing them before the lesson is taught.

• Throughout the student teaching experience, be reflective of all of your experiences in order to gain a fuller understanding of the teaching/learning process.

• Request conferences with the cooperating teacher and/or the university supervisor as needed.

• Take part in out-of-class activities such as PTA meetings, faculty and staff professional development meetings and routine teaching and non-teaching tasks.

• Inform the cooperating teacher and the university supervisor of any absences in advance, if possible.

• Add pertinent information to your portfolio throughout the student teaching experience.

• Be continually involved in self-evaluation through such activities as journaling, examining the goals and outcomes of each instructional activity, reviewing videotapes of classroom activities, soliciting feedback and seeking immediate answers to problems.

The university supervisor and/or mentor is a liaison between the university and the public schools, cooperating teacher and intern teacher. The role of the supervisor varies among the cooperative schools, but the following are general expectations for all supervisors:

• Hold meeting with the intern/cooperating teacher.

• Visit/observe the intern teaching situation as deemed appropriate by all parties.

• Provide written documentation of observations/visits as necessary.

• Participate in discussions/conferences with the intern and cooperating teacher to decide in which other classrooms and/or building the intern teacher will observe.

• Assign the final grade for student teaching – giving substantial weight to the written evaluation of the mentor teacher.

The principal facilitates a meeting with the intern teacher, cooperating teacher and university supervisor at the beginning of the semester and speaks about the school’s philosophy, policies, regulations and professional expectations. This meeting can be done individually or with a group of intern teachers and the cooperating teachers.

• Provide a positive environment for intern teachers within the building.

• Orient the faculty to their role in the intern teaching program.

• Stay informed of the progress of each student teacher.

• Observe intern teacher and provide them with feedback, as time permits.

• Read and become familiar with OCCETE expectations, handbooks, brochures, etc.

• Communicate the student teaching program to parents, students and the community.

• Before intern arrives, prepare class by explaining that he/she is learning to be a teacher and discuss with your students how they can help.

• Call intern teacher and invite him/her in for a tour of the building and introduce him/her to other staff members and support personnel.

• Have a place in the classroom prepared for the intern teacher. Provide copies of school calendar, school discipline plan and other valuable information.

• Provide a way for the intern teacher to get to know your students – such as a seating chart.

• Stress the importance of observing classroom procedures and methods to the intern teacher.

• Provide intern teacher opportunities to help students early in the experience.

• Meet after school with intern to answer questions.

• Plan together each unit. Provide a calendar on which you have noted the agreed upon weeks of teaching.

• Once the intern begins to teach, provide time for reflection on the lesson taught – using data collected, mentor intern and cooperating teacher.

• Share your professional library with the intern teacher.

• Be open to new information or methods of teaching from your intern.

• Be honest, professional – your professional opinion counts!

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