RoleoftheCooperatingTeacher-UniversityofLouisville.docVIP

University of Louisville Office of Educator Development and Clinical Practice Cooperating Teacher Informational Guide Spring 2012 The Office of Educator Development and Clinical Practice (OEDCP) at the University of Louisville serves as the organizational hub for communication and data collection related to field experiences and clinical placements (student teaching) for student teacher candidates. When students reach the final phase, Phase 4, of their Teacher Preparation Program, they are placed in one of our established partner schools within the Jefferson County Public Schools or within one of the Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative (OVEC) districts for their culminating experience of student teaching. Placements are also made outside of our partner schools on an as-needed basis. During Phase 4, Student Teacher candidates work with a Cooperating Teacher and a University Supervisor in order to demonstrate skills acquired in previous field experience placements and begin to extend these abilities as they grow into the teaching profession. The Student Teacher candidate is defined as a U of L student who is completing an intensive clinical placement under the guidance and supervision of a cooperating teacher and a university supervisor. The Cooperating Teacher is defined as a teacher with a minimum of three years teaching experience and a Master’s degree who is mentoring a teacher candidate in the area in which the candidate is earning his/her certification. The University Supervisor is defined as a U of L faculty member or individual hired by the university to support, give feedback, and assess a teacher candidate. The University Supervisor serves as a link between the cooperating school and the university. The cooperating teacher influences the quality of the student teaching experience more than any other individual involved in the process. It is primarily the classroom teacher who guides the teacher candidate’s professional growth throughout the student teaching