Field Experience and Student Teaching

Overview

The Filed Experience and Student Teaching (FEST) Unit was established in 6 August 2013 to become an important part of the Assistant Dean for Training and Community Service’s office. Its establishment was a response to the increasing training needs of the various degree programs offered by the College of Education; especially that CoE recognizes quality education and field training as a priority and a necessity for fulfilling its mission. FEST was born on grounds of the concept of partnership between CoE and the on-site training providers and potential employers of its graduates, public and private schools under the supervision of the Ministry of Education being the most important of which at the current stage. Thus, FEST is viewed as the liaison party between CoE and MoE to organize and facilitate candidates’ field experience and training, and to establish an open channel of communication between both institutions in order to collaboratively design, implement, and assess the training process.

FEST was established with the following vision, mission and objectives.

Vision

The Field Experiences and Student Teaching unit (FEST) aspires to establish and sustain an effective partnership between the College of Education, the Ministry of Education and other training partners.

Mission

FEST is committed to effectively organize the planning, implementation and evaluation of field experiences and student teaching to help the college’s degree programs advance in steady strides towards achieving their program goals.

Objectives

Enhancing communication between the unit and the Ministry of Education in order to improve candidates’ involvement in field experiences.
Strengthening the relationship between the college and its training parties in order to design, implement, and assess field experiences.
Organizing field experiences and student teaching.
Organizing and implementing workshops for beneficiaries in the College of Education and the Ministry of Education related to different aspects of student teaching.
Promoting effective communication between the College of Education and different sites of field experiences and student teaching.
Providing transportation to deliver candidates to partner schools.
Facilitating the process of data entry of FEST assessment tools for supervisors, cooperative teachers and candidates.

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Cooperation Programme between SQU ( COE) & MOE

The Principle of Partnership

The College of Education (CoE) recognizes the crucial roles played by other institutions and persons in providing professional and field-based experiences to our candidates, and facilitating induction into the professional community. The college recognizes as teacher preparation partners all parties cooperating in providing training sites and participating in the provision and of training, providing enriching and induction professional learning and development activities such as workshops, and participating in the administrative processes of organizing and monitoring field-based experiences as well as enacting and reinforcing partnership and clinical experiences’ processes and policies. The main partner of CoE if the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the government and international schools. Preparation partnership is based on shared interest in and responsibility for the quality of the college programs and graduates.

Our Esteemed Partners

Teacher preparation partners are those collaborating with CoE in the provision of field experiences and enriching professional activities, as well as the management of the implementation of field-based process. The main teacher preparation partners include:

College of Education and its academic departments and administrative units.
Sultan Qaboos University units that participate in the provision of some intensive and short field-based experiences, such as
- Child Care Centre
- Student Counselling Center.
The Ministry of Education
- The Field Experiences Advisory Committee (FEAC)
- The Program of Collaboration enacting committees
- Government schools, which host field experiences and student teaching for all college programs and participate in supervision (click here for a list)
- International schools, which host field experiences and student teaching for some college programs and participate in supervision (click here for a list)
- Omar ibn Al-Khattab Institute for the Blind
The Specialized Centre for Professional Training of Teachers (website: http://havasapps.com/test/moe/ar/)

Field Experiences Advisory Committee (FEAC)

The Field Experiences Advisory Committee constitutes one of the main channels for communication and collaboration between the college and its main partner—the Ministry of Education. Its principal aim to consolidate partnership and strategic planning of field experiences. The Field Experiences Advisory Committee was founded in the academic year 2013/2014 under the title “the Field Experiences Advisory Board” to represent the partnership and effective cooperation between CoE and MoE. Its members represent the various stakeholders consisting of four members representing CoE faculty and eight members representing MoE. MoE members are a male teacher, a female teacher, a male supervisor, a female supervisor, a male school principal, a female school principal, an administrative supervisor and a representative from the MoE private schools’ directorate. The title later changed to the “Field Experiences Advisory Committee” with no essential changes in membership selection procedures and aim, but with more elaborately defined goals that represent the stage of partnership development. The most crucial of these aims are recommending student teaching sites and reviewing student teaching placement to ensure the most effective of experiences.

FEAC Responsibilities

The Field Experiences Advisory Committee is responsible for collaborating with the college in the following:

Supporting the vision and mission of the Field Experience and Student Teaching Unit that strives to establish sustainable partnership with the Ministry of Education and procedures for the effective management, planning, implementation and assessment of field-based experiences for college candidates.
Placement of candidates applying for student teaching in partner schools in light of the student teaching conditions and guidelines.
Developing field-based experiences for both undergraduate and postgraduate candidates.
Advising the college with regards to the selection of sites for field-based experiences in practical and academic courses.
Advising the college with regards to the selection of cooperative teachers in light of the criteria for cooperative teacher selection agreed upon in the Program of Cooperation of the Ministry of Education and Sultan Qaboos University.
Participating in College of Education’s meetings with candidates and Annual Student Teaching Days’ data review and making improvement recommendations.
Participating in FEST activities such as the provision of workshops, and research initiatives so as to support FEST goal achievement.
Discussing challenges that candidates, cooperative teachers and supervisors face in partner schools and suggesting solutions.
Promoting the concept of field-based training and the culture of student teaching within the partner schools and the ministry of education communities.

Field Experience

Field Experience refer to short or long field visits, made by the candidates (students) to cooperative schools in order to observe the educational process, and professional practices in the field of education before their enrollment to the students' teaching program. These field visits are organized and systematic under the direct supervision of the college of Education and the cooperative schools. These visits are usually embodied in teaching methods courses of relevant school subjects. Field experiences depend on direct observations by a student teacher (a candidate) of some lessons. Candidates are expected to attend some class with teachers who are known for their professional and academic efficiency in their majors, in order to identify healthy and professional practices and instructions. There are two types of observations: general observation and profound observation.

Professional Development

Professional development and workshops

Field Experience and Student Teaching Unit is committed to providing and organizing a variety of professional development and support activities for various teacher preparation program partners, which includes candidates, cooperating teachers and supervisors. The activities vary between learning and professional development activities, and a supportive activity which is provided to enable partners to learn about their roles in partnership and to perform their responsibilities to the fullest. As that, all training partners contribute to the presentation of these workshops in coordination with the Unit.

First: Activities for candidates

The unit organizes and participates in the provision of the activities of the preparatory program for field training candidates at the beginning of the field training class in cooperation with the specialized committees of academic programs of the College, the Advisory Committee for Field Training and Partner Schools. The preparatory programme for field training candidates aims to prepare them to pass field experience by distinguishing and bridging potential gaps in their professional preparation and achieving the following objectives, which are the general mentors of the programme:

Introducing the course of field training in general and its mechanisms and controls.
Provide general guidance and instructions on field training.
Promoting the professional values of candidates and linking them to the effectiveness of teaching.
Clarifying the functions of field training candidates in the partner schools and in the field training course.
Introducing some of the ministry's regulations that the candidate must adhere to in partner schools.
Introducing evaluation tools and evaluation criteria in field training (includes the definition of the comprehensive achievement profile, its philosophy, goals, and requirements).
Deepening the candidates' understanding of the concept framework of the college and its implications for their professional preparation and evaluation.
Enhancing the understanding of candidates for standards of preparing teachers in their specializations and their implications for their professional preparation and evaluation.
Giving candidates some of the necessary skills for professional practice in education, which are achieved by giving them:

Thinking skills and reflective teaching.
Important skills for conduct Action Research.
The ability to have an effective plan (which includes planning according to the standards of teaching the major, and effective teaching methods).
Knowledge of technological applications in teaching and evaluating learning in the major.

Program organization:

The program should be integrated and based on what the teachers see as appropriate for candidates' needs, that's according to their previous experiences and to the performance of candidates in the previous courses. Also, in light of the developments in teaching the specialization and the requirements of the blended education system.
The program achieves its objectives through joint responsibility between the program’s specialized committees, the field training unit, and training partners, represented by the ministry’s committees which is responsible for activating cooperation between the college and the ministry. In addition to the college’s departments and the departments provided for the specialist component of each program from other colleges if necessary.
Program planning: The field training unit coordinates with the concerned authorities to provide the general components of the program, while the specialized programs coordinate the specialized component workshops.

Workshops provided from 2016 to 2021

Second: Activities for cooperating teachers

The unit begins its organization of professional development activities provided to cooperating teachers from the principle of mutual benefit between partners and the exchange of experiences, so it is committed to providing opportunities for annual professional development for teachers cooperating in collaboration with experts in the academic departments of the college and other departments in addition to various university units, beneficiaries are coordinated to identify their interests and training needs, invite specialists to provide professional activities that respond to these needs and interests, as well as organize supporting workshops to enable them to perform as collaborative teachers for college candidates in field training.

List of workshops titles submitted from 2016 to 2021

Third: Activities for field training supervisors

The Field Experience and Student Teaching Unit plays the role of the general organizer of the student teaching program, tracking developments and recommendations issued by the various college committees and the development of the program in its light, It then organizes meetings and workshops for the college's supervisors, especially the supervisors used by the College from the Ministry of Education, the Specialized Institute of Vocational Training for Teachers and some other higher education institutions as recruits to supervise the college's candidates in field training, The unit also organizes workshops provided by partners to the college's supervisors to inform them of the latest education in the Ministry of Education. As example, workshops for various Google classroom platform applications, and other requirements of the stage. The workshops and supporting activities more frequently are the following:

Introductory meeting with field training and its requirements.
Comprehensive Achievement File Workshop.
Evaluation workshop using evaluation forms on the Moodle platform.

Training Partners

Student Teaching (Teaching Practice Course)

Student Teaching

CUTM4500/ECED4170/CUTM5400

Student Teaching—the pre-service training program offered to the college’s candidates in the form of a one-semester intensive internship—is considered the first step into the profession. It is a 9-credit-hour course which comes in the final semester of the candidate’s degree plan. It realizes all the experiences that candidates undergo throughout the program into competencies—into practice! Hence, the course aims to provide candidates with an opportunity to apply, develop and polish their acquired skills and knowledge within an actual professional setting (school) through a comprehensive teaching experience. Candidates experience a whole range of school duties assigned to teachers such as instructional planning and development, assessment, professional development, managing extracurricular activities, exam invigilation, etc. This program is designed in accord with the Conceptual Framework of the College of Education aiming at graduating distinguished professionals. It also complies with international teacher preparation standards, particularly the standards of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) which adopts the Interstate New Teachers Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) teaching standards. The course is also designed, implemented and assessed in a collaborative manner through a partnership with the Ministry of Education and schools that constitute the training sites. This is promoted in practice mainly through the collaboration in supervision as each candidate is supervised by a college supervisor as well as a cooperating teacher from the school. Success of the program is further supported by partners’ reverence to the principles of partnership, collaboration, complementarity, commitment, accountability and sustainability.

Student Teaching Course Components

1. School-Based Training School-based teaching experience is the main component of the course as it targets the essence of being a teacher. It engages candidates with a vast range of professional tasks practiced in planning, implementing, and assessing instruction in addition to the professional development practices that support it. It also creates opportunities for candidates to participate in school activities and contribute to goal achievement and the development of their schools. For a detailed list of candidate tasks and responsibilities refer to the Student Teaching Handbook.

2. The Monthly Seminars Student Teaching monthly seminars are an integral part of the program aiming at supporting professional learning and development. It brings groups of candidates together with their supervisor(s) to discuss their experiences and reflect on them so as to attain deeper understanding and come up with ways to develop them and solve any practical problems they may face. Refer to the Student Teaching Handbook for more details.

3. The Student Teaching Preparatory Program The Student Teaching Preparatory program is a complementary part of the program. Its components change constantly in light of the developments in the field and updates in the Ministry of Education’s curricula and guidelines, in addition to the candidates’ needs as perceived by the faculty members of their degree programs and the college committees involved in reviewing and developing the program or aspects of it. Details about the program are found in the Professional Development page.

Student Registration Requirements

Candidates could register the Student Teaching course CUTM4500 or ECED4170 if they meet the following conditions.

Student Teaching Placement Procedure

1. Candidates fill an electronic form, applying for student teaching in the semester preceding the student teaching semester. Form is emailed to the targeted cohorts every semester.

2. FEST staff review applications in light of the degree audits and assess condition fulfillment.

3. FSET notify candidates who do no meet the conditions about their application rejection and prepare a tentative placement (assign a school for each candidate) for those who meet the conditions.

4. The tentative placement is sent to supervisors and candidates for feedback and changes are made accordingly.

5. The Field Experiences Advisory Committee (FEAC) meets to review, modify and approve the placement.

6. Degree audits are reviewed again after the grades of the current semester are released to confirm condition satisfaction and regard the placement final.

7. FEST release the final placement lists to candidates and college supervisors along with the Student Teaching Calendar of the semester.

8. FEST provides the placement lists to the partner schools through the official medium.

Assessment Tools

Student Teaching, being the major component of the teacher preparation programs and coming at its end, hosts a number of college key assessment tools, some of which are course grading tools while others are proficiency and disposition assessment but do not contribute to the grade. Of the graded assessment tools in the Student Teaching course, the most important is the Classroom Observation tool, which is used to assess and guide classroom performance and teaching professional competencies. For the B.Ed. candidates, the other essential assessment tools include the Action Research tool as well as a number of tools included within Comprehensive Portfolio and these are:

• The Comprehensive Portfolio assessment rubric

• The Unit Plan assessment rubric

• The teaching philosophy assessment rubric

• The CF reflective papers’ assessment rubric

• The Scenario-based disposition assessment For Diploma candidates the Comprehensive Portfolio is replaced by the Professional Teaching Portfolio which hosts a range of components similar to those of the their B.Ed counterparts. The Action Research for their program, however, has a separate course—the Graduation Project—taken as a co-requisite with student teaching.

Handbooks

1. Student Teaching Handbook: contains everything candidates need to know about student teaching including the standards and frameworks that govern the program development and the responsibilities of involved partners, including the candidates themselves.

2. The Comprehensive Portfolio Guide (for B.Ed. candidates) and the Professional Teaching Portfolio Guide (for Diploma candidates): are the reference for the professional assignments required in the course. Candidates receive an updated version at the beginning of the Student Teaching semester.

Note: handbooks are in Arabic