Alana Ferguson

This course provides teacher candidates with opportunities to observe, analyze, teach, and evaluate in elementary and secondary settings. Teacher candidates build constructive relationships with K­12 students, faculty, staff, and community members at two fieldwork sites through guided observation engagement. They develop and teach curriculum projects and learn methods of non-punitive classroom management. This experience provides groundwork, connections, and continuity to apprentice teaching. Apprentice teachers will complete a 5-week elementary/middle school placement and a 5-week high school placement as well as attend a weekly apprentice teaching seminar at SAIC. Students will study examples of curriculum and pedagogy that cover all Illinois state mandated standards as defined by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE): NASAD Visual Arts Standards; Illinois Professional Teaching Standards; Social and Emotional Learning Standards; Literacy Standards. In the process, students will learn to create original art curriculum that encompasses these standards, and how to implement these standards in their pedagogical practice. The course includes observation/teaching days at elementary and secondary school placements, as well as weekly seminars at SAIC. During each of their two 5-week placements, students spend the school day at their respective assigned school placements before attending the evening seminar at SAIC. Time in seminars is spent developing and critiquing curriculum projects, exemplars (teacher project samples), instructional materials and assessment strategies in preparation for teaching in practicum placement schools, and later in apprentice teaching.