Guidelines for TP

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Early Childhood Room

Guidelines for Teaching Practice – Students.

1. Every student must gain experience in every curriculum area of the delivered programme during teaching period.
2. All students are expected to demonstrate an ability to plan for their age group in all taught curriculum areas.
   
   1. (a) Visiting Teachers: Students, who have visiting teachers come in to deliver curriculum areas are expected to write observation reports for these classes and file them into the section of their folder titled Observation Tasks. They are required to plan at least three lessons for that subject over the duration of the TP period and gain experience in teaching at least one lesson before the end of Teaching Practice.
   2. (b) Class Teacher: Where a class teacher takes the class for a specific period each day (or 3-4 times a week), to work on e.g. phonological awareness, spelling, tables etc. the student is required to produce written observations of these sessions.
   3. (c) Multi-Class: students are not required to write out four separate lesson plans when engaged with one class group on a discrete subject. They are expected to indicate in their lesson plan what activities other class groupings will be engaged when not involved in teacher instruction. Where students teach lessons common to two or more groups, they are expected to write out one lesson plan and indicate differentiation in the content, activities and assessment sections of the lesson plan.
3. Self-Evaluation is a central feature in the student’s planning and preparation requirements.
4. The choice of lessons and teaching aids must be planned well in advance.
5. It is most important that suitable teaching aids are available for every lesson- pictures, books, cards, wall-charts, materials, videos etc.
6. The standard of preparation reflects student commitment and curriculum knowledge.
7. Although it is very important to concentrate on the teaching skills during the teaching practice, it is the standard of preparation that will have most effect on the lesson.
8. It is important that objectives are age and stage appropriate, clearly stated and capable of being achieved within the duration of the time given.
9. It is important to vary the levels of questioning in lesson plans, and to include a sample range of thought- provoking questions.
10. Curriculum supervisors may require the student to submit schemes of work and lesson plans prior to and post teaching practice.
11. Students are expected to dress and conduct themselves appropriately. - No denim (jeans, jackets, skirts, shirts) or ‘combat’ style clothing to be worn.
12. Students must remain in school for the school day, be present at the beginning of class and remain until the children leave.
13. Classroom displays should be organised outside of teacher/pupil contact time.
14. Please notify the Teaching Practice Office immediately if there are any changes in your school placement.
15. Resources/ children’s sample work etc. are to be filed in a separate Resources Folder. Every student is required to provide a Curriculum Resources Folder that is broadly structured into the following key areas:
    a. Resources Used
    b. Children’s Work – sample range of learning achieved
    c. List of Resources that couldn’t be evidenced in the Curriculum Resources Folder.
    The contents of the Curriculum Resources Folder should reflect all subject areas in the curriculum.
16. Plastic Pockets – not to be used in the main folder.
17. Mobile phones must be switched off in the classroom.
18. Absenteeism: The code of practice is as follows:
    Contact school principal,
    Contact supervisor,
    Contact Oifig an Chleachtaidh Mhúinteoireachta 8057743.
    All absent days must be compensated and a letter to this effect from the principal must be given to Oifig an Chleachtaidh Mhúinteoireachta.
19. Students have been informed that supervision can take place on the last day of Teaching Practice and that they can be supervised when making up days missed.
20. Students are expected to teach for the whole day. Lesson plans must be prepared for every lesson taught. Class breakers, rhymes, songs etc. that are not discrete lessons do not require lesson plans.
21. In response to teachers’ requests for pupil contact time, students have been directed to agree with their teacher designated time blocks. It is the student’s responsibility to communicate to the supervisor unsuitable
    times for supervision purposes in advance of the Teaching Practice.(as per guidelines for supervisors)
22. Students have been directed to preserve pupil confidentiality by not identifying any child by name when recording data in folder.
23. Supervisors are asked to write a reference for students on their final teaching practice.