As the last month of the semester unfolds, it will prove to be full of exciting opportunities and busy schedules. For numerous students in the School of Education, the coming weeks will also bring about the end of a valuable learning opportunity they have been involved in this semester. Seventy-three students in Foundations in Education (EDUC 103/203) are fortunate to participate in a 40-hour classroom experience in Des Moines area schools as part of their work in this pre-professional course.
The goal of the practicum experience is to provide Drake students with a first-hand look at education today. As they learn about topics in education with classmates on campus, they are able to transfer that knowledge to observations they make and assistance they provide to classroom teachers in elementary or secondary schools throughout the metro area. To capture their new understandings, students make observations and reflect upon the following components of effective teaching: planning and preparation, classroom environment, instruction, and professional responsibilities.
Mentor teachers, their students, and Drake students all benefit from the opportunity to collaborate, guide, and make connections across settings as they learn with and from each other. Read on as several Foundations in Education students share what has impacted them the most from participating in the practicum classroom experience.
“My practicum experience has opened my eyes to the profession of education. My cooperating teacher has been great at taking time to explain her methods and reasoning behind the choices she makes in the classroom. I feel that through this experience I have grown tremendously, and am looking even more forward to the days when I can proudly say that I am an educator.” – Keith K.
“My practicum experience has been invaluable in allowing me to not only see, but be involved within the school I am assigned to. The things I have seen and learned will forever shape me as an educator.” – Kyle G.
“I really loved my practicum experience. I think as students, we can talk about the methods and the ideologies behind teachings all we want, but being in the classroom and having the application of the methods we learn is what really has shown me how to teach. I also think it is necessary to be in the classroom early on in teaching so that you get comfortable and confident with the students. I have learned so much from my time in the classroom and it’s helped me to confirm that I want to stay an education major.” – Lindsey S.
“My practicum experience was extremely beneficial for me because it was my first observation of a realistic classroom as a future teacher. I felt it helped me get a good feel of what teaching really entails. My cooperating teacher was very welcoming and it was a pleasure to be able to work with children on a daily basis.” – Alexis H.
“Participating in this practicum has let me see a classroom from a teacher’s point of view. It has given me an opportunity to see what teacher responsibilities include.” – Melissa L.
“Throughout my practicum experience, I have been able to gain a vast amount of knowledge about what goes into teaching. Through observing the teacher, sitting in on parent teacher conferences, and helping out the students, I have been able to gain invaluable classroom experience. My teacher has been extremely nice to me and she offers great advice and tips. Overall the practicum experience has been wonderful.” – Nick W.
A sincere “thank you” is extended to all of the mentor teachers who share their classrooms, guidance, and enthusiasm for teaching with these future educators!