Examining the Impact of Clinical Experiences Within a School-University Partnership on Student-Teacher Candidate Instructional Interactions

• In Event: Diversity and Equity in School Partnerships, Teacher Residencies, and Internships

Abstract

Educator preparation programs are under increasing pressure to demonstrate their effectiveness in producing teachers that impact P-12 student learning. One important lever to examine is the field experience, which allows candidates to enact practices learned within an educational context. We describe the development of an intensive, structured field experience delivered in partnership with a local district. Using the CLASS observation instrument (Pianta et al., 2012), the investigation compared student-teacher candidate interactions between those who participated in the experience and those who participated in the traditional preparation program. Candidates who participated in the structured field experience were observed to interact with students in ways that better supported students’ emotional needs, instructional opportunities, and engagement in learning within the student teaching semester.

Authors

• Anne Henry Cash, University of North Carolina - Charlotte

• Stephan Michael Putman, University of North Carolina - Charlotte

• Andrew B. Polly, University of North Carolina - Charlotte