Field Experiences

Students in Education 1101: Power and Dilemmas in U.S. Education learn theories, methods, and skills to analyze structures of privilege and inequality. Students confront how structures intersect with their own experiences. The primary objective of the course is to examine some of the most vexing theoretical and practical dilemmas that shape the current landscape of public education. 

The Field Placement

The purpose of the Education 1101 "In School Inquiries" field placement is to clarify, complicate, or expand on the things students are learning about public schools in the U.S. We ask students to assume the role of a participant observer, noting as much as possible without making assumptions or judgments. In their reflections students will focus on the many purposes of public education (especially the academic, civic, and social), and how they witnessed the enactment of those purposes during their visits.

Students visit Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary School two separate times for their In School Inquiries. One visit is spent as a cafeteria and recess "buddy" to 3rd, 4th, or 5th graders. A second visit is spent in a regular or allied arts classroom. Each visit is approximately 90 minutes.

The Role of the Student in the Field Placement

Expectations for the Bowdoin student include arriving on time, or communicating with the school ahead of time in the event of illness or other delay. They will be appropriately dressed for interactions with students and be prepared for active engagement. During the cafeteria and recess buddy visit, Bowdoin students will actively engage elementary students while they eat lunch, and participate in recess activities on the playground. During regular classroom or allied arts classroom visits, Bowdoin students should greet the teacher and be prepared to observe, as well as assist and actively participate however invited to do so by the teacher.

The Role of the School Administrator and Staff in the Field Placement

Students are asked to arrive at an appointed time (usually ten minutes before their cafeteria/recess or classroom assignment) and report to the main office to introduce themselves. If possible, the school administrator will spend a few minutes meeting with our students to talk about the school and teaching in general—this is welcomed and appreciated, but not expected.

Classroom teachers have no formal responsibility for students observing in their classroom other than to welcome them and provide instruction on where they can observe and how they can can get involved and be helpful, when appropriate.

Education 2203 examines the political and pedagogical implications of universal public education in the United States. Educating All Students focuses on the right of every student to just and equitable educational opportunities. The course readings are intended to generate discussion about the roles and actions of policy makers, school administrators, and teachers in making educational opportunities viable for all children while also looking primarily at what happens in the classroom.

Bowdoin students will consider students as both members of sociocultural groups and as individuals, asking:

• What is the teacher’s responsibility for educating all students?
• How do teachers learn about the needs of their students?
• How might teachers address the needs of all students?
• What do adolescents bring to the classroom that affects their learning?
• How do individual adolescents experience school?

This course serves as the exceptionality course in our teacher preparation program.

The Field Placement

Students in this course will serve as “learning partners” to a student in a local middle school or junior high for a minimum of twenty-four hours throughout the semester. Each Bowdoin student will be paired one-on-one with a seventh- or eighth-grade student, and will be available to provide that student with real-time academic support while also observing the learning behaviors in the classroom in which they are visiting. Bowdoin students will shadow their learning partner during a weekly specified time, take field notes, and be available to work with that student in ways that are helpful and appropriate for the student and the teacher in the classroom. The Bowdoin student will reflect on this fieldwork in student learning analyses and develop an ethnographic case study of the student. 

The Role of the Bowdoin Student in the Field Placement

Bowdoin students will spend approximately three hours per week with their learning partner.  Expectations for the Bowdoin student include arriving on time, or communicating with the school ahead of time in the event of illness or other delay. They will be appropriately dressed for interactions with students. They will not use their cell phones or text while in the school, and will not share any social media connections. They will follow the schedule of their learning partner, and will never leave the school building with their learning partner. They will provide academic support to their learning partner in ways that are appropriate and helpful to both the student and the teacher in the classroom. They may sit next to their learning partner, or in another part of the classroom so as not to disrupt instruction. Additionally, they will conduct general observations within the classroom they are attending, and may take field notes on learning behaviors observed. The names of all students and teachers will be changed in order to ensure confidentiality.

The Role of the Middle School Learning Partner in the Field Placement

Learning Partners will be identified and engaged by the supervising administrator at his or her school. Parental permission will be attained by the supervising administrator prior to formalizing this partnership. These are generally students who might benefit from the additional academic support and informal mentoring provided by the Bowdoin student, do not mind having a Bowdoin student move from class to class with them for a few hours a week, and are fairly consistent in their attendance. Additionally, it is expected that these students are not in self-contained special education classes. 

The Role of the Supervising Administrator in the Field Placement

Bowdoin students will need one “point person” at each school—an adult to whom they can go for specific questions and who can assist with communications in the event of illness, absence, etc. While there is no formal supervision required, it would be helpful for that point person to meet with the Bowdoin students during the first visit to establish clear procedures for entering and leaving the building, communicating with the school, confidentiality, orientation to the school and administrators, and any other important information related to joining a school community. After that, periodic informal check-ins may be helpful in order to ensure that any specific questions or concerns are addressed. Supervising administrators may or may not share information with the Bowdoin student regarding their learning partner's IEPs or other accommodations, dependent on professional discretion and district policy. 

Education 3301: Teaching and Learning and Education 3302: Curriculum Development are taken in the fall semester of a Bowdoin student’s junior or senior year and are prerequisite courses for the Bowdoin Teacher Scholars program.

Teaching and Learning is a study of what takes place in classrooms: the methods and purposes of teachers, the response of students, and the organizational context. Curriculum Development is a study of the knowledge taught in schools: its selection and the rationale by which one course of study rather than another is included; its adaptation for different disciplines and for different categories of students; its cognitive and social purposes; the organization and integration of its various components.

The Field Placement

The field placement component of the course requires a minimum of thirty-six hours in a secondary school classroom during the semester.

The Role of the Student in the Field Placement

Students are expected to be active participants in their placement classroom. They assume the role of field researcher, taking notes about the classroom, school culture, and teaching and learning behaviors as well as that of contributor to the overall success of the classroom environment. It is our expectation that students will participate with student-related activities as directed by the mentor teacher for the entire time they are in the classroom. In addition, they will be responsible for teaching three lessons in one class prior to the Thanksgiving break.

It is expected that our students will keep in close communication with the mentor teacher, letting them know in advance when they plan to visit the classroom and for how long. If they are sick or need to cancel at the last minute, it is expected that they will call the school and email the mentor teacher right away.

The Role of the Mentor Teacher in the Field Placement

As a 3301/3302 mentor teacher, we hope that communication between you and your student will be frequent and dynamic, and that it will help both of you explore various aspects of teaching style and pedagogical approach. We ask that you spend at least twenty minutes each week meeting with your Bowdoin student to discuss why you may have taught a lesson the way you did, or how you decided how to manage a classroom situation, or the ways in which you assessed students on a recent topic, etc. We ask that you welcome the student into the classroom as an engaged participant and incorporate them into your classroom routine as fully as possible. Please provide them with a syllabus, copies of texts, roll lists/seating charts, rubrics, school/classroom policies, etc. as soon as they begin their field placement. An orientation to the school and introductions to colleagues is also very helpful. Students may work with small groups or individuals, or help you present an aspect of a lesson you are teaching. You may include them in the additional responsibilities of teaching to the degree to which you feel comfortable—i.e., IEP meetings, department meetings, etc.

Students in 3301/3302 are responsible for teaching three lessons in one of your classes. Very early in the placement experience, you will want to discuss with your student the material you expect to be covering so they may begin their planning. Students are also expected to develop a four-week unit of instruction for the course.

You will be asked to complete two formal evaluations of the Bowdoin student—one at mid-semester and another at the end of the semester. Additionally, we ask that you provide direct feedback to your student, either written or verbal, immediately following each lesson they teach.