Field Supervisors Guide for Interns and Student Teachers

Intern I and Intern II Semesters

Contacting the Cooperating Teacher

Field supervisors must contact cooperating teachers and meet with them prior to the interns’ first day on campus. They should check in with CTs regularly to monitor the Interns’ progress.

Scheduling Observations by UT Field Supervisor

Each intern will be formally observed a minimum of three times by the field supervisor during the Intern 1 semester, and three times during Intern II semester (some coordinators require more). One of these may involve the intern working with a small group, but at least one must include whole class instruction.  The observation must be followed by a post-observation conference. During Intern II semester, one may be videotaped and discussed with the field supervisor.

Lesson Plans

Interns will use the lesson plan template provided by the coordinator or instructor. Naturally, intern plans must be much more thorough than the written plans that experienced teachers usually write. The cooperating teacher must approve intern lesson plans prior to implementation. (Usually submitted to the cooperating teacher, at latest, by Friday afternoon of the preceding week).

Contact with Coordinators

Weekly contact with the coordinator, in person or via phone or e-mail, is strongly encouraged. Field supervisors should contact the coordinator immediately should interns experience difficulty with meeting minimum expectations or if problems with placements occur. The coordinator and field supervisor should schedule a time to meet with the cohort at least once per month during this semester.

Mid-semester and Final Evaluations

Field supervisors must conduct mid-semester and final evaluations in a timely fashion.

A required three-way conference at the end of each semester involves the intern, the cooperating teacher, and the field supervisor. Field supervisors will schedule these at the cooperating teacher’s convenience.

Education Services Office Requirements

Field supervisors should review their materials. 

All field supervisors who have not taken 398T must complete the Cooperating Teacher Mentor Training at the beginning of the semester.

Student Teaching Semester

Contacting the Cooperating Teacher

Field supervisors must contact cooperating teachers and meet with them prior to the student teachers’ first day on campus. They should check in with the CTs regularly to monitor the student teachers’ progress. Provide CTs with a copy of the Elementary Partner Guidebook and EC-6 ESL Coordinator & Field Supervisor Handbook.

Scheduling Observations by UT Field Supervisor

Each student teacher will be formally observed usually once a week (except during the first week (this may be a casual drop in), the week of the three-way mid-term Formative Assessment, and the week of the final Summative Assessment) by the field supervisor. There must be a preconference, face-to-face observation, and a face-to-face post-observation conference. At least three of the observations must be 45 minutes in length.  An unscheduled visit during this semester is appropriate. 

Lesson Plans

Same requirement as in previous semesters except that the field supervisor and the cooperating teacher must receive the lesson plans, at latest, by Friday afternoon of the preceding week.

Contact with Coordinators

Weekly contact with the coordinator, in person or via phone or e-mail, is strongly encouraged. Field supervisors should be advised to contact the coordinator immediately should student teachers experience difficulty with meeting minimum expectations or if problems with placements occur. The field supervisor should schedule a time to meet with the student teachers for seminar once a week (except during the weeks of mid-term and final conferences).

Mid-semester and Final Evaluations

Field supervisors must conduct three-way mid-semester and final evaluations involving the student teacher, the cooperating teacher, and the field supervisor. Field supervisors will schedule these at the cooperating teacher’s convenience. It is the responsibility of the Field Supervisor to ensure that the student teacher marks “Submit” on the Online Evaluation System at the end of the conference. This is the ONLY way that the Assessment will be routed to the coordinator for final review and student teaching credit.

Education Services Office Requirements

Same as in previous semesters.