Field Faculty

During the early field experiences (freshman, sophomore, junior), teacher candidates are supervised in their field experiences by university faculty and/or field faculty. Field faculty are classroom teachers who assess, support, and develop a teacher candidate’s knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions. University faculty work collaboratively with the field faculty in conveying expectations for teacher candidates and in completing observation/evaluation forms. To be considered for field faculty status, teachers should communicate with their district administration or BGSU School of Inclusive Teacher Education (SITE) Field Office.

Field Faculty Qualifications

• Be a regularly employed teacher with full responsibility for a group of learners.
• Possess the appropriate standard license or certificate.
• Be a responsible and willing participant in the affairs of the school and the profession and works harmoniously with others.
• Be willing to work with the teacher candidate, to give the necessary time and effort, and to support the teacher candidate as a learning professional.
• Be recommended by the district’s administrative team and/or designated liaison.

Field Faculty Roles and Responsibilities

Early field experiences are the hallmark of a BGSU-prepared teacher. So classroom teachers play a vital role in the development of the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to be an effective and efficient teacher educator. While program areas identify the specific requirements for each field placement and communicate them to field faculty, there are expectations of field faculty common to all programs. These include:

• Involving the BGSU teacher candidate as much as possible with a variety of jobs and activities.
• Allowing the BGSU teaching candidate to interact with students as much as possible.
• Tracking weekly attendance on a Google Document or Excel spreadsheet.
• Contacting the BGSU School of Inclusive Teacher Education (SITE) Field Office at 419-372-7381 with ANY issues/concerns/questions.
• Submitting a brief evaluation of the BGSU teacher candidate at completion of Field Experience.
• Completing a brief, online survey about the experience mentoring a BGSU teacher candidate.
• Field Faculty should strictly follow the communication protocol for problems.