Methods Semester

Introduction

For teacher candidates, the methods semester initiates the “professional year,” with student teaching typically following immediately afterward.  BGSU methods students are assigned to a school site, which they visit on a schedule determined by their programs, while simultaneously taking rigorous campus methods classes.

Methods Objectives

Whether attending campus classes or field sites, methods students are expected to demonstrate commitment & professionalism, and comply with designated attendance policies & arrival-departure times. The extended field experience is designed to build candidates’ professional teaching skills in authentic settings. Through collaboration with classroom teachers and other professionals, methods students begin learning to…

1. Engage with students, faculty, administrators, & parents throughout the school day and as needed to become familiar with students’ backgrounds, interests, abilities, and learning styles.
2. Recognize the demands on teachers’ time, and proactively assist in every way reasonable to establish a positive and productive classroom environment.
3. Develop, under the supervision of campus methods instructors and cooperating teachers, increasingly competent, best-practice unit/lesson plans.
4. Learn flexibility in adjusting plans to meet the needs of diverse learners.
5. Employ instructional techniques that motivate students and encourage active learning.
6. Distinguish between lower and higher-level tasks and questions to enrich student thinking and learning.
7. Analyze student assessment data and reflect on implications for instruction.
8. Demonstrate professionalism in appearance, attitude, & responsibility for meeting campus/ field deadlines & tasks, and in all other related duties