Supervisors and Cooperating Teachers

Dispositions

The student teaching and practicum experience can be an exciting time of personal and professional growth. It can also be a time when teacher candidates may face a number of conflicts and tensions. Cooperating teachers and clinical supervisors are both in a position to offer the professional support and encouragement needed by candidates to deal successfully with the natural ups and downs of becoming a teacher. We expect that both supervisors and cooperating teachers will:

  • Show care, concern, and commitment to teacher candidates.
  • Share the thinking underlying your instructional and supervisory decisions.
  • Help teacher candidates reflect on the reasons and purposes for their instructional decisions.
  • Encourage teacher candidates to reflect on their performance, identifying both strengths and areas of needed improvement.
  • Use positive phrasing that helps teacher candidates understand what they need to work towards.
  • Build on the strengths of teacher candidates.
  • Share openly with teacher candidates regarding positive reactions you have to their performance or your level of concern.
  • Build and maintain professional, confidential relationships with teacher candidates.
  • Work with teacher candidates step-by-step toward independent performance.
  • Be flexible and let teacher candidates try new instructional approaches.
  • Help teacher candidates feel they are a part of the school staff.
  • Continue or reflect on their own dispositional growth in their role as teacher educators.


Clinical Supervisors

Required Qualifications of Clinical Supervisors

  • Master’s degree* or higher in related field of study or a UMN-Twin Cities Ph.D graduate student who has the equivalent of a master’s degree (minimum of 30 credits) in an education field 
  • Related experiences either as a teacher of record (3 or more years as a professionally licensed teacher of record) or experience in teacher evaluation as a current/former E-12 administrator
  • Evidence of holding or having held a teaching license from a state-approved teacher preparation program aligned to the position’s licensure area field or scope

* New rule allows units to hire clinical supervisors who do not have masters degrees, but the preference of CEHD department chairs is to hire individuals who do have masters degrees as: 1) sometimes the supervisors are also course instructors who must also meet teacher educator qualifications,  2) most of the time the candidates are post-bac, and 3) Higher Learning Commission (HLC) requires instructors to have one degree higher than the university students.

Responsibilities of a Supervisor

  • Observe and mentor teacher candidates for the required number of weeks during the semester, as assigned by the program. By the end of the semester:
    • Complete and submit evaluations on teacher candidates’ performance (Dispositions, Student Teaching Observation Tool (STOT) using the Teacher Education Management System (TEMS)) and additional program-specific assessments if applicable. 
    • Provide ongoing observations with actionable feedback during student teaching or practicum to ensure growth and attainment of standards during the PELSB required minimum observations and triad meetings, as follows:
      • For initial candidates (including Tier 2 teacher candidates), provide and document a minimum of four observations and three triad meetings with the cooperating teacher, supervisor, and candidate during the student teaching placement.
      • For candidates seeking more than one professional license simultaneously, provide and document a minimum of five observations with at least one observation per placement and four triad meetings with at least one triad meeting per placement with the cooperating teacher, supervisor, and candidate.
      • For candidates who have completed licensure via portfolio or a state-approved initial licensure teacher preparation program, and are seeking an additional license or endorsement, provide and document a minimum of two observations and one triad with the cooperating teacher, supervisors, and candidate.
    • If a candidate is placed on a professional improvement plan, provide feedback and support specific to the plan as directed by the program lead.
  • Communicate weekly to provide regular oral and written actionable feedback and support to teacher candidates on:
    • program requirements
    • observations 
    • reflections 
    • lesson plans 
    • assignments – including but not limited to weekly schedules, reflective practice, other assignments as outlined in the syllabus

Coordination with the Cooperating Teacher

  • Schedule and attend triad meetings with the cooperating teacher and candidate to ensure actionable feedback is provided and growth/attainment of standards is addressed.
  • Regularly communicate with the cooperating teacher and candidate to ensure understanding of the program’s expectations and timeline for the experience, submission of assessments and/or other requirements during student teaching or practicum.
  • Communicate cooperating teacher feedback to the program licensure lead (or program designee) about candidate progress.
  • Facilitate development of co-teaching models in classrooms and placement sites. 

Engage in CEHD training and meetings for your role

  • Complete required supervisor orientation professional development on Canvas or in workshops offered by the Office of Teacher Education, including:
    • Adult coaching/mentoring
    • Roles and responsibilities of the supervisors in CEHD
    • Evaluation procedures using CEHD Assessment Tools (STOTs and Dispositions)
    • Provide feedback and recommendations about clinical experiences
  • Complete required program specific modules/training, including:
    • Program requirements for student teaching or practicum
    • Additional program-specific training for supervisors (e.g. MNGOT Supervisor Equity modules on Canvas)
  • Meet with the program coordinator and director as requested

Cooperating Teachers

Minnesota PELSB Requirements for a cooperating teacher paired with a candidate during field experience:

  1. has at least two years of teaching experience
  2. holds a Tier 2 license or professional license aligned to the assignment
  3. meets all other requirements in state statute (see 8705.1010 Unit Standards)
  4. receives training that addresses the cooperating teacher’s role, program expectations, candidates assessments, procedures, and timelines.

Minnesota PELSB Requirements for Cooperating teacher paired with a candidate during student teaching or practicum:

1. has at least three years of teaching experience as a teacher of record in the licensure area
2. holds a professional license aligned to the assignment
3. has completed professional development in coaching strategies for adult learners. Please note this training only needs to be completed once.
4. meets all other requirements in state statute (see 8705.1010 Unit Standards)
5. receives training that addresses the cooperating teacher’s role, program expectations, candidate assessments, procedures, and timelines.

University Requirements for Cooperating Teachers

In addition to the Minnesota PELSB requirements listed above, cooperating teachers are required to have principal/building leadership team recommendation based on evidence of:

  1. Effective teaching including integration of research-based/best practices, and reflecting on practice
  2. Assessing student learning both formatively and summatively to inform instruction and document student learning.
  3. Collaborating with students to create a welcoming and inclusive classroom community that reflects the diversity of student cultures in the design of the physical and virtual space, expectations, and organizational routines that represent the needs of all students.
  4. Engaging students in curriculum that demonstrates understanding of the impact of the intersection of race and ethnicity with other forms of difference, including class, gender, sexuality, religion, national origin, immigration status, language, ability, and age.
  5. Understanding multiple leadership models for teachers; knowing how to take on leadership roles at the school, district, state, or national level; and advocating for students, the school, the community, and the profession.
  6. Communicating skillfully and interacting with parents or guardians, families, school colleagues, and the community to support student learning and well-being.
  7. Understanding that students bring assets for learning based on their individual experiences, abilities, talents, prior learning, and peer and social group interactions, as well as language, culture, family, and community values, and approaches their work and students with this asset-based mindset, affirming the validity of students’ backgrounds and identities.

Responsibilities of Cooperating Teachers

Cooperating teachers and teacher candidates should plan the clinical experience to match the needs of the classroom students. The first priority of the classroom are the classroom students. Increasingly this involves co-teaching between the cooperating teacher and the teacher candidate, as well as any other co-teachers in the classroom. If you are not familiar with co-teaching please access the online trainings. Cooperating teachers need to ensure that all teacher candidates understand the school’s policies, culture, and overall community — the backgrounds, strengths and challenges. They should also encourage the teacher candidate to be a contributing member of the teaching staff.

Cooperating teachers play an important role in fostering productive reflection and promoting the teacher candidate’s professional learning by providing specific actionable feedback on a regular basis. Co-planning and co-teaching provide opportunities for cooperating teachers to articulate the reasons for their instructional decisions and to engage the teacher candidate in discussions about instruction. By engaging in regular dialogue about a teacher candidate’s instructional practice, the impact of instruction on student learning, and the teacher candidate’s relationships with students, cooperating teachers encourage teacher candidates to reflect upon, evaluate, and improve their teaching.

Orient the teacher candidate to the school

  • Culture of school and faculty
  • Layout of the school facility
  • Organization of school program
  • School policies, handbooks, and guidelines
  • Staff responsibilities
  • Support services
  • School schedule
  • Student demographics
  • Safety issues and procedures

Orient the teacher candidate to the classroom

  • Physical arrangements
  • Technology arrangements
  • Introduction to student demographics, characteristics, and strengths
  • Norms and rules
  • Classroom community routines
  • Behavior guidelines
  • Curricular goals and materials
  • Instructional approaches
  • Evaluation procedures
  • Instructional support services
  • First aid procedures

Participate in three triad meetings to discuss the candidate’s learning experiences

  • Know and implement co-teaching strategies.
  • During the triad meeting, discuss long range plans for increased teaching and planning responsibilities.
  • Discuss planning expectations and procedures.
  • Schedule regular reflection times with the teacher candidate.
  • Make arrangements for ongoing communication with clinical supervisors.
  • Identify additional candidate responsibilities within the school (staff meetings, professional development activities, professional duties).
  • Encourage the teacher candidate to get involved in school activities (extracurricular activities, committees, field trips).

Mentor the candidate in planning meaningful instruction for students

  • Use co-teaching strategies. Training is available online.
  • Mentor the teacher candidate to clarify and think through planning of lessons and units of instruction.
  • Mentor the teacher candidate to reflect on goals and expectations of themselves and their students.
  • Mentor the teacher candidate to anticipate potential challenges.
  • Review and provide feedback about lesson plans prior to implementation.

Observe, provide feedback, and evaluate the candidate’s performance as a teacher

  • Observe instruction on a regular basis and provide actionable feedback.
  • Provide continuous, actionable feedback in writing.
  • Help the teacher candidate develop goals and strategies based on the feedback.
  • Write letters of recommendation and complete other evaluations as requested by the program.
  • Complete Cooperating Teacher Clinical Survey and program surveys about the cooperating teacher experience as requested.