SECTION II:  Roles of Individuals Involved in Clinical Practices

Oklahoma State University envisions the clinical practice internship experience as a "partnership" between the candidate, the cooperating teacher, the building principal, and the university supervisor.  To ensure a successful experience, this quartet must develop an atmosphere of communication and trust.  This section identifies each person’s role and offers suggestions on establishing and maintaining the relationship.

The Cooperating Teacher

A successful cooperating teacher creates an enriching experience both for the students in the classroom and the teacher education candidate. The cooperating teacher retains responsibility for the classroom while guiding the candidate through such activities as learning students’ names, tutoring individual students, working with small groups, developing a teaching unit, teaching one class or subject, and finally teaching multiple classes or subjects.

The cooperating teacher plays a vital role in the education of the candidate and is expected to

• Look upon the intern as part of the teaching team with gradually increasing responsibility for planning and implementation of lessons.
• Conference regularly with the intern, making sure he/she is free to ask questions and make suggestions, offering feedback on lessons taught, preferably in writing.
• Encourage the intern to reflect each day on class activities asking: “How can I increase student learning?”
• Schedule a conference with the intern during the first days of the internship to clarify the role he/she is expected to assume in the specific context.
• Observe the intern, complete an assessment of the lesson, and discuss the evaluation on a regular basis.
• Assist the intern in developing a professional attitude in all of her/his contacts with the school community.
• Acknowledge the intern as a professional with a need to know regarding special needs students, informing him/her of all special needs students with whom she/he will be working and making IEPs available.
• Clarify the intern’s responsibilities with respect to making lesson plans, securing and organizing appropriate materials, and other necessary activities.
• Work with the intern to decide together well in advance of the time when a lesson or unit is expected to be taught.
• Invite the intern to attend staff development programs planned for teachers and administrators.
• Insure the intern is introduced to teaching at a rate appropriate for that intern. One helpful model is a three-phase process: a) the cooperating teacher directly models lesson teaching,

b) the intern teaches comparable lessons using the cooperating teacher’s lesson plans, and
c) the intern plans and teaches lessons after making the plans available to the cooperating teacher for review and suggestions.

• Keep a calendar of the clinical practice internship experience, showing the intern’s days present and days absent.
• Plan to be available after each observation by the OSU supervisor for conferencing with the Intern and the OSU supervisor. Conferences should be conducted among the intern and cooperating teacher to complete the mid-term evaluation and to complete the final evaluation.
• Take the necessary steps to remove the intern if work is not satisfactory. Contact the university program area supervisor and Price Brown, Coordinator of Clinical Practice, 405-744-1088 or price.brown@okstate.edu, immediately should problems arise.
• Complete the mid-term and final evaluation of the intern by going to our web site:  www.okstate.edu/peu/forms, and clicking on Student Teaching Evaluation Form.

The Clinical Practice Intern

The intern is part of the teaching team and carries a great deal of responsibility for the ultimate success of the clinical experience. Not just a guest in the school, the intern is a pre-professional who will eventually plan and carry out lessons designed to benefit the students. A successful intern will:

• Support school policies and personnel, following all school rules and regulations including observing the school calendar.
• Understand that the internship is a full-time job so that daily attendance and preparation reflects the seriousness of this responsibility.
• Whether enrolled in an on-campus class or in an OSU internship, practicum, course, or activity involving domestic or foreign travel, he/she is responsible for his/her own medical treatment and is liable for his/her own actions.  He/she is responsible for health expenses (including insurance) and liability insurance.
• Investigate what “professionalism” means in the context of the school in which she/he is placed. She/he will dress, speak, write, and act professionally each day during clinical practice.
• Be familiar with and act according to laws dealing with confidentiality, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, also known as the Buckley Amendment.
• Take part in out-of-class school activities such as PTA meetings, school board meetings, faculty and staff development meetings, extra-curricular activities, and routine teaching and non-teaching tasks.
• Test new ideas within the context already established by the cooperating teacher, making them available to the cooperating teacher several days in advance of the lesson.
• Develop written lesson plans in advance, sharing them with the cooperating teacher and discussing them before the lesson begins.
• Request conferences with the cooperating teacher and/or the OSU supervisor as needed.
• Inform OSU supervisor in advance when cooperating teacher will be absent on the day of a scheduled observation.
• Inform the cooperating teacher and the OSU supervisor of any absences, in advance if possible.
• Be continually involved in self-evaluation through such activities as journaling, examining the goals and outcomes of each instructional activity, reviewing videotapes of classroom activities (after securing necessary parental permission forms), soliciting feedback, and seeking immediate answers to problems.
• Comply with all the rules, policies, and standards of the school that pertain to regular teachers (from substance abuse to dress code, from parking to length of duty day, from classroom management to filing reports, etc).

The University Supervisor

The university supervisor is a liaison between the OSU Office of Clinical Experience and the public school, cooperating teacher, and intern. The supervisor is expected to:

• Hold regularly scheduled meetings with the intern.
• Visit the clinical site a minimum of three times during the internship period.
• Engage in a three-way conference two or more times with the intern and cooperating teacher. Conferences should be conducted among the intern, cooperating teacher, and university program area supervisor to complete the mid-term evaluation and to complete the final evaluation.
• Provide written documentation of observations, providing a copy for the intern and maintaining a copy for the intern’s file.
• Conference with the intern to discuss planning, learning strategies, classroom management, etc.
• Participate in discussions with the intern and cooperating teacher to decide in which other classrooms and/or building the intern will observe.
• Assign the final grade for clinical practice internship, giving substantial weight to the evaluation of the cooperating teacher.

The Principal

The school principal plays an important role in facilitating and coordinating interns. A principal who works effectively with interns will:

• Facilitate a three-way conference among the intern, the OSU supervisor, and the cooperating teacher at least two times during the semester.
• Provide a positive environment for interns within the building.
• Orient faculty (including both cooperating teachers and other faculty members) to their roles in the clinical practice internship experience.
• Orient each intern concerning the school’s philosophy, policies, and regulations.
• Assist each intern in becoming acquainted with the faculty and staff.
• Stay informed of the progress of each intern.
• Observe interns, providing them with feedback.

Read and become familiar with the Cooperating Teacher’s Handbook, including the OSU policy on using interns as substitutes (Appendix B).

Back to Hanbook index <> Proceed to Section III

Cooperating Teachers and Principals Handbook | Office of Professional Education