Designing and Implementing Clinical and Field Experiences

Introduction

This chapter provides insight into the components of the clinical (student teaching) and early field experiences teacher candidates complete when they are introduced to the roles and responsibilities of an SBAE teacher and FFA advisor and as they implement a School-based Agricultural Education Program (see Figure 1). Objectives for this chapter include:

• 1.

  Discuss the role of early field experience in teacher preparation.

• 2.

  Discuss the meaning and value of the student teaching internship.

• 3.

  Describe selection of cooperating teachers.

• 4.

  Describe the roles of student teachers, cooperating teachers, and university supervisors related to student teaching experiences.

Figure 1.

The three-component model of agricultural education

Early Field Experiences In Teacher Preparation

Observation, research, and immersion are common practice for those who aspire to become doctors, lawyers, and teachers. Similarly, early field experiences (EFE) in teacher preparation provide teacher candidates the opportunity to take an active role in developing their knowledge, skills and attitudes regarding teaching and advising prior to the student teaching internship (Retallick, 2005; Retallick & Miller, 2007). Teacher preparation is charged with providing opportunities for students to become involved in their own professional and personal development. Students in teacher preparation programs should be involved as actors, not simply as spectators. Early field experiences provide opportunities for students to become engaged in SBAE programs, work with children, and become involved in the profession (Sagen et al., 2000). These early experiences are guided by national accreditation standards and serve a variety of purposes. Facilitating positive, educative experiences for teacher candidates in the context of teaching and advising students is the aim for teacher preparation programs (Dewey, 1904). To accomplish this experiential learning serves as the basis for EFE in agricultural teacher education (Dewey, 1938). Concrete experiences include activities related to the exploration of the integral nature of the three-component model of agricultural education, applying content knowledge, developing teaching skills, and learning to see themselves as a professional teacher.

To develop their expertise, teacher candidates must observe and practice instructional strategies (know), implement them in a real context (do), gather evidence of learner response to the strategy (use data), reflect upon that evidence (reflect), seek feedback from others like a mentor, coach, peer teacher or observer (get feedback), make adjustments (adjust), and repeat the cycle throughout the three components of agricultural education. To help guide the development and implementation of purposeful experiences, teacher educators can utilize the Comprehensive Model for Secondary Agricultural Education (Baker et al., 2012). The proposed model highlights experiential learning in all components of agricultural education (see Figure 2).

Figure 2.

Comprehensive model for secondary agricultural education

Teacher candidates must be taught how to work through this cycle and should leave their initial preparation with the skill to reflect on their practice alone and with others and evaluate their practices against a framework of developmental growth.