Throughout this school year, most notably in the second semester, Uni students may have observed more engagement from student teachers in many of their classes, compared to previous years. This more prominent role that student teachers are taking throughout Uni is the result of one of the many goals of this year’s new director, Robert Fitzgerald.
“One of the things that we’re trying to do is reconnect Uni High to the College of Education,” Fitzgerald stated in an interview. “There really hasn’t been a formal connection since about 1984.”
He explained further that this “relationship” would primarily look like two things. “Clinical students, which are the students who come to Uni and do some observations, do some mini-teaching, maybe a three or four-day unit, but then you can also have student teachers. So, as some of our teachers start to build relationships with their secondary programs on campus, which we encourage, as U of I’s laboratory school, we may start seeing more student teachers.”
Students may be wondering what exactly this means for their classroom experience. In a document shared by Dr. O’Brien (which she received directly from the College of Ed), the details of a student teacher’s progression within the classroom are clearly outlined. Over the course of 12-17 weeks, student teachers progress from quiet observation to a complete takeover of all classroom responsibilities. By the time this full takeover occurs, the cooperating teacher is recommended not to be in the room. It should be noted that this is not a strict timeline, and student teachers are meant to work with their cooperating teachers to develop a plan that works best for all parties.
When asked how students can best adapt to and make the most of a full takeover, Fitzgerald emphasized the importance of continued communication throughout. The main ways he suggested this could be done are through email and in-person conversations. This communication can range from questions about material to expressing concerns about student teachers’ teaching methods, curriculum, or other factors. While cooperating teachers are encouraged to pursue work outside of Uni, they should still be available to students.
This shift in focus reflects a wider intention to reshape and rebuild Uni, while maintaining and strengthening its core mission and values. Students should be mindful and aware of these changes and the intentions behind them as we move into a new year and a new era for Uni. On the topic of what benefits this shift may hold for Uni students, Fitzgerald said, “The main benefit is that you are a laboratory school student. In being a laboratory school student, you subject yourself in many ways to laboratory types of experiences […] and that means we may bring in someone, or something, or some program, or do something that seems a little off, or seems a little weird. But it’s actually our mission, right?”
Later on, he elaborated by saying, “If we can help train a new generation of teachers when there’s a major teacher shortage in this country, then I say more power to us, right? […] What it takes sometimes, as a student at a lab school, is to think about the educational experience beyond the immediate. […] So I would encourage our students to think about it from a much larger umbrella than maybe we tend to sometimes.”