The Value of Experiencing the First Days of School for Preservice Teachers

Authors

  • Sarah C Blackwell University of Mississippi
  • Kaye Pepper University of Mississippi

Keywords:

Field Experiences, Beginning of the Year Preparation, Reflective Practices

Abstract

Abstract: Quality teacher education programs recognize the importance of field experiences in preparing preservice teachers for the beginning of a new school year. Some teacher education programs find it challenging to implement this field experience since the starting dates for the K-12 school year and the university classes often differ. School of Education faculty at The University of Mississippi took on this challenge in the spring of 2006 and report very encouraging results. The information provided in this article explains the steps involved in implementing the plan. Results from narratives completed by the participants provided specific information as to the types of duties the participants were engaged in during the field experience. In fall 2007, follow-up surveys were completed by first year teachers that participated in the field experience. Their responses provided helpful information that will be used to strengthen the first days of school field experience for future preservice teachers.

Author Biographies

Sarah C Blackwell, University of Mississippi

Dr. Sarah Blackwell is Elementary Coordinator in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the School of Education at the University of Mississippi. Her interests focus on the area of teacher preparation. Particular interest is placed on the reflective instructional decision making and active participation of preservice teachers in learning in educational settings.

Kaye Pepper, University of Mississippi

Dr. Kaye Pepper is the Director of Assessment and currently teaches research courses for the Departments of Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Leadership in the School of Education at the University of Mississippi. Her primary research interests focus on the use of program evaluation results as an impetus for change and organizational leadership.

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Published

2009-10-01

How to Cite

Blackwell, S. C., & Pepper, K. (2009). The Value of Experiencing the First Days of School for Preservice Teachers. Current Issues in Education, 12. Retrieved from https://cie.asu.edu/ojs/index.php/cieatasu/article/view/94

Issue

Vol. 12 (2009)

Section

Articles

License

Authors retain copyright without restrictions. Unless otherwise indicated, from 2021 all articles are published under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA license. For more information visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/. Articles published prior to 2021 used a CC-BY-NC-SA license.