| • |
Familiarize yourself with the school, teachers,
and support staff. |
| • |
Understand your cooperating teacher’s expectations
for your activities each day. |
| • |
Request a daily briefing with your cooperating teacher. |
| • |
Learn students’ names immediately to establish
the interpersonal relationship and rapport needed for gaining their
cooperation. |
| • |
Engage in small talk and dialogue with all students.
Students want to feel valued and recognized as individuals. |
| • |
Volunteer to help with ancillary noninstructional tasks—grunt
work—such as making photocopies or organizing shelves. |
| • |
Alert the cooperating teacher and the university supervisor
as soon as possible to any problems which arise that may affect your
performance in the classroom. |
| • |
Maintain an open line of communication with the cooperating
teacher and the university supervisor. |
| • |
Rely on the cooperating teacher and university supervisor
as ongoing resources. |
| • |
Approach instruction creatively—vary methods
and media to allow for diverse learning styles. |
| • |
Ask for help—no one can ever “know it all.” |
| • |
Build lasting bridges through positive interactions
and a pleasant personality in all situations. |
| • |
Present confidence in yourself and your abilities;
as your experiences grow, so will your teaching methods and strategies.
No one expects you to be perfect.
– Cathy Griffin-Famble
© 2006
Kappa Delta Pi, International Honor Society in Education
|
