What can I do when I see my student teacher struggling during a lesson?

It’s important to remember that student teachers are still students: they are not experienced teachers, and they will make mistakes. When they do, an effective cooperating teacher will guide the student teacher back on track before significant damage can be done to the student teacher’s confidence or to students’ learning and safety. Cooperating teachers must walk a fine line between allowing student teachers to make mistakes and learn from them, and ensuring that students receive quality instruction.

A 2007 study by Donna M. Post identified the following strategies used by experienced cooperating teachers when student teachers had difficulty during a lesson. Choosing the least intrusive action appropriate for the situation allows the cooperating teacher to keep the lesson on track without causing much damage to the student teacher’s development or to the students’ learning. Most of the following techniques can be used several times within a single lesson. It is a good idea to discuss the strategies with your student teacher before using them, and to always address his or her struggles in a conference after class.

Effective I’s (lowest level of disruption to highest)

Ignore - If the problem can be discussed at a later time and the situation will not cause harm to students, the cooperating teacher may refrain from any action that would undermine the student teacher’s authority. This should be a conscious choice on the part of the cooperating teacher. Examples include: ignoring a spelling error in a word that the students already know how to spell; choosing not to draw attention to a grammatical error or mispronunciation.

Intervene - Cooperating teacher intervention is used when the student teacher is not aware of a problem or not experienced enough to solve it. Intervention is usually unnoticed or appreciated by the student teacher, and does not disrupt the student teacher’s lesson. Examples include: moving an overhead projector that blocks students’ vision; turning off Bunsen burners accidentally left on.

Interject - The cooperating teacher may interject a very short comment that does not interrupt the flow of the lesson and is quickly forgotten by the students and the student teacher. Examples include: providing a word that the student teacher is struggling to find; correcting word pronunciation.

Interact - The cooperating teacher sends a verbal or nonverbal message that requires a few seconds of the student teacher’s attention and quickly redirects the student teacher’s actions or thoughts. Students may or may not be aware of the interaction. This is the most common cooperating teacher response to a student teacher’s struggle in front of the class. Examples include: writing a few words on a sticky note to draw the student teacher’s attention to a cheating incident or sleeping student; telling the student teacher in a low voice that it’s time to get ready for lunch or that he or she has missed a step in giving directions for a class activity.

Interrupt - A cooperating teacher may choose to interrupt when something important needs to be communicated immediately. An interruption is highly visible and /or audible to the student teacher and students, and disrupts the flow of the lesson. An interruption lasts longer than an intervention, but the student teacher always finishes the lesson. Examples include: speaking aloud to remind the student teacher and class of a classroom rule; providing an example that would benefit the students and student teacher.

Intercept - The cooperating teacher completely takes over the lesson and brings it to closure, moving the students, student teacher, and cooperating teacher toward a common goal. This action is the most intrusive and may leave the student teacher feeling disappointed. Examples include: bringing a class’s behavior under control when the student teacher is unable to do so; ending a student teacher’s long and boring lecture; stepping in when the student teacher is unable to proceed due to illness, nervousness, or lack of preparation.

Based on: Post, D. M. (2007). The cooperating teacher I’s: Effective mid-lesson responses to student teachers’ critical teaching incidents. Action in Teacher Education, 29(1), 61-70.

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