Teacher Assisting

General Information

• Teacher Assisting is the first semester-long field experience for students admitted to the College of Education. Each Teacher Assistant (TA) is placed with one Cooperating Teacher for the duration of one semester (about 15 weeks). TAs are in their assigned classrooms every morning during the week, and attend classes at GVSU during the afternoon.

• When a TA is placed with you, the GVSU Field Coordinator will provide you with his or her contact information at the beginning of the semester. Please do not hesitate to contact your Field Coordinator with any questions or concerns.

• TAs may begin leading routine whole group activities in the classroom (such as calendar) as soon as the Cooperating Teacher feels that the TA is ready to begin practicing whole group instruction and behavior management. See the suggested timeline for more information.

• The more experience a TA has with whole group instruction during the assisting semester, the better prepared he or she will be for a successful student teaching semester. Cooperating Teachers are encouraged to provide their TAs with as many instructional opportunities as possible.

• TAs will be required to complete assignments for class such as writing and teaching lessons using the ITIP or Standard Based format, designing a Learning Center or interactive bulletin board, observing teachers in other grade levels, and keeping a journal.

Observation/Evaluation

• TAs at the secondary level will be visited and observed in the classroom by two different representatives from GVSU: the Field Coordinator and the Major Field Advisor. TAs at the elementary level will be visited and observed by a Field Coordinator.

• Observations of the TA by the Field Coordinator and Major Field Advisor will be planned in advance. However, coordinators may be in the school building for other reasons and may make unannounced visits to check in or answer questions.

• During the Field Coordinator's first visit, he or she will observe the TA's interaction with students.

• On the second and third Field Coordinator visits, the TA should perform direct instruction with the whole class. The content and format of the lesson will be determined ahead of time by the TA and Cooperating Teacher.

• Cooperating Teachers are asked to complete evaluations of the TA at the midpoint and end of the semester. Details about these evaluations will be discussed with the Field Coordinator.

The Field Coordinator is available throughout the semester to answer questions or address concerns.

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