Clinical Teaching

Clinical teaching is a one-semester, full-time unpaid student teaching commitment that is completed in the final semester of MAT program. Apply to Clinical Teach during the semester prior to completing the courses, ICL 7808 and ICL 7993.

Deadlines

To Clinical Teach in the Spring: Apply October 1 – 15
To Clinical Teach in the Fall: Apply February 15 - March 1

Library Media Specialists

Teacher candidates and "Initial" Library Media Specialist Licensure candidates needing to apply for the Clinical Teaching Semester or Practicum should complete and submit the Clinical Teaching Application> via Qualtrics.
Library Media Specialist (Add-on Endorsement) candidates needing to apply to the Practicum should complete and submit the Library Media Specialist Practicum Application> via Qualtrics.

Requirements

Have an overall 3.0 graduate grade point average.
Successfully complete all approved pre-clinical teaching semester experiences in conjunction with class work.
Must take and pass all required Praxis II exams prior to the clinical teaching semester.
Must submit passing scores to the Office of Clinical Based Practice 30 days prior to the first day of the clinical teaching semester.
Must have positive evaluations from all clinical experiences.
Be fully admitted to the Teacher Education Program one semester before the clinical teaching semester.
All course work required for initial licensure must be finished prior to the clinical teaching semester.

Schedule

The Clinical Teaching Semester requires the commitment of one semester in a selected partner school. Teacher candidates must be present at their school for the full day and are required to participate in faculty meetings, PTO/PTA meetings, parent teacher conferences, etc.

Seminar

All students must take the Professional Seminar (ICL 7993) with the Clinical Teaching Semester (ICL 7808). No other courses may be taken during the clinical teaching semester. The seminar is designed to assist students with submission of the edTPA.

Placement

University of Memphis Policy dictates that students are required to have diverse clinical experiences. All Clinical Teaching placements are made in accordance with this policy as well as in conjunction with identified COE partner schools. Placements are generally made in a variety of West Tennessee public school systems. School partnerships change annually.

Mentor Teachers

Mentor Teachers (MTs) are selected according to criteria specified by the Tennessee Department of Education and in collaboration with partner schools. State requirements include:

a regular Tennessee License for the teaching assignment,
at least four years of teaching experience,
and a history of positive evaluations from their principal or supervisor.

In addition to State requirements, Partner Schools and the College of Education collaborate to select MTs who are excellent classroom teachers, have had professional development related to being a MT, have scored a 4 or 5 on their teacher evaluations and have demonstrated positive impact on student achievement as reflected by TVASS.

College of Education Clinical Supervisors

The clinical supervisor must have a teacher license, substantial experience in teaching, a master's degree and assumes the responsibility for supervising the activities of the teacher candidate in the partner school. The clinical supervisor works in conjunction with the Office of School Based Clinical Practice.

Professional Liability Insurance

Clinical Teaching candidates are required to obtain professional liability insurance which will cover them during the entire semester. This may be obtained through STEA, Professional Educators of Tennessee, other approved professional organizations or by a special rider added to a personal homeowner's policy. Proof of insurance must be presented prior to the Clinical Teaching Semester.

Portfolio

Students will submit a portfolio to document Clinical placement experiences via the Student Learning & Licensure system>.