Role of Cooperating Teacher

Selection of Cooperating Teachers
The Supervisory relationship
Your Responsibilities as a Cooperating Teacher
The Role of the School Site Administrator
Communicating with the Intern 
Support Strategies for the Cooperating Teacher
A Protocol for Supervision       

Selection of Cooperating Teachers  

Cooperating teachers should be carefully selected as their role is critical in the professional development of the intern.  

Cooperating teachers should:  

• Have a valid teaching certification/license for current teaching assignment
• Have a minimum of three-five year's experience at the current teaching assignment. (Note that some states or districts require more years experience.)
• Have the support of the building supervisor/administrator to host an intern.
• Have a philosophy that is consistent with that of the program
• Understand all roles and responsibilities
• Be willing to fully participate in the role as cooperating teacher

The Supervisory Relationship  

Your roles and responsibilities as the cooperating teachers are numerous. However, serving as the supervisor and mentor is the primary focus.  

The supervisory aspect of the cooperating teacher's role requires that you be:  

• Open
• Firm
• Direct
• Constructively critical
• Honest  

The mentoring aspect of the cooperating teacher's role requires that you be:  

• Encouraging
• Motivating
• Supportive
• An advocate
• A role model for professionalism
• A role model for appropriate teaching practices  

A cycle of "plan-teach-reflect" should be practiced in order for the intern to adjust teaching practice and knowledge, as well as to gain the confidence in things done well. The intern should be "coached" such that he/she increases his/her knowledge and skills in a way that all competencies of the beginning teacher standards are met by the conclusion of the internship.

Your Responsibilities as the Cooperating Teacher  

Prior to the Intern's Internship   

• Accept the intern for the internship
• Become familiar with university and/or program materials and philosophy 
• Become familiar with university and/or program expectations 
• Become knowledgeable in using systematic observation techniques
• Become aware of the legal status of student teachers in the state and district

Prior to the Intern's First Day   

• Orient the intern to the school building and facilities 
• Provide the intern with his/her own work space 
• Structure teaching tasks and create a tentative schedule for their completion
• Familiarize the intern with routines and management in his/her classes 
• Provide the intern with essential materials and resources (rosters, grading sheets, policies, resource materials, etc.)  

Early in the Internship   

• Accept the intern as a professional person 
• Introduce the intern to students as a professional member of the teaching team 
• Acquaint the intern with appropriate school and district policies and procedures, school personnel, materials, resources, and programs
• Schedule regular weekly mentoring /coaching time with the intern
• Demonstrate teaching techniques
• Assist the intern in learning about the student with whom he/she will be working
• Involve the intern in early activities such as taking roll, grading, adapting assignments, etc.  

Throughout the Internship   

• Provide consistent oral and written feedback 
• Fulfill record keeping responsibilities, as required by each program 
• Comply with legal requirements and restrictions 
• Serve as the intern mentor and advocate 
• Contact the university supervisor with concerns, questions, changes, etc. 
• Provide intern with the opportunity to observe other classes 
• Review intern daily and long-range/unit and lesson plans 
• Collaborate with intern and the university supervisor in the establishment of a schedule for expanding teaching responsibilities 
• Determine with the university supervisor that the intern has demonstrated the skills and competencies specified by the summative assessment tool 
• Encourage the intern to be creative and try new strategies; recognize that the intern may need to organize the teaching/learning with the classroom in a different manner 
• Prepare to provide time for the intern to be left in complete charge of the class
• Participate in evaluating intern progress with the university supervisor through completion of mid-term and final evaluations

The Role of the School Site Administrator  

The role of the school administrator (e.g. director of human resources principal, assistant principal, or superintendent) when working an intern is much like hi/.her role when working with full time faculty/staff. Responsibilities begin by aiding the university in the appropriate selection of an effective cooperating teacher.  

School Site Administrators should:  

• Identify competent, effective cooperating teachers in the school to complete the mentor responsibilities   
• Support the cooperating supervision of the intern and any needed training required for effective mentoring   
• Communicate directly with the university as well as the cooperating teacher concerning placement of the intern  
• Schedule a formal meeting with the intern. This meeting could occur at the beginning of the placement to initiate the intern into the school context; in the middle of the placement to discuss needs and development; or at the end of the placement to conduct a  "mock interview" in preparation of the upcoming job search   
• Assure that the cooperating teacher has provided the intern with an updated staff and/or student handbook  
• Clarify liability issues, specifically issues concerning supervision and those relevant to working in the dynamic gymnasium setting   
• Discuss the possibilities and requirements of the intern being hired as a substitute teacher for the cooperating teacher should the situation arise later during the placement

Communicating with the Intern  

The internship is a critical component of the intern's professional development. Positive and effective communication between the cooperating teacher and the intern is essential. Some types of communication enhance reflection, growth, and verbal interaction, while other types of communications between the cooperating teacher and the intern. It is recommended that times be set aside daily for face-to-face, or email or phone contact to discuss progress and provide feedback.    

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing communicates the listener has:

• HEARD what the speaker said
• UNDERSTOOD what was said
• CARES  

Paraphrasing involves either:

• RESTATING in your own words
• SUMMARIZING 

Principles of paraphrasing:

• Attend fully
• Listen with the intention to understand
• Capture the essence of the message
• Reflect the essence of voice and gestures
• Make the paraphrase shorter than the original statement
• Paraphrase before asking a question  

Some possible paraphrasing stems include:

• So,  …
• In other words …
• What I hear you saying  …
• From what I hear you say …
• I'm hearing many different things …
• As I listen to you I'm hearing …

Clarifying

Clarifying communicates that the listener has:

• HEARD what the speaker has said
• NOT FULLY UNDERSTOOD what was said  

Clarifying involves asking questions (direct or implied) to:

• Gather more information
• Discover the meaning of the language used
• Get clarity about the speaker's reasoning
• Seek connections between ideas
• Develop or maintain focus  

Some possible clarifying stems include:

• Would you tell me a little more about …
• Let me see if I understand …
• I'd be interested in hearing more about …
• It would help me understand if you would give me an example of …
• So, are saying/suggesting …
• Tell me what you mean when you …
• Tell me how that idea is like/different from …
• I'm curious to know more about …
• I'm intrigued by/interested in/wonder about …  

Note: "Why" tends to elicit a defensive response.

Meditational Questions

Meditational questions help the Intern:

• HYPOTHESIZE what might happen
• ANALYZE what worked or didn't
• IMAGINE possibilities C
• OMPARE and CONTRAST what was planned with what ensued  

Some meditational question stems include:

• What's another way you might …
• What would it look like if …
• What do you think would happen if …
• How was ___ different from/alike  …
• What's another way you might …
• What sort of impact do you think …
• What criteria do you use to …
• When have you done something like ___ before?
• What do you think …
• How did you decide/come to that conclusion?
• What might you see happening in your class if …

"Open" Suggestions  

Open suggestions:

• Are expressed with invitational, positive language and voice tone
• Offer choices to encourage ownership
• Are often expressed as a question to invite further thinking
• Are achievable – enough to encourage but not overwhelm
• May provide information about the cooperating teacher's thinking and decision-making  

Some suggestion stems include:

• One thing I've learned/noticed is …
• A couple of things to keep in mind …
• From our experience, one thing we've noticed …
• Several/some teachers I know have tried a couple of different things in this sort of situation and maybe one might work for you …
• What I know about ___ is …
• Something/some things to keep in mind when dealing with …
• There are a number of approaches to …
• Sometimes it's helpful to …  

The cooperating teacher can try following a suggestion with a question that invites the intern to imagine/hypothesize how the idea might work in his/her context.

• How might this look in your class?
• To what extent might that work in your situation/with your students?
• What do you think would happen if you were to try something like that with your class?
• Which of these ideas might work best in your class/with your students?

Non-Judgmental Responses

Non-judgmental responses help to:

• Build trust
• Promote an internal locus of control
• Encourage self-assessment
• Develop beginning teacher autonomy
• Foster risk-taking

Possible examples include:

• Identify what worked and why
• I noticed how when you ____ the students really ___
• Encourage 
• It sounds like you have a number of ideas to try out. It'll be exciting/interesting/great to see which works best for you!
• Ask the intern to self-assess 
• How do you think the lesson went and why?
• Ask the intern to identify his/her role
• What did you do to make the lesson so successful?
• Listen
• Ask sincere questions
• Show enthusiasm for, and interest in, the intern's work and thinking
• I'm really interested in learning/hearing about … 
• I'm really looking forward to …

Giving Feedback

Effective feedback builds trust by always being supportive and sincere. Invite the intern to validate the feedback whenever possible.

• Be truthful
• Be specific rather than general
• Describe rather than evaluate
• Note the impact of the behavior upon others (e.g., the students)
• Focus on changeable behavior
• Attend to the intern's needs/areas of focus
• Be balanced
• Use the teachable moment
• Be well-timed

Teachable Moments Teachable moments are spontaneous opportunities that offer the cooperating teacher a chance to:

• Fill in instructional gaps
• Help the intern make good choices
• Help the intern to take the next step  

When taking advantage of the teachable moment, it is important to:

• Share in the spirit of support
• Be brief (focus is essential)
• Be strategic
• Avoid using jargon or sounding pedantic  

Some possible stems include:

• One thing to keep in mind is …
• If you're interested in ___, it is important to …
• What I know about ___ is …
• It's sometimes helpful to ___ when  …

Support Strategies for the Cooperating Teacher  

Supervising the intern is a very important responsibility. Just as different teachers have different teaching styles, cooperating teachers may vary in their methods and styles of supervision. Ideally, the cooperating teacher will use a more interactive and reflective approach.                  

A Protocol for Supervision  

Assess the intern's needs by:

• Making connections and building trust
• Identifying successes and challenges  

Establish a focus for work by:

• Paraphrasing
• Clarifying  

Support the intern's growth and improvement by:

• Direct teaching
• Collaborative problem-solving/work
• Reflective questioning  

Promote accountability by:

• Identifying specific next steps
• Following up