I I. - OFTEN ASKED QUESTIONS

 

Questions About Interacting With PLS Students

How do PLS students feel about being observed by UNI students?

Upon first entering the Laboratory School, some PLS students, particularly younger children, demonstrate awareness of observers and sometimes feel compelled to show off. However, before long they become accustomed to the constant presence of visitors and pay little if any further attention to them.

Is it harder for students to have someone to identify with, considering all the aids and university students working with them?

For the majority of students this presents no problem. In fact, it offers them a wider range of choice for purposes of identification, facilitates more personalized attention, and enhances their sociability. On the other hand, those few students who feel compelled to test the limits with every authority figure they encounter become quite confused trying to keep track of 30 or more sets of limits during the course of a year.

Does the fact that many different individuals work with Laboratory School students affect their attitudes toward participants?

For the most part, Laboratory School students do not assume a stereotyped, predetermined attitude toward participants. The two most important determinants of students’ attitudes toward a participant are (1) the personality, attitudes, and skills demonstrated by the participant and (2) the on-going relationship that exists between the supervising teacher and the students.

How are field experience participants expected to handle students - as teachers, as helpers, or what?

In most instances, the brevity of the experience and the numbers involved preclude participants from acting as full-fledged teachers. Consequently, they operate more as helpers. The best sources of advice in determining how to proceed along these lines are the supervising teachers.

How can field experience students get PLS students interested in the things they do?

This can be accomplished by knowing the subject and being well prepared, by developing interesting, varied, and relevant learning activities, and by demonstrating their own enthusiasm.

 

Questions About Participation in the Field Experience

What materials and equipment can 200:128 students use at the Laboratory School?

Field experience students have access to all of the materials and equipment at the disposal of Laboratory School faculty. However, in most instances, supervising teachers will have to authorize access to them.

What should a participant do if her/his supervising teacher is busy on the first day when she/he arrives?

One should take an available seat in the classroom, observe what is going on, be ready to provide assistance if an opportunity is presented, and when a lull in the action occurs, consult with the supervising teacher.

What should a participant do if she/he is unable to appear on a given day or for a period of time?

The participant should call the supervising teacher and explain. Generally, when unavoidable absence are lengthy, make-up time can be arranged (e-mail may also be appropriate — check with your supervising teacher in advance).

What are the limits of the authority of field experience students? What can they expect to do?

Ideally, field experience students should be given all the responsibility they have demonstrated they can handle effectively. This may involve assistance with decision making, planning and preparation, individual tutoring, small group instruction, large group instruction, and other activities associated with teaching, be they clerical or custodial in nature.

How early will a student be expected to teach a class?

This depends entirely on the factors enumerated in the answer to the previous question, especially when one interprets "personal qualities" to include initiative.

Are supervising teachers under any obligation to make the field experience as fruitful as possible? How far should a student go in initiating lessons or participation?

Supervising teachers do have an obligation to contribute to fruitful field experiences. However, the intensity of their efforts is diluted by their various responsibilities. Therefore, the most effective experiences unfold when participants demonstrate a large degree of initiative - generally, the more the better. The best practice is for field experience students to consult with the supervising teacher before expending a great deal of effort in preparing lessons that may not be consistent with the overall instructional program. Assuming that there is consistency, field experience students will find most supervisors to be very receptive to their ideas.

Why do field experience students often wind up with custodial responsibilities?

Teachers often ask the same question! A certain amount of a teacher’s responsibilities are custodial in nature. Therefore, participants may expect to be involved in some of these tasks. However, a participant who winds up with a steady diet of these activities has a right to complain and should do so.

 

Questions About PLS Teaching Philosophy

Is there a standard teaching philosophy at the Laboratory School, or is each individual instructor more or less left alone to decide how he/she will teach?

There is a thread of continuity, particularly in the area of encouraging students to take an active role in the learning process. Beyond that, a great deal of individual latitude is permitted.

Do the school’s faculty try all different forms of teaching, or do they stick to the same programs year after year?

Change is the one constant that is evident. Each year sees some programs phased out, some new ones added, and most of the remaining programs subject to modification. One of the advantages of avoiding heavy reliance on textbook series is that changes and modifications are facilitated. (This is not to suggest that all changes represent progress, but there is no progress without change.)

Will field experience students be required to participate in teaching methods that they may never wish to use?

Laboratory School faculty are encouraged to develop and adopt teaching methods and materials that will be readily exportable to other schools. Consequently, the chances that field experience students will be exposed to "far-out" methods are rather remote.

Regarding the second concern, developing a teaching style generally involves a process through which one adopts certain ideas, adapts others, and rejects still others - depending upon personal preferences and what works well with the individual’s personality. Therefore, it is hoped that students will take a critical, insightful approach to their field experience. Due to individual differences in personality and other characteristics, one of the worst mistakes a student can make is to adopt into another teacher’s style.

What if a field experience student prefers to teach something in a manner that differs from the supervising teacher’s usual practice?

If the field experience student can justify this preference with a plausible rationale, the chances are excellent that he/she will get that opportunity. The beauty of the field experience is that it provides learning experiences for supervising teachers as well as for participants.

If participants are interested in observing alternative types of classroom settings, how do they go about it?

All Laboratory School classes are open to observers. One need only check the schedules outside the elementary and secondary offices and show up for the desired class. If one doesn’t know where a certain type of instruction is going on, he/she should ask any Laboratory School faculty member. It is customary, as a courtesy, to contact the teacher prior to the observation.

 

Questions About How To Handle Potential Problems

What can a field experience student do when the class to which he/she is assigned seems boring?

Turn such a situation into a learning experience. The student should try to identify the reason that the class is boring and speculate about how the situation might be remedied. When opportunities arise to discuss the situation with the teacher, the participant may be able to gain insight into the teacher’s perspective. Then, when the participant’s turn to teach comes, he/she should attempt the corrective measures that seem appropriate.

How does one deal with an uncooperative supervising teacher?

A number of alternatives are available: