Annsley Frazier Thornton School of Education Service Learning Opportunities
Service learning through field placements in
community schools is a foundational part of the education major at both
the undergraduate and graduate levels. Candidates continuously
integrate theory and effective practice into their service to diverse
students in public, private, and parochial schools. Undergirding this
integration is reflective practice, using Linda Valli’s (1997) types of
reflection that connect candidates’ beliefs, attitudes, and learning
with their development in the field. Service work in field placements
is connected to the School of Education’s mission, program objectives,
curriculum, and state standards for teacher preparation as delineated in
the Advising, Benchmarks, and Data Handbook (see forms). It is
through field experience that all teacher candidates develop the
knowledge, skills, and dispositions to become highly effective
educators.
Undergraduate elementary and
middle school majors have over 250 field placement hours prior to their
professional (student teaching) semester. Undergraduate secondary
education majors and graduate Master of Arts in Teaching candidates have
a minimum of 140 field placement hours prior to their professional
semester. Graduate candidates in advanced degree programs, such as
Master of Arts in Education or Master of Arts in Instructional
Leadership and School Administration, complete varying numbers of hours
in the field depending on state requirements and program
specifications. Teachers and principals in school districts in local
and surrounding counties continuously report that candidates from the
School of Education are welcome and highly successful in their work with
children and adolescents.
In addition to service learning in classroom/field
placements, candidates are engaged in service learning at a variety of
community agencies such as:
The Annsley Frazier Thornton School of
Education is committed to enriching the lives of children and
adolescence through reflective service learning throughout its teacher
and principal preparation programs.
Valli, L. (1997). Listening to
other voices: A description of teacher reflection in the United States.
Peabody Journal of Education, 72(1): 67-88.