Undergraduate Practicum is an all-day, five-days-a-week, six-week intermediate special education field experience that takes place in Summer A, prior to student teaching in the Fall Semester.

The Summer A Undergraduate Practicum is a mandatory requirement for our undergraduate students in the Inclusive Early Childhood/Childhood Education Program and the Inclusive Adolescence Education Program.

Teacher candidates are placed in a local school district and follow the teachers contractual hours.

Teacher candidates are expected to participate in all aspects of the classroom during the placement.

The teacher candidates' main task during practicum is to gain experience through active involvement with children in a classroom setting, to observe a professional teacher in action, and to assist that teacher as directed.

Ultimately, teacher candidates progress from observing in the classroom during the first few days to helping individual students to leading small groups or helping teach mini-lessons to completing some daily teaching such as leading morning meetings, warm-up activities or teaching a core subject.