Field Experience
One of the hallmarks of any successful teacher preparation program is the quality and variety of field experiences available. Our partnership with Newport News Public Schools makes possible rich field experiences close to campus. You can also get paid for substitute teaching or tutoring in Newport News schools while enrolled in the program.
Field Experience
There are three types of field experiences:
Course-based field work
Some of your courses will include classroom experiences that may include observation, tutoring or working with students in small groups.
80 hours
Between admission to the program and beginning your teacher internship, you will complete 80 hours in the school system, either paid or as a volunteer. 50 hours must be obtained in the Newport News Public Schools while the other 30 hours may be accrued through potential experiences such as tutoring, substitute teaching, etc. Please contact the Associate Director of Field Experiences for clarification and approval of hours.
Student-teaching internship
The teacher internship is the culminating experience of the program. The internship includes 14 weeks of teaching in local school divisions. As your internship progresses, you gradually assume all duties of a regular classroom teacher, including lesson planning and delivery, grading and parent conferencing.
Field experiences, except for the 80 hour requirement, are arranged through the Office of Teacher Preparation or individual course instructors and are completed in the Newport News Public School System. Be sure to download any required forms you may need to document your field experience from the Teacher Preparation Scholar page.
Study Abroad
We also offer two exciting opportunities for study abroad, which enhance the learning experience by exposing you to other cultures, giving you valuable perspective before you lead your own classroom.
Belize
The Teaching Across Cultures course offers you the chance to spend two weeks on the island of Ambergris Caye, off the coast of Belize, working in the field with students and teachers. The course meets several times over the course of the fall semester, and students leave for Belize in January.
If you choose this course, you’ll have an unparalleled opportunity to learn about another culture and to spend time visiting such attractions as Mayan ruins and the second largest barrier reef in the world.
Ireland
Students who wish to engage with a new culture for an extended period of time can complete half of their student-teaching internship in Ireland. There, you will student-teach full-time for six weeks in the County Dublin schools in Dun Loaghaire, Ireland.