One of the hallmarks of any successful teacher preparation program is the quality and variety of field experiences it offers.  As a student in the 5-Year, MAT with Initial Licensure, or Initial Licensure program, you will participate in a number of field experiences during your professional year that are designed to give you the opportunity to work first-hand with students.

Field experiences are divided into three primary types:

1. Course-based field work, in conjunction with undergraduate/graduate courses

2.  120 hours  of paid or voluntary independent field work in the public schools

3. The student teaching internship

All field experiences, except for the 120-hour requirement, are arranged through the Office of Teacher Preparation or individual course instructors and are completed in the Newport News Public School System.

The following courses have field experiences tied to them:

Undergraduate:

Soc 314/314L -30 hours of classroom observation and task completion

Graduate:

Math 570-12 hours of tutoring students who are struggling in math

English 522-12 hours of tutoring students who are struggling in reading

Teaching 516/517-observation in a preschool

English 511-10-12 hours of observation in ESL classrooms

Psychology 521-18 hours of tutoring elementary students who are struggling with reading

*Note: Other courses within the program, both undergraduate and graduate, may have field experiences tied to them, at the instructor's discretion.

Upon admission to a graduate or licensure program, you may begin collecting hours toward the 120-hour requirement. To do so, you should:

  • complete your hours during the school day or as a co-curricular activity
  • be directly involved in instructional activities (i.e., not just observing or “babysitting”)
  • log your hours with a supervisor’s signature on the appropriate log form, or attach pay stubs in lieu of signatures
  • complete your hours in a public school setting (although some other settings may also count. See below.)

 Counting Hours

As a student in the professional year, the 120 hours is an excellent way for you to earn extra dollars. Opportunities for this primarily occur in three ways:

  • Being an AVID tutor
  • Being a substitute teacher (including  school- and home-based instruction)
  • Being a paraprofessional/teacher’s assistant or long-term sub

Students who choose one (or a combination) of these ways to complete their 120 hours, may count ALL of these hours toward their 120, so long as they are done in a Newport News public school.

Other opportunities for accomplishing the 120 hours are:

  • Field work done in a Newport News public school as part of any departmental internship ( for example, Psyc 491) May count ALL hours toward 120.
  • Field work done as part of a departmental internship AND in a public school setting that is NOT in Newport News : May count 70 hours toward the 120 hours; HOWEVER, you will still need to do 50 hours in Newport News Public Schools.
  • Field work done as part of a departmental  internship  that is NOT done in any type of public school setting BUT still involves working in an instructional, mentoring, or advisory capacity with children: May count 45 hours
  • Field work done in a NNPS public school setting as part of another CNU program or project (such as PLP), may count ALL hours toward 120.
  • Field work done in a neighborhood, home-school, or private tutoring capacity (includes music or art lessons) with K-12 children: May count up to 25 hours
  • Field work done in a child care center, private school setting, private school or public school after-school program, or as an instructional part of Parks and Rec (will need documentation of duties): May count up to 50 hours

Note: Hours may start being counted upon acceptance into the MAT program.

 Logging Hours

 All field hours must be logged on a field experience log form, including substitute hours. All forms should be signed by a school or other administrator for verification, except when pay stubs are applicable. In the case of private tutoring/lessons, a parent signature is allowed.

For additional information, see the Field Experience Handbook.


For Program Participants:

Field Experience Log/120 Hour Log

Field Experience Request Form (*for undergraduate and graduate courses that have field experiences attached--should be turned in to the course instructor)

Field Experience Evaluation Form (*to be completed at the end of courses that have field experiences attached--should be turned in to the course instructor)

For Soc 314L:

Soc 314L Field Experience Log for Activities

Soc 314L Field Experience Log for Tasks/Observations

Soc 314L Disposition Evaluation Form for Co-ops

Soc 314L Letter of Introduction for Co-ops

Soc 314L Description of Co-op Teacher Responsibilities