Field Experiences
At Rockhurst University, you will engage in field experiences early and often throughout your academic career. As a pre-service teacher in the School of Education, you will log approximately 20 hours per semester in a variety of urban and suburban schools with populations. Conducted during the day to match school site hours, these experiences will help you develop strategies for communication and curriculum and assessment, as well as classroom management, in preparation for your profession as a teacher.
Field observations are a vital and mandatory component of your pre-service teacher program. These observations give you direct contact with schools and students throughout your coursework, so you understand the demands and responsibilities of a classroom teacher, as well as differences in schools and students, before student teaching. Field experiences are designed to give you a broad perspective of economic classes, populations, varying instructional strategies, and developmental differences in grade levels.
Student Teaching
After completing a variety of field experiences, students culminate their experience through a 12-credit-hour professional student teaching semester. Students are placed in accredited schools in the Missouri and Kansas metropolitan areas. Graduate students who are already under contract with an accredited school may complete their professional semester of student teaching while under contract, provided they are teaching in their certification area and grade level.
The duration and design of the field experiences depend on the student's certification area. Our Office of Field Experiences is available to work with students individually to help make the most of these teaching opportunities.
For more information about field experiences or student teaching, contact Jessica Loveland, director of field experiences, at jessica.loveland@rockhurst.edu.