Marshall University’s College of Education now requires new guidelines due to the ongoing pandemic. During the fall 2020 semester, students can expect to see differences when preparing to student-teach within the classroom.

Melinda Backus, a professor of the College of Education at Marshall, said there are key differences in the entire clinical scope and sequence this semester. 

“During this fall semester, we are only placing student teachers, (level two or three candidates), in the public schools,” Backus said. “Level two is typically the semester before student teaching and consists of 75 hours in a classroom.” 

Backus also said there will be accommodations made for students who cannot enter the classroom this semester for clinicals. 

“For all of the other clinicals, professors are making alternative assignments instead of sending candidates into the schools,” Backus said. “That is one huge difference between this semester and semesters past.” 

Backus also outlined the requirements still needed for student teaching this year.

“The requirements are the same as they have been, the only difference is supervision,” Backus said. “Typically, a university supervisor is assigned to the student teacher. This year, we are trying to minimize the number of people entering the public schools. Supervising will be virtual, with student teachers sending in videos for supervisors to critique and provide feedback.” 

Backus also said that though things are different this year, students will still be learning as they have always been. 

“I think our candidates will definitely learn, but what they learn will be different from past years,” Backus said. “As we say in the field of education, ‘You never stop learning. You can’t. If you do, you are letting your students down.’ This year our candidates are first-hand witnesses to experienced teachers learning a whole new way to teach the students in their classes.” 

Backus said this year will bring forth other new ideas and experiences for students. 

“Our candidates will also be witnesses to experienced teachers as they learn new technologies and tools to teach their children,” Backus said. “And our candidates will be a great assistance to our teachers in helping them navigate in a technological world of unknowns that many public school teachers are currently facing.” 

Backus said the ways students will learn this year will be different, but still educational. 

“What students learn will be different in many ways from what teacher candidates learned in the past but they are learning how to teach in a changing world,” Backus said. “While in the past one of the main goals for our teacher candidates was to be learning as much as they can, I think the main goal of this year is to help the public school teacher and the public school students with this ever-changing version of school in the year 2020. We feel our residents and student teachers will be a great asset to the public school system this year.”

Carson McKinney can be contacted at [email protected].