Everyone seems to agree: The more hands-on, pre-service experience in the classroom—where you observe and practice with an effective teacher who gives you helpful feedback—the better. 

Why is this important?

Common sense says practice helps, and the data agrees. In a 2017 survey of Dallas-Fort Worth teachers, teachers with pre-service experience as a part of their preparation program were 16 percent more likely to say they felt prepared for their first year in the classroom.

Experienced teachers also said that the opportunity to observe other teachers and practice teaching were important for success as a first-year teacher.

What can this look like?

Pre-service, hands-on experience can come in a variety of forms.

In traditional undergraduate or masters programs, it looks like one or two semesters of working full-time in an experienced teacher’s classroom (this is usually called student teaching) during your final year. Before that, you may observe classrooms in person and deliver instruction through virtual reality.

Some alternative certification programs offer several weeks of pre-service practice with an experienced teacher during summer school, and some will allow you to do a semester of student teaching while enrolled.

Residency programs usually offer a full year of pre-service teaching experience, where you may have some practice in the summer and then a "clinical year" embedded in a school. 

Heads Up: Several alternative programs have "internship" components. This can sound like pre-service experience, but it is just the term for your first year as the primary adult in the classroom before the program has recommended you to receive your certification. Some programs will have pre-service experience before this internship year—just make sure you understand the program components. 

As a general rule of thumb, more pre-service experience is better, but quality definitely matters. Make sure to ask any prospective programs about what the pre-service experience includes, how they select any mentor teachers, and how you will receive feedback on your practice.

Your program should help you understand diverse student populations and be well prepared to meet the unique academic, social and emotional needs of individual students.

Why is this important?

• Dallas-Fort Worth is home to a growing number of students from racial/ethnic minorities and a growing number of students who are experiencing poverty. DFW is also a hub for refugees, which creates opportunities for really diverse schools: For instance, McShan Elementary in Dallas has 80 percent English language learners with 33 unique languages spoken.
• Districts all told us that teachers who are Special Education and Bilingual Certified are in high demand (so are STEM teachers). These teachers often receive signing or yearly bonuses from their districts.
• A lot of students come to school impacted by trauma, especially those experiencing poverty. Trauma can cause students to enter "fight or flight" mode more often, making it harder for them to absorb lessons. Luckily, there’s a growing body of research helping educators understand how to effectively support these students, so that they are able to thrive in school.

What can this look like?

A lot of things:

• Coursework specifically addressing the diverse needs of student populations.
• Getting coaching and feedback on culturally relevant pedagogy. 
• Learning about how unconscious biases among educators can lead to disproportionately disciplining some students (usually students of color).
• How to check for biases when teaching.

Some programs will specifically address trauma and how to help your student.

A few, like the Emerging Teacher Institute at UNT Dallas, will even dive into how stress might be impacting your well-being, and how to develop tools to keep you healthy and thriving while in the classroom for as long as you intend to be there. After all, teaching—like all impactful professions—is challenging, and having strategies and tools for self-care will help you avoid burnout.

Your program should provide an experienced and highly effective mentor, teacher and coach to provide meaningful feedback during your training process. 

Why is this important?

Teachers told us that observing other teachers was important for them during their preparation and first year. They also said that having a mentor teacher, especially a mentor who is in a similar subject area and grade level, is critical for success.

Our prep programs and districts have underscored the importance of having a successful, highly effective teacher mentor for both aspiring and new teachers alike. You want to learn from someone whose work you want to emulate. (Practice doesn’t make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect, after all.) 

What can this look like?

Most programs will put you in a classroom under the supervision of a mentor, master or host teacher (different names for essentially the same thing) during your pre-service experience.

You might start off only observing, and eventually, through "gradual release," you will start teaching more and more. Mentor teachers then give you constructive feedback to help you grow in ability and confidence.

Programs also send coaches to visit and observe you in your classroom at regular intervals. This resource gives you feedback and helps you think through challenges you're experiencing. Sometimes, coaches will visit you (even after your pre-service experience is over) when you’re the primary teacher in a classroom. 

Ask your potential program(s) how they select mentor teachers, what they expect from them, and how they are ensuring that mentor teachers model effective practices and give helpful feedback. Be sure to ask these same questions about coaches who visit your classroom.

You should look for a program that shows commitment to continuous improvement and collecting, sharing, and using data and research to improve their preparation practices (for the ultimate benefit of your future students)!

Why is this important?

You can be a part of the burgeoning research about childhood development, the brain, and how humans learn and grow. Our world is changing rapidly, so the skills we need to be preparing our students for is changing, too. 

You want to go to a teacher prep program that is attuned to these changes and is committed to providing the most effective and relevant preparation possible.

What can this look like?

A commitment to improvement might be the hardest criteria to spot as you shop for programs. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about how the program uses data and research to reflect and improve practice!