An Exploration On Student Teaching Of Pre-service Teacher In The United States

Student teaching is an important part of teacher education and it is also a comprehensive practical course which combines theory with practice. The student teaching experience will not only affect the formation of attitudes and abilities that continue through a teacher's entire professional career, but also will have an impact on the retention of a teacher in the profession. The increasing need for teacher specialization has attracted many countries' attention to improving the structure and quality of student teaching.Over the years, one of the serious problems in the field of teacher education is the division between theory and practice. Traditionally, in China more attention has been paid to theory than to practice in student teaching programs. This results in a lack of teaching practice skills and less ability to adapt to school contexts as a beginning teacher which directly affects the quality of teachers in China. As a super power country which has an economic power and the greatest comprehensive national strength in today's world, the United States has attached great importance to the reform of teacher education. Understanding the successful experience of student teaching systems in America will not only help us to reflect on the deficiency and weakness in our country, but also can provide useful lessons and inspiration to China.This thesis consists of the preface and six other parts.Preface:The preface introduces the reasons for choosing this topic and the research significance; reviews the existing relevant domestic and international literatures; defines some important concepts such as "student teaching" and explains the research methods.Partâ… :Through the analysis of the theoretical basis, the standards of implementation, the management structure and the evaluation system of student teaching programs, this part examines the status quo of student teaching in America.Partâ…¡:This part mainly inquires into the arrangement of curriculum from two aspects:(1) the course preparation before student teaching (integrative courses, disciplinary courses, and education courses); (2) the specific content of student teaching (early field experience and formal student teaching).Part III:This part introduces both the selection criteria and the key responsibilities of the college supervisor and cooperating teacher, and emphasizes the critical role they play in the process of professional guidance of student teachers.Partâ…£:This part discusses the selection criteria and the reform movement of field placements with an emphasis on the successful experience of "Professional Development Schools" and "Overseas Student Teaching Programs".Partâ…¤:This part sums up the characteristics of student teaching programs in the United States and makes an in-depth study of the effectiveness of their implementation.Part VI:Combining the valuable experience of the United States with the urgent need of teacher education reform in China, this part mainly makes a few reasonable suggestions on how to construct a student teaching system in China from three dimensions:(1) the arrangement of curriculum; (2) the selection and training of internship instructors; (3) the innovation and reform of field placements.