Pre-Student Teaching

All teacher candidates are required to spend time in classroom and/or clinical settings to prepare them for student teaching and ultimately licensure. Prospective teachers are expected to spend time observing and interacting with K-12 teachers and their students. These valuable experiences help teacher candidates to understand teaching, learning, discipline, culture and context, all things they will need to know and understand in order to become effective teachers.

There are four basic purposes for pre-student teaching:

  • To allow the prospective teacher to affirm her/his decision to become a teacher.
  • To provide a context for understanding concepts and issues in the professional education courses.
  • To provide opportunities to practice teaching skills and observe licensed teachers.
  • To prepare the prospective teacher for the student teaching semester(s).

There are four basic requirements prospective teachers need to meet while pre-student teaching:

  • The prospective teacher must accumulate 100 clock hours of pre-student teaching experience.
  • The 100 hours of age-appropriate experience must be no more than three years old at the time student teaching commences.
  • At least 50 of the 100 hours must be spent in an age-appropriate setting with a licensed teacher.
  • At least one of the classroom experiences must be in a multicultural or urban setting.
  • Business, Management, Marketing and Technology

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    • The BMMT teacher candidate documents 100 clock hours of experiences with children in grades 6-12.
    • 45 of the 100 clock hours come from BMMT 200 and PRCT 311.
    • Students must contact the Department of Teacher Education before registering for PRCT 311.
    • At least 50 clock hours must be with a teacher licensed to teach business/marketing education in an appropriate setting.
    • At least one experience needs to be in an urban or multicultural classroom, which is typically accomplished with PRCT 311. Teacher candidates should seek as many diverse pre-student teaching field experience placements as possible.
    • Clock hours are documented on the Pre-Student Teaching Field Experiences Verification Form [PDF].
    • Clock hours outside of EMU classes require a signature along with appropriate documentation. As long as it is age-appropriate, and in a teaching/learning context, some field experience hours can come from religious education, coaching, tutoring, scouting, etc.
  • Elementary Education

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    • The elementary teacher candidate documents 100 clock hours of experiences with children in grades K-5.
    • 60 of the 100 clock hours come from PRCT 304 and PRCT 304. Students must contact the Department of Teacher Education before registering for PRCT classes.
    • At least 50 clock hours must be with a teacher licensed to teach all subjects at the elementary level in an appropriate K-5 setting. At least one experience needs to be in an urban or multicultural classroom, which is typically accomplished during PRCT 310. Teacher candidates should seek as many diverse pre-student teaching field experience placements as possible.
    • Clock hours are documented on the Pre-Student Teaching Field Experiences Verification Form [PDF].
    • Clock hours outside of EMU classes require a signature along with appropriate documentation. As long as it is age-appropriate, and in a teaching/learning context, some field experience hours can come from religious education, coaching, tutoring, scouting, etc. Babysitting and childcare are not acceptable settings.
    • Students pursuing the Early Childhood Education minor have additional pre-student teaching field experiences. These clock hours are earned at the Children's Institute and are supervised by ECE faculty.
  • Music Education

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    • The music teacher candidate documents 100 clock hours of experiences with children in grades K-12.
    • At least 50 clock hours must be with a licensed music teacher in an appropriate setting.
    • At least one experience needs to be in an urban or multicultural classroom. Teacher candidates should seek as many diverse pre-student teaching field experience placements as possible.
    • Clock hours are documented in the log in the Field Experience in Music Education (FEME) workbook.
    • As long as it is age-appropriate, and in a teaching/learning context, some field experiences hours can come from religious education, coaching, tutoring, scouting, etc.
  • Physical Education

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    • The physical education teacher candidate documents 100 clock hours of experiences with children in grades K-12.
    • At least 50 clock hours must be with a licensed physical educator in an appropriate setting.
    • At least one experience needs to be in an urban or multicultural classroom. Teacher candidates should seek as many diverse pre-student teaching field experience placements as possible.
    • Clock hours are documented in the log in the Pre-Student Teaching Portfolio Development for Physical Education Majors workbook. Clock hours require signatures. As long at it is age-appropriate, and in a teaching/learning context, some field experiences hours can come from religious education, coaching, tutoring, scouting, etc.
  • Secondary Education

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    • The secondary teacher candidate documents 100 clock hours of experiences with children in grades 6-12.
    • 60 of the 100 clock hours come from PRCT 305 and PRCT 311. Students must contact the Department of Teacher Education before registering for PRCT 305 and PRCT 311.
    • At least 50 clock hours must be with a teacher licensed to teach in the candidate's teaching major and minor within an appropriate grade 6-12 setting.
    • At least one experience needs to be in an urban or multicultural classroom, which is typically accomplished during PRCT 311. Teacher candidates should seek as many diverse pre-student teaching field experience placements as possible.
    • Clock hours are documented on the Pre-Student Teaching Field Experiences Verification Form [PDF].
    • Clock hours outside of EMU classes require a signature along with appropriate documentation. As long as it is age-appropriate, and in a teaching/learning context, some field experience hours can come from religious education, coaching, tutoring, scouting, etc.
    • For candidates pursuing the K-12 endorsement in a foreign language (i.e. French, German, Japanese, or Spanish), some clock hours in elementary settings must be documented.
  • Special Education: Elementary Certificate

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    • The special education teacher pursuing an elementary certificate documents 50 clock hours in a K-5 classroom setting with an elementary-certified regular education teacher. These hours must be completed before the elementary student teaching semester can begin.
    • Also required are 100 clock hours in K-12 classrooms (done in pre-clinical experiences) with licensed special educators.
    • At least one experience needs to be in an urban or multicultural classroom. Teacher candidates should seek as many diverse pre-student teaching field experience placements as possible.
    • Clock hours are documented on orange cards.
  • Visual Arts Education

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    • The visual arts teacher candidate documents 100 clock hours of experiences with children in grades K-12.
    • 60 of the 100 clock hours come from ARTE 359 and PRCT 311. Students must contact the Department of Teacher Education before registering for PRCT 311.
    • At least 50 clock hours must be with licensed art teachers in appropriate classroom settings.
    • At least one experience needs to be in an urban or multicultural classroom, which is typically accomplished during PRCT 311. Teacher candidates should seek as many diverse pre-student teaching field experience placements as possible.
    • Clock hours are documented on the Pre-Student Teaching Field Experiences Verification Form [PDF].
    • Clock hours outside of EMU classes require a signature along with appropriate documentation. As long as it is age-appropriate, and in a teaching/learning context, some field experience hours can come from religious education, coaching, tutoring, scouting, etc.

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