Bridge Supports: Helping Instructors Prepare & Support EMU Students Moving Into Professional Fieldwork
This two-day workshop will bring together EMU employees who are responsible for incorporating field experiences into their coursework. Participants will explore effective practices for establishing, nurturing, and maintaining positive relationships with professional community partners who provide supportive real-world learning environments for our students pursuing careers in fields such as education, social work, business, and medicine. Participants will engage with each other about expectations of (and for) students, instructors, field supervisors, and cooperating teachers/preceptors. Topics will include logistical considerations but will focus most heavily on the “human” side of fieldwork such as: building cultural consciousness and competence, having transformative conversations, navigating conflict, supporting neurodivergent students, improving listening skills, providing and receiving constructive feedback, and setting/reflecting on goals. A $150 honorarium will be offered to those who participate in both days.
Open to: Faculty, FTL, PTL, and staff who are involved with organizing, coordinating, supervising, teaching, or preparing students for practicum, student teaching, clinical rotations, fieldwork, internships, co-ops, or similar off-campus career preparation experiences. Employee Consultants may participate but cannot receive Honoraria payment.
When: August 12 & 13, 2025, from 9AM - 3 PM
Where: In-person (Halle Library Room 300)
Benefits of Participating
Participants will:
- Gain insight into best practices for creating, implementing, and managing student internship, fieldwork, practicum, co-op, and clinical experiences.
- Learn ways to prepare students for participation in off-campus experiential learning environments.
- Gain access to materials they may implement into their course design and delivery.
- Have time to work collaboratively in drafting materials such as guide sheets for students and community partners, observation forms, and reflection assignments.
- Make connections with others as we build a community of those invested in developing & maintaining powerful field experiences.
Facilitators
Jackie LaRose, Teacher Education, Professor & Faculty Director of Educator Preparation Field Experiences, [email protected]
April Calkovsky, University Advising and Career Development Center (UACDC), Career Coach, [email protected]
John Carlson, University Advising and Career Development Center (UACDC), Job & Internship Specialist, [email protected]