School of Education
Below is a list of terms used by the Clinical Experience Office.
Glossary
Teacher Candidate
A teacher candidate is a student enrolled in a teacher preparation program.
Cooperating Teacher
A Cooperating Teacher is a school-based educator who is a New York State certified teacher working within a school system who hosts and mentors a teacher candidate during the student teaching experience. Throughout the course of the semester, cooperating teachers help develop teacher candidates’ capacity to a) prepare and plan impactful pedagogy, b) foster a classroom environment built on respect and rapport, c) implement effective pedagogy, and d) augment their overall professional development, while providing student teachers with a safe and comfortable environment to develop and share pedagogical strategy and resources.
Site Supervisor
A Site Supervisor holds a New York State Certification and/or License and hosts practicum or internship candidates in one of the following programs: School Psychology, School Counseling, Mental Health Counseling, or Educational Leadership.
Queens College Field Supervisor (or University-Based Educator or Clinical Supervisor)
A Queens College Field Supervisor (or Clinical Supervisor) is a veteran teacher or principal assigned as a mentor to the candidate by the program. QC Field Supervisors (or Clinical Supervisors) help establish a connection between Queens College and the student teaching sites. They are the mentors who observe teacher candidate’s lessons at schools. QC Field Supervisors (or Clinical Supervisors) encourage student teachers to reflect on their lessons while providing feedback. Along the side of cooperating teachers, QC Field Supervisors (or Clinical Supervisors) provide thoughtful, detailed, and consistent guidance and feedback on various pedagogical components, continually fostering their student teachers’ capacities to be highly effective educators. In some programs, the QC Supervisor (or QC Clinical Supervisor) and the Seminar Instructor are the same person.
Queens College Seminar Instructor
A seminar instructor is the professor who teaches the student teaching, practicum, or internship course. In some programs, the Seminar Instructor and the QC Field Supervisor (or QC Clinical Supervisor) are the same person.
Clinical Experience Office
The Clinical Experience Office work with department clinical staff, clinical lecturers, student teachers, and cooperating teachers to provide guidance on meeting the requirements, policies, and procedures of student teaching.
Departmental Clinical Staff
Departmental Clinical Staff oversee School of Education clinical programs serving undergraduate and graduate pre-service candidates. They are the faculty members or staff responsible for the coordination of pre-service teachers’ student teaching placements. They also oversee the procurement of new partnerships with New York City Public Schools in Queens while also fostering and maintaining collaborations with accredited placement sites in New York City and on Long Island. They serve as the initial and primary point person for all school administrators, school office staff, and cooperating teachers.
EPP
EPP stands for Educator Preparation Provider. All teacher education programs in the School of Education, the School of Arts and Humanities, the Math and Natural Sciences, and the Social Sciences of Queens College are referred to as Educator Preparation Providers in this Guidebook.
Fieldwork
Fieldwork experiences are associated with specific education foundations and methods courses typically taken at the beginning of most teacher preparation programs. Fieldwork hours enable teacher candidates to develop and apply theoretical and pedagogical knowledge acquired through coursework by engaging in project-based and community-focused experiences.
Initial Clinical Experience
Many SEYS programs require students to complete the Initial Clinical Experience before their student teaching semester. During this experience, candidates may observe, develop curriculum with the cooperating teacher, work one-on-one or with small groups of learners, and teach lessons to a full class. Placement for the Initial Clinical Experience is arranged directly by the Clinical Experience Office. For details on the requirements, candidates should consult their program.
Student Teaching
Student Teaching is a college-supervised classroom experience involving instruction. It occurs over a 15-week semester. Candidates are placed in appropriate certification-level classrooms under the supervision of an experienced, New York State-certified teacher. Placement for Student Teaching is arranged through either academic programs or the Clinical Experience Office. For specific requirements, candidates should consult their program.
Internship
Internship is a term used in the Dual MAT Special Education Childhood 1-6 program. Candidates in this program first complete student teaching to fulfill their Childhood Education requirements, then complete an internship for their Special Education requirements. The candidate receives supervision from the Site Supervisor and QC Supervisor and meets weekly with their Seminar Instructor. For specific details on internship requirements, candidates should consult their program.
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