UMF offers seven Teacher Education Programs: Early Childhood Education, Early Childhood Special Education, Elementary Education, Special Education, Secondary Education, School Health Education, and World Language Education. Each of these programs features in-depth field experiences during which students develop their skills and knowledge in classroom settings while working closely with mentor teachers and UMF faculty supervisors.

UMF’s practicum for Education majors is an early classroom experience designed to provide college students who are thinking about becoming teachers with an opportunity to explore what it would be like to have a career in education.  Prior to student teaching, Education majors take a seminar class that allows them to apply the educational theory they are learning in their courses to a classroom experience. Over the course of the semester, they spend at least six hours per week in an assigned classroom to support a mentor teacher and work directly with students.

 

Through her practicum at Spruce Mountain Elementary School, Elise Guerrette (‘21) was able to gain key insights into how to tackle various challenges, from perpetual technology issues to endless paperwork. “Every day there was a new challenge. But this practicum helped prepare me for student teaching as I have to always be thinking on my feet.” The challenges of practicum were further compounded by COVID. “I had to wear a mask and face shield which made it hard to read facial expressions.” Despite all of that, Elise loved her practicum placement. “I enjoyed being able to get to know the staff in a more personal way. I felt like I was able to learn so much more because of the challenges COVID caused. My mentor and I worked together to find solutions.”

Student teaching is the culminating experience of the teacher preparation program at UMF. It provides an opportunity for Education majors to demonstrate their readiness for teacher licensure based on the Maine Teaching Standards. Over the course of this full-time, 16-week experience, student teachers work closely with a mentor teacher and a UMF supervisor, developing their teaching skillset by progressively increasing the scope of their work until they demonstrate the skills, habits, and knowledge of a professional educator.

Connor Lynch (’18) came to UMF because of its reputation for teach education. What he didn’t know before he came here is how well the UMF faculty would prepare him to be a “well-rounded teacher” by encouraging him to look at education through the lens of diversity, poverty, race, and gender. “Going into college I didn’t think of that. But going into my first year of teaching, I felt like I had all the items in my toolbox to feel successful and I felt confident in my abilities… I could easily be a teacher that is standard, but UMF pushed me to be more conscious of what I’m doing in the classroom.” After completing his student teaching at his alma mater in Brunswick, Connor taught at Eastport High School for two years before returning to Brunswick High School, working in a community that he knows and to which he hopes to give back.

Education majors at UMF have unique opportunities to do their student teaching outside of the State of Maine with three partner schools: Daegu International School in Daegu, South Korea; David Li Kwak Po College in Hong Kong; and most recently a new program in Alaska. Students can also choose to do their international student teaching through a third-party provider. But these partner programs ensure certification in Maine upon graduating from UMF.

When it became apparent that doing a semester abroad program conflicted with requirements for her education major, Tori Lands (‘17) began exploring the idea of student teaching abroad. Tori decided to student teach at Daegu International School in South Korea, one of UMF’s longtime partners, a choice she credits to mentoring by UMF faculty. “They were extremely supportive throughout the application process and made it easy for me to choose to head to South Korea… As a social studies teacher, I feel it is important for me to have a global perspective. Through my student teaching experience as well as the additional 2 years I spent teaching in South Korea and traveling abroad, my global perspective certainly grew!” She now teaches in Kingfield, ME, and mentors UMF practicum students. 

For her student teaching, Jessica Leibowitz (‘19) decided to do things a little differently by choosing a placement in Hong Kong at UMF’s new international partner, David Li Kwak Po School. For the first half of the semester, she taught in Farmington to gain certification in Maine. Then during the second half of the semester, she taught in Hong Kong. This gave Jessica a unique insight into education in two different countries. Although Jessica has now decided to work as a beekeeper, she feels that “the skills I gained as a student-teacher constantly help me to better explain my ideas clearly to my coworkers, to adapt to what is required of me at any given time, and to understand the needs of my coworkers.” Jessica’s career path is a great example of how teaching doesn’t just happen in the classroom.

Other Types of Experiential Learning in UMF’s Teacher Preparation Programs

  • Project-Based Learning in Education

  • Research on Education Theory and Practice

  • Volunteering in Elementary or Secondary Schools

UMF Experiential Ed Home Page