Field Based Experiences

This is an exciting time in your program and an opportunity for you to represent UMass Dartmouth's commitment to excellence in the preparation of future teachers.

The STEM Education & Teacher Development Department is committed to providing teacher preparation, licensing, and professional development opportunities for aspiring candidates and teachers who are working in schools.

We aim to develop reflective practitioners who seek to understand the complex social contexts of learning, education, and schooling in both urban and suburban settings. In addition to providing a rigorous preparation in subject-matter fields, we encourage students and teachers to develop their ability to apply pedagogical theory to practice and to reflect on the complexities inherent in their craft.

Apply theory to practice in classroom settings

The Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3 pre-service teacher Field Based Experiences are designed to provide you with the opportunity to apply coursework learning and theory to actual practice inside a variety of classroom settings. Initially, at the start of your teacher education program, your field experience allows you to observe and interact in the classroom and in expanded educational settings such as the school library or resource room. As you progress through your program of study, the amount of time you interact with students and mentor teachers increases, as will the structured performance expectations are embedded into your Field Based Experiences. Throughout this time, you will complete field assessments assigned by university faculty and your site fieldwork supervisor that will assist in determining your readiness for entry into the field.

Learn more: outline and expectations for field based experiences

Related information for field experiences

School Partner site applications: UMassD Education sites
 
CORI checks: All Massachusetts schools require volunteers and visitors to undergo a CORI background check in combination with federal registration using the fingerprint process. 
 
Fingerprinting: Currently, the closest facility to UMassD that processes fingerprint registrations is online with IdentoGo. Explore other processing locations and for completing your fingerprint registration at IndentoGo Massachusetts

CORI check: All CORI checks are completed by the host school and must be completed before the student is placed in a field based experience in the school district.

The Field Experiences Coordinator will connect you with the paperwork to begin the process to connect with your host teacher in the school district.