EPS 282X

EPS 282X provides elementary education pre-service teachers with an opportunity to work with the elementary-age students in an educational setting, develop classroom observation skills, and apply knowledge and understanding of learners, learning, and teaching to real learners and classrooms.

Most EPS 282X students are concurrently enrolled in EPS 300, Educational Psychology, and/or EPS 304, Development of the Elementary School Child.

Pre-service teachers spend approximately a minimum of 16 hours during a semester in an assigned classroom working with and observing elementary school students, and completing college instructor- and classroom teacher-assigned tasks. Students complete and submit weekly field experience logs/journals to their course instructor, detailing and reflecting on their classroom experience.

Attendance Record

Students are required to record the date and times of each each field experience visit. Each visit must be initialed by someone at the school. Attendance records must be submitted to the course instructor by the end of the semester.

Evaluation Criteria

NIU Students will self-assess their performance at mid-term and the end of the semester. Students are encouraged to share their self-assessments with their cooperating teachers for constructive feedback.

Near the end of the semester, mentor teachers will receive a link to an online evaluation form which they will use to evaluate each of the NIU students in his or her classroom. Evaluations of students should be completed before Finals Week.

Parental Permission Letter

Students in educational psychology (EPS 300) and/or child development (EPS 304) courses are required to observe and engage an elementary school-aged child in short tasks to better understand his or her development and how he or she learns. Signed parent permission is necessary before the student may complete these tasks with the child. Mentor teachers should send home the appropriate parent permission form.