Field Placement Principles
During field experience placements, pre-service teachers will gain professional knowledge that prepares them to become beginning teachers.
- Pre-service teachers will become aware of and develop professional knowledge, skills and attitudes that will enable them to be part of learning communities in classrooms, in schools with other teachers and administrators and in the wider professional community.
- Pre-service teachers are expected to develop knowledge, skills, and attitudes that enable them to assess their own teaching, to identify professional growth targets, and to identify ways in which they can continue to develop their professional knowledge and skills.
- Pre-service teachers gradually increase their teaching responsibilities and pedagogical expertise over time based on the belief that learning to teach is a developmental process.
- Extended blocks of field experience allow opportunities for developing sophisticated units of work and meaningful relationships with students.
- Pre-service teachers need opportunities to learn to teach in at least two different school contexts, and in at least two different grade level divisions within their particular program route.
- Pre-service teachers gradually take more responsibility for their own professional development.
- In order to facilitate comprehensive professional development opportunities pre-service teachers will be placed in small groups in schools whenever possible.
Field Placement Practices
- Placement Year One: Elementary pre-service teachers are encouraged to take an early elementary placement in their first year and an upper elementary placement in their second year. Secondary pre-service teachers are placed in their first subject field in either grade 5-8 or 9-12. Continuation of the fall placement in the same school and with the same cooperating teacher. Secondary Physical Education students are placed primarily in their second teachable in the first year. Elementary Physical Education students are placed in a combination of classroom and PE. Elementary French students are placed in a combination of classroom and French Core in their first year. Secondary French students are placed in a combination French Core and second teachable in their first year.
- Placement Year Two: Elementary pre-service teachers are placed in their alternative grade range of either grade P-4 or 5-8. Secondary pre-service teachers are placed in their second subject field (in either grade 5-8 or 9-12) with some work in first subject field. Elementary and secondary PE students are placed primarily in Physical Education settings. French students are placed in French Immersion with direction from the French Department of the B.Ed. program.
Placement Priorities
Students are placed with School Boards within the province of Nova Scotia. The participating school boards are: Chignecto Central Regional School Board; Strait Regional School Board; Cape Breton Victoria Regional School Board; Halifax Regional School Board; South Shore Regional School Board; Annapolis Valley Regional School Board; Tri-County Regional School Board; Mi’kmaw Band School Boards; and Conseil Scolaire Acadien Provincial. Normally students with the following needs will receive priority for local placements if placements are available:
- Students with children (in day care or school) for whom the student is the sole/primary caregiver and who show reason that their placement outside of the town would jeopardize their ability to fulfill their role as a parent.
- Year II students who have done their first year placement in a situation in which they were asked to commute outside of Antigonish.
- Year II students who were placed in a location outside of Antigonish but who have good reason to be placed locally in their second year.
- Students who are playing a varsity sport that requires practices and or games at times that make it impossible to attend if they were to commute to placements.
