The Teacher Training Experience

RELATED INFORMATION About CDL Staff Members History Training Experience Observation Guidelines Top Ten Expectations Transitioning Children

As a parent of a child attending the Child Development Laboratory (CDL), you will be able to participate in a variety of teacher training experiences. Because teacher training is such an important mission we welcome your participation.

Student teachers are enrolled in one of the following courses:

• HDFS 2500 (Infant-Toddler Development and Programs) 3 credit hours - Instructor Hammerli
• HDFS 3500 (Child Development Laboratory) 5 credit hours - Instructors Thurman, Geyer, Buehler
• HDFS 3510 (Child and Family Development Laboratory) 5 credit hours - Instructors Thurman, Geyer, Buehler
• HDFS 3520 (Student Teaching Pre-Kindergarten) 4 credit hours - Instructors Thurman and Geyer

Students enrolled in HDFS 2500, 3500, 3510 and 3520 receive instruction from CDL Instructors. Most students who are required to take the lab classes are majors in Child Development & Education, Child Life, Family Studies or Early Childhood Education.

College Courses

• Blue Door: Students enrolled in HDFS 2500 (Infant-Toddler Practicum) attend classes instructed by Barb Hammerli and are required to work five hours each week during the fall and winter semesters and 10 hours each week during the summer. Most students enrolled in this course are Children in Group Setting, Child Life or Early Childhood Education majors. Family Studies majors (3510) also participate in 4 hours of lab in Blue Door each semester.
• Yellow, Red and Green Door: Students enrolled in HDFS 3500, 3510, and 3520 attend classes taught by Beth Geyer, Laura Thurman and Jeff Buehler. Students enrolled in these courses student teach in the rooms for five to seven hours each week.
• Red Door School-Age: Students enrolled in HDFS 4500 complete their 20-hour per week capstone practicum in Red Door School-Age Program. This seven-week practicum is the final student teaching experience for Children in Group Setting majors.

Parent Breakfasts/Potlucks

At least once each semester, parents are invited to parent breakfasts (or some other type of parent function) so that parents and student teachers can get to know one another.

Parent Workshops

Toward the end of each semester, students in HDFS 3510 (mostly Family Studies majors) host parent workshops for CDL parents as part of their coursework. Students survey parents for topic interests and develop workshops to facilitate parenting issues, concerns, etc. All parents are encouraged to attend.

Target Children

Most preschool-aged children enrolled in the CDL will be target children at least one semester each year. Each college student selects one target child to follow over the course of the semester. The student focuses on that child for observations and homework assignments and writes a developmental summary.

Target Families

HDFS 3510 Family Studies majors also observe family interaction and will be required to involve themselves more with the target family. The student may ask to conduct a home visit, participate in a family outing or interview you regarding your family time.

Developmental Summary/Portfolios

• Yellow, Red, and Green Door: Developmental Summaries are written records of development based on observations and assessment for each Target Child/Families prepared by the student teachers over the course of the semester. A copy of the developmental summary is kept in the children's files and the parent(s) receive a copy at the end-of-the-semester conference.
• Blue Door: Parents of children in Blue Door receive a Portfolio of their child's development at the end of the semester. The Portfolios typically include: written documentation of the child's development, art work samples, samples of writing, photographs or other types of media documentation (e.g., audio, video).

Teacher-Student-Parent Conferences

At the end of the semester, parents of children who have been Target Children in Yellow, Red and Green Door receive an end-of-the-semester conference with the child's teacher and the student teacher. During the conference the student teacher informs the parent(s) about the child's development as observed over the course of the semester and uses the time to set goals and answer questions. During the conference, parent(s) receive a copy of the Developmental Summary on their child. Blue Door parent conferences are held throughout the year by the lab teachers.

Student Teacher Head Teaching Week

Toward the end of the semester, the students work in small groups and are responsible for an entire week of teaching, curriculum planning, and designing room environments. This experience is called "Head Week." During Head Week the students are able to demonstrate and implement all that they have learned during the course of the semester. During "Head Week" the CDL faculty sit in the observation booth and observe and take notes to give the students feedback. Typically, there are two to three Head Weeks every semester.

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