Professional Development for Teacher Candidates
Clinical Experiences offer professional readiness and development opportunities for teacher candidates to enhance their skills and add to their repertoire of knowledge, ultimately preparing you to go above and beyond as lifelong learners and leaders in your classrooms, schools, and communities.
Professional readiness
The Office of Educator Preparation Programs, in partnership with CMU departments and the P-12 community, offers various opportunities to increase professional readiness for our teacher candidates.
These experiences include:
- Professional Skills in Practice – A series focused on developing CMU’s teacher candidate dispositions, with new offerings each semester.
- Teacher Talk – Coffee-house-style conversations amongst teacher candidates regarding a variety of topics impacting teachers.
- Prep Hour for Student Teachers – Graduation prep topics for current student teachers, including job search/interview, student loan repayment, certification, and more.
Professional development
The Office of Educator Preparation Programs collaborates with leaders in the field of education to offer teacher candidates opportunities to extend their coursework knowledge through professional development series.
CoTeaching with a mentor teacher
CMU teacher candidates work alongside their cooperating teacher to share the planning, organization, delivery, and assessment of instruction as well as the physical space. Both teachers are actively involved and engaged in all aspects of instruction to benefit classroom students, the teacher candidate, and the classroom cooperating teacher. Mentor teachers and Teacher Candidates in the apprenticeship program are offered this training each semester.
Understanding ACES: Adverse Childhood Experiences
Adverse Childhood Experiences and Trauma-Informed Teaching Practices (ACES) Training is in high demand from districts across the country. Teacher Candidates at CMU are given the unique opportunity to attend a 3-Module Professional Development Series: Module 1: Resilience Documentary Screening and Discussion; Module 2: The Science of ACES, 3: Trauma-Informed Teaching Strategies. This professional development series is offered each spring.
Teacher Candidate Conference
Every semester, the Teacher Candidate Conference is a celebration of the final phases of the teacher education program. Teacher candidates return to campus from their placements all across the state to engage in timely professional development facilitated by current practitioners and CMU alumni. The day includes an address by the EHS Dean, a keynote address, and a series of breakout sessions. The conference concludes with a thought-provoking panel discussion during which student teachers in the audience ask real-world, practical questions of experienced educators.
Gaining classroom experience through substitute teaching
Our teacher candidates are encouraged to gain valuable teaching experience by becoming substitute teachers during their education program. Interested candidates may attend an informational meeting to learn how to register to be a substitute teacher, gather resources for a successful first day, and ask questions about the process. These sessions are offered each month during the semester.