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Work practice guide – part-time study
Guidance, assessment and organization – part-time study.
This file can be downloaded as a Word-file
1. Work practice in general
The work practice training is generally connected to the completed subjects in which the students have didactical teaching training. For students who already half employed, or more, at least half of the training should be done in the student’s classroom/workshop. Students who are not fully or partially employed during the course of the training, are to work with the local advisor’s class/group.
1.1: Establishing a work experience placement
The IPLU will help to establish a work experience placement, and find a local advisor for the unemployed students, in accordance with the student’s own suggestions,
As for the parts of the study where the student is not working, the practice is organized according to the guidelines of the full-time study.
In the beginning of the first work practice semester, the student has to make sure that IPLU is provided with the following information:
- The name of the school, address and telephone
- The name of the headmaster
- The name of the local advisor
- Which subjects the local advisor is qualified giving guidance in
The enclosed form "Appointment of supervisor" – D 1 – is to be used (Forms of work practice)
1.2: Timeframe – work practice with guidance
The study plan for Practical-Pedagogical Education states that the guided work practice should last for 14 weeks, or 120-140 hours. If the student already is half employed, 50 per cent or more, the demand for work practice with guidance is lowered to 70 hours.
If students do special types of work practice – if the student, for instance, is in charge of teaching apprentices in a work place/workshop, or is to teach individual pupils – one has to consider whether the student is to undergo regular work practice as well, in order to secure that the work practice training, in fact, is extensive enough. These cases must be given a particular consideration.
- Students who are partially employed (50 per cent or more) through the course of the study are to have 35 hours of work practice under the guidance of a local advisor.
- Unemployed students are to have 20 hours of guided work practice during the first semester, and 50 hours during the second and third semesters, respectively. In addition, up to 20 hours may be offered in the final, fourth semester.
- Students who after the first semester find themselves unemployed, or in a less than 50 per cent position, are to do 50 hours of guided work practice during the semesters that they are unemployed/working less than 50 per cent.
- Students are allowed one year of maternity leave, and will re-enter the study programme as members of the next year’s class, or be given a place in the full-time study.
- If a student is kept from completing the work practice training due to long-lasting illness, the student has to have completed his/her demanded guided work practice in order to be eligible for final examination. Students, who have long-lasting illnesses which prevent them from completing the work practice in an ordinary manner, can apply for a place in the full-time study, a one-year leave of absence, or apply to be a member or next year’s class.
2: Guidance and advice
A local advisor, the head-master of the local school, and representative(s) from IPLU are to guide and advice the student during his/her work practice training.
2.1 Appointment of local advisor
A local advisor is appointed by the IPLU in accordance with suggestions made by the student and the local head-master. In cases where the student does not have a connection to a particular school, the IPLU will help find work practice placement and advisor. If the student is to receive work training in two subjects, advisors will be appointed in both subjects. Time spent on guidance will be equally divided between the subjects.
The enclosed form "Appointment of local supervisor" – D 1 – is to be used. (Forms of work practice)
The local advisor follows the student’s teaching, and provides advice based on the objectives concerning work practice training stated in the study plan. The exact nature of these advice sessions is specified below, under point 6.
It is essential that the local advisor has approved teacher education in the subjects he/she is to give advice about and that he/she follows the student the right amount of hours specified above.
2.2: Summary of guided work practice
The advisor and the student collectively fill out the form called "Summary of guided work practice" – D 2 – and this is signed by both parties. The local advisor’s payment relies on this form, and a copy of the form is to be enclosed the issued statement regarding fee. (Forms of work practice)
2.3: Fees
The current rate regarding local advisor’s fee is as following:
- Guidance of students in practice teacher’s class amounts to 154.40 Norwegian kroner per lesson
- Guidance of students who do work practice in separate classes amounts to 308.80 Norwegian kroner per lesson. An additional 12 percent holiday pay will be calculated from the fee
The fee also includes one advice session every fourth lesson.
3: Head-master/mistress
The IPLU will ask the head-master/substitute head-master to pay a visit to the student’s classroom at least once during each part of the study, normally once during the second semester, and once during the final semester.
Visits by the head-master/substitute head-master are to be prepared on the basis of guidance document, which will be used during advice sessions before and after the lesson.
3.1: Fees
The head-master receives a fee of 463.20 Norwegian kroner for each session, in addition to 12 percent holiday pay.
4: IPLU’s representative
Normally the IPLU advisor will be the student’s teacher in theory for specific subject matter areas/profession didactics, and/or leader of the basis group. In some cases, local teachers might be hired as didactic advisors/basis group leaders.
4.1: Visits from the IPLU
The student will receive four visits from the IPLU altogether. During the first visit, the IPLU representative, together with the local head-master and the student, will create a basis for the implementation of the local guidance.
Visits from the IPLU representative are to be prepared on the basis of guidance document, which will be used during conversations before and after the teaching sessions.
Students who are employed throughout the study will be visited by the IPLU representative once per semester.
The other students are to be visited four times by the IPLU altogether. The IPLU representative will participate in the advice sessions together with the local advisor. The local advisor must make sure that there is time for him/her to participate in the session.
5: Student preparation before guidance visit
The guidance visits starts with the student sending the basis for guidance to the visiting advisor. It is crucial that this is done well in advance. This document creates basis for the initial advice session, and includes reference to what is going to take place during the teaching session. After the lesson is finished, the student and the advisor will engage in a discussion about what happened during the lesson. This session will end with a conclusion regarding special objectives which the student is to focus on before the next visit. The student is to write as summary, including the objectives, in a log. You will find further information about this under point 6.4.
6: Guidance during the work practice training
The practice teacher’s task is to encourage the student to be independent and courageous enough to find his/her own personal style as a teacher. Simultaneously, the teacher must help the students to understand the limitations put on teaching (the number of lessons on the timetable, curriculum/syllabus, study book, quality of the pupils, etc.) The practice teacher must attempt to show the student what consequences choices of material, work methods, and assessment will have on teaching and learning.
The student and the advisor should clarify what expectations they have to each other. The practice teacher should clarify the process of guidance, and get to know about the student’s personal needs, goals and wishes. As far as possible, it is an aim that the student formulates his/her personal vision of teaching and learning; the student is to be conscious of his/her “practice theory”.
It is important that the practice teacher(s) addresses questions connected to the obligation of confidentiality. It is IPLU’s duty to guide the students as to the obligation of confidentiality that they are to honour, and present a document regarding this obligation which the students are to sign. The students are given a short introduction to the confidentiality problem before the first practice period, but it is important that this is further addressed and discussed during the work practice. Some of the students might be asked to sign an obligation of confidentiality at the work practice school.
6.1: Initial advice session.
Before the advice session, and well in advance, the student is to present the advisor with a draft of the plan. The advisor will discuss the draft with the student in order to clarify the vocational and pedagogical reasons behind it. The advisor will give guidance based on personal experience and knowledge. Based on the advice, the student will decide on objectives and approaches, and will write a final plan. The plan has to contain specific elements.
6.2: Implementation.
The candidate will implement the final plan, and the advisor is to be present. The advisor is to observe and make notes based on the (final) plan.
6.3: Evaluation.
After the teaching session, the practice teacher and the candidate discuss the implementation of the plan:
- Did things happen according to plan? (Did we reach the goals, why not?)
- What could have been done differently?
- What would the plan look like now that we have experience with it?
- What have we learned that can be significant to later teaching situations?
The student’s and the practice teacher’s respective knowledge, experiences, and perceptions are important contributions to the assessment.
6.4 The basis for guidance – a starting point for planning and giving advice.
To secure that the theory part and the work practice part of the study stay interlinked, the basis for guidance will be crucial.
The basis for guidance document uses pedagogical/didactical concepts which the students have been made familiar with during the theory part. Now they are to use these concepts in their work practice. The document functions both as a teaching plan, as well as the being the advisor’s basis for evaluation and assessment.
The students are to write 8 such guidance documents during the course of the work practice. The document needs to be in accordance with the templet, and is to be delivered well in advance before the teaching begins. When IPLU comes to visit, the basis for guidance document for the teaching session in question has to be sent to the external advisor beforehand.
The basis for guidance document serves as a starting point for the advice session. The document expresses the student’s intentions for the teaching session. It is also important to discuss whether the actual teaching went according to plan. The use of this document provides the students with planning practice, as well as shows how the various didactical relations – subject content, work approaches, assessment and the quality of the pupils – are connected. It is time-consuming to compile the document in accordance with the templet, and the students should not be asked to do this too often. The purpose with these documents is that the students are familiarized with such extensive planning.
7: Assessment
7.1: Practical teaching skills
Practical teaching skills are assessed as pass/fail both after the first and the second work practice period. The first period needs to be passed in order for the student to be able to proceed with the studies, and the second period needs to be passed in order for the student to be eligible for final examination.
The assessment has to be connected to the competence areas and concretized. Whether the student has potential for further development of his/her practical teaching skills is particularly evaluated in the first work practice period.
An immediate message should be given to the student and IPLU if there is any chances for the student failing his/her work practice.
The first part of the study (first and second semesters)
Practical teaching skills are assessed as pass/fail both after the first work practice period. This assessment is made by the local advisor(s) and the IPLU representative(s) connected to the hearing which is to take place in the second semester. If the student has more than one practice teacher, it is a wish that all teachers participate in the evaluation.
Second part of the study (third and fourth semesters)
A commission consisting of the student’s practice teacher(s), the school’s head-master and the representative(s) from IPLU assess the student’s practical teaching skills as pass/fail. The final assessment is to take place in the fourth semester. In this connection the form "Assessment of practical teaching skills" – D 3 – is to be filled out.
(Forms of work practice)
7.2: Assessment report
Experiences from teaching, class management and presentations are decisive as to the student’s development of competence. The development of competence can be documented through observation of the student’s work practice, through conversations, as well as through the student’s writing. In order for the objectives to be attainable, it is important that focus is put on concrete actions within the various competence areas – areas which are relevant in relation to a teacher’s working day. Through such a focus, vocational, didactical, social, work ethical competence, as well as competence regarding change and development, will be mapped out. Evaluation and development of such competence will be central in conversations between the student and the advisors – both practice teacher(s) and local advisor(s) – or in connection with the hearing. The purpose of these conversations is to reflect upon the student’s experiences, and thus, develop both a practical and a discursive consciousness. Increased discursive consciousness stimulates the student’s ability to reflect upon elements that might have to be changed and why they have to be changed. In short, it stimulates the student’s ability to make changes. Increased discursive and practical consciousness regarding the competence areas will strengthen the students’ ability to use writing as an instrument in their personal development as teachers. This will have positive influence on the students’ reflections over, and work with, the portfolio.
The purpose with this document is to provide the practice teacher (local advisor), student, examinator, and basis group leader with a common perception of what will be focused on when examining the student’s development of competence. It is, simultaneously, the intention that the different participants are to share a common understanding about how complex a student’s working day is, and that others only can observe parts of this complexity. Conversations between the different participants are necessary if the individual participant is to form a complete impression of the student.
The various skills are connected to the different competence areas stated in the current curriculum for Practical-Pedagogical Education. There will be, more or less, some overlaps between the different skills.
Assessment areas
Professional competence
Shows how secure the student is, and his/her practical skills in the subject taught.
Didactical competence (teaching management,presentation and adapted training)Possible areas of assessment:
- Planning all the teaching for the period and the individual teaching sessions?
- Make ready and organizing the classroom/activity rooms?
- Planning a lesson: objectives, outline, and content?
- Planning a lesson: structure, differentiation and adaptive learning?
- Alternation between teacher and pupil controlled activities?
- Effective routines for learning and changing activities?
- Utilizing the teaching time?
Work ethical competence
Possible areas of assessment:
- confidentiality
- follow-up of appointments, meetings and other activities
- openness and initiative helping people
- use of principles of justification and distribution
- order, authority, respect, consequence
- use of sanctions in accordance with school ethics
Social competence
Possible areas of assessment:
- social interaction with students and social insight
- initiative and follow-up of social activities
- overview, insight of the body of pupils local school structure/code
- contact with the individual pupil/pupils
- individual contact with the majority of the pupils during the lesson
Competence regarding change and development
Possible areas of assessment:
- an exploring attitude towards pupil and school questions
- change oriented will and ability after advice
- study/observe others’ and own teaching practice
- get oriented and show interest for/participate in the school’s/class’ developmental work
8: Appendixes – forms:
(Forms of work practice)
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