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Professional placement conduct requirements

When undertaking placement it is expected that all pre-service teachers will conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times. Pre-service teachers are visitors to the school/centre in which they have been placed and as such, need to ensure that they respect fellow colleagues and the ethos of the school/centre in which they have been placed. Being on placement is comparable to being employed and as such, there are certain expectations that supervisors, schools/centres and the University will have of pre-service teachers.

Placement behaviour

  • Pre-service teachers should ensure that they are on time, arriving no less than 30 minutes before the official school/centre start time
  • Pre-service teachers are expected to be on placement fulltime; that is they attend their placement in line with the opening and closing hours of their placement location for the number of assigned days
  • Pre-service teachers should exhibit a professional manner at all times
  • Pre-service teachers are to ensure that their dress attire is appropriate to their placement
  • Pre-service teachers are expected to observe and respect the culture/custom of the school/centre at all times
  • Pre-service teachers are expected to participate fully in the life of the school/centre, e.g. yard duty, after school duty, attending staff meetings, etc.
  • Pre-service teachers must NEVER use force or touch students when reprimanding them
  • Pre-service teachers have an obligation to keep the school/centre informed of any variation to the agreed dates of attendance

What to do prior to placement commencement

In the weeks prior to a placement commencing, and definitely no less than 3 working days before a placement commences, pre-service teachers should:

  • Contact the relevant staff member at the school/centre to confirm arrangements including start time, reporting location, attendance at an orientation session (many schools organise these sessions and pre-service teachers are obliged to attend even if it is not on a day they would usually be attending)
  • Know the location of and route to the placement (via vehicle or public transport) ensuring that sufficient travel time have been determined
  • Read through the relevant Placement Manual to understand the placement objectives and requirements
  • Know what is required during placement and organise other commitments accordingly. If a pre-service teacher is employed during the placement period they must arrange with their employer to take time off as necessary to complete the scheduled placement

What to do during placement

The first day…

  • Arrive at the School/Centre at least 30 mins prior to the start of when children/students are expected to arrive and report to the advised location
  • Pre-service teachers should ensure that they complete and forward to the Professional Placements Office any applicable forms (ie Teaching Timetable, Memorandum of Understanding)
  • Pre-service teachers should ensure that they are gaining exposure to the appropriate requirements and should negotiate with the school any further needs, or communicate to the Professional Placements Office any concerns

…and Beyond

  • Be enthusiastic!!
  • Shadow the supervisor and ask questions
  • Demonstrate interest and engagement
  • Be open to criticism.  Pre-service teachers are there to learn so any criticism should be received as it is intended, as a tool by which to improve skills – there is nothing personal involved!
  • Be well prepared and versed in content
  • Keep a record of how many placement days have been completed
  • Pre-service secondary teachers need to be prepared to teach outside their subject area - this is what happens in real life
  • Pre-service secondary teachers need to prepare their lesson plans the day before and show these to the supervisor in advance so that discussion and revision can take place
  • Pre-service Primary and Early Childhood teachers need to maintain daily lesson plans/evaluations/bookwork and discuss these with supervising teacher as required
  • Pre-service Primary and Early Childhood teachers  should ensure that attendance sheet are signed daily

What to do at the end of placement

At the end of the placement, pre-service teachers need to ensure that they:

  • Say thank you to the supervisor and the organiser of student-teacher placements; A ‘thank you’ goes a long way and the staff will notice!
  • Return any property borrowed from the school/centre while on placement
  • Discuss and complete the placement report with the supervisor; pre-service teachers need to sight and sign off the report written by the supervisor
  • Request a copy of the placement report from the supervisor.  Pre-service teachers should never accept and take home an original; these are strictly to be sent in by the school/centre with the invoice to the Professional Placements Office
  • Pre-service Primary and Early Childhood teachers should also ensure that they submit their attendance sheets to supervising teacher so they can be sent to the Professional Placement Office with the placement report.

If a pre-service teacher has experienced problems with a placement and is due to return (ie some part time students) to the same location and would prefer not to, they need to contact the Professional Placement Office immediately after the placement has concluded and not wait until before the next placement round is due to commence.