Clinical Experiences Foundations of Education Courses EAF 228, EAF 231, or EAF 235

Purpose and goals The purpose of the EAF Diverse Field Experience (DFE) is: To expand and deepen your capacity to work with a diversity of people in educational settings, and To nurture in you the habits of… …learning from people with cultures, languages, socio-economic backgrounds, & abilities different from your own, and …reflecting critically on your own identity personally & professionally in relation to them and within our larger social context.

Purpose and Goals The primary goal of the DFE is to expose and critically enlighten the social-construction of your own and others’ racial, gender, ethnic, linguistic, socio-economic, sexual, physical, and mental identities while you develop genuine relationships. Its secondary goal is to prepare you to work in low-income settings where the need for social justice and humanizing pedagogy is great and increasingly met through your conscientious efforts in tandem with those with whom you work.

EAF clinical experience Choice 1 Find and choose a diverse agency/organization or other instructor-arranged or approved experiences near Bloomington/Normal Seek approval from professor Contact agency/organization based on professor expectations (Self placement form may be required) Choice 2 Diverse school outside of the Bloomington/Normal area Do not contact B/N schools for placement Important- How to determine site diversity is explained on the following slide.

Diversity Information You may earn 15 diversity hours ISU’s Diverse Setting Requirements must be met to qualify as diverse. For schools you can find this information by looking at the ISBE school report card to review diversity data. For non school organizations, who are not required to report data, you can contact the organization and complete the Diversity Affirmation form (explained later in the presentation) to prove the site meets diverse expectations If you have questions, contact your professor or e-mail clinicalquestions@ilstu.edu

Diversity affirmation form You should complete and submit your Diversity Affirmation (DA) form to your professor for any private organization or school that is not identified as diverse in the ISU database. In other words, submit a DA form if your site is… …an agency that is diverse …a private school that meets 2 or more diversity criteria, or …a public school that is not diverse as a whole but your experience itself meets at least two of ISU’s four diversity criteria. *click on title above to access form

Approved diverse local sites McLean County Juvenile Detention Center Volunteer Coordinator Mandy Owens Orientation required Boys & Girls Club Bloomington/Normal See link above for volunteer procedures Commitment of once per week for 14 weeks preferred Unity Community Center Orientation required: See link above for volunteer procedures Commitment of 1.5 hours one day per week for 12 weeks preferred Western Ave Community Center Heartland Head Start Pre-school Contact site for requirements School and Organization Guide- Lists all commonly used organizations and schools by geographic area DIVERSITY WOULD NEED TO BE CONFIRMED BY THE STUDENT to ensure the site meets expectations Schools in Bloomington/Normal are not available for experiences

Additional resource If asked, you may submit a Self-Placement Form to the school or agency administration to identify your request to complete a clinical as an official part of your degree program at ISU. This form should be turned into your professor as they verify your documented hours

Criminal Background Check(CBC) ISU requires all students to have a valid CBC completed and on file in the Teacher Education Center before your clinical may begin. Acquire an ISU approved CBC by following the links on the CBC milestone page Students should also check clinical site requirements to see if a separate CBC will be required by the school/organization. This should be done minimally 1-2 weeks in advance of your clinical start date.

Document your experience Students will document all clinical hours via the Pre-Student teaching document through my.illinoisstate.edu in your student center, under the Teacher Education section. Documentation resources, such as tutorials, videos and flow charts can be found on the clinical experience webpage. Once properly submitted, your hours will be routed to your professor for approval. All forms, diversity and self placement, should be given to them to confirm your experience. They can override a school or private organization to diverse based on your individual experience

questions?? Contact your EAF instructor if you have questions about the clinical experience in your EAF course. Contact clinicalquestions@ilstu.edu if you have questions about documenting your hours, adding a site or cooperating teacher. Enjoy your clinical experiences this term or semester!