What Makes a Good Mentor Teacher?
The teacher preparation program at Cleveland State University strives to provide teaching interns with diverse and educative field experiences in area schools in order to prepare them for meaningful and productive careers in teaching. The Office of Field Services seeks quality mentors who are dedicated to the teaching field as well as to shaping the future of education! Assisting a student intern is a challenging yet highly rewarding experience that positively impacts one’s own teaching skills.

Quality mentors are those teachers who:

• Model best practices
• Communicate clearly and effectively
  
• Look for opportunities to co-plan and co-teach
• Provide supportive yet honest feedback
• Accept training for mentoring
• Can relinquish control of the classroom

Teachers who agree to serve as mentors to our interns must be prepared to:

• Welcome and orient the intern to the classroom
• Provide time to meet with the intern to plan and provide feedback
• Share resources and materials
• Remain available at all times, even as the intern begins to take on independent teaching
• Complete all formal observations and evaluations as required by CSU
• Hold the intern accountable while providing high levels of support
• Communicate regularly about the intern’s progress with the student’s University supervisor or course instructor

Teachers who serve as mentors must be licensed teachers. Those who mentor methods students must have at least one year of teaching experience. Teachers who mentor practicum or student teaching interns must have at least three years of teaching experience including at least one year in the student’s licensure area.

What Does CSU Expect from Its Teacher Candidates?
The College of Education and Human Services values the development of interns’ professional dispositions – ways of working, thinking, and interacting with others – in three areas: Professionalism, Work Ethic, and Communication Skills. These are the behaviors and attitudes to which interns are held accountable while working in area classrooms and schools. We appreciate mentors who open their classrooms to our students and want to ensure that our interns serve as trusted and valuable professionals during their internships.
Student List of Professional Dispositions

What Types of Field Experiences Do CSU Students Have?
The College of Education and Human Services at Cleveland State University offers the following teacher licensure programs/endorsements that require field placements

• Early Childhood (PreK–Grade 3)
• Middle Childhood (Grades 4-9)
• Adolescent to Young Adult (Grades 7-12)
• Foreign Languages (Spanish, French, Chinese)
• Special Education (Early Childhood, Mild/Moderate, and Moderate/Intensive)
• Physical Education (K-12)
• Visual Arts Education (K-12)
• Music Education (K-12)
• TESOL

Depending on the licensure area, interns may have one, two or all three types of field experiences during their teacher preparation program. The three types of field experiences are called methods, practicum, and student teaching. The following chart gives a general overview of these three field experience types.
3 Types of Field Experience

The following chart provides information about specific licensure areas and which field experiences they require
Licensure-Specific Field Experiences

Please follow the links below to obtain additional resources for teachers who are serving as mentors to methods, practicum, or student teaching interns:

Methods Mentors

Practicum and Student Teaching Mentors

USEFUL LINKS FOR MENTOR TEACHERS

• CSU College of Education and Human Services (CEHS)
• Greater Cleveland Educational Development Center (GCEDC)
• Education Student Service Center (ESSC)