Practicum/Student Teaching

First you must meet the requirement to enter the practicum:

• GPA: Minimum GPA of 3.0 in the eight library licensure courses.

There are two required a experiences at different levels chosen from elementary, middle and high school. The select is based on previous field and professional experiences.  Experience at all three levels must be demonstrated over the course of one's eudcation program and professional teaching.

Each practicum experiences is 100 hours long. For those who are current teachers or librarians on a license with stipulations (formeraly called an emergency license), should see the practicum options for details on how to do these 200 hours through two 40-hour experiences and 120 hours of projects in one's own school.At least one semester (five months) before you plan to do a practicum, meet with Sarah Beth Nelson, practicum coordinator, to discuss possible sites. We want you to have the best possible experience, so we will try to help you find a school that has a good program, a full-time 1902-licensed library media specialist who has been there at least a year, and a location as convenient as possible for you. This is not always easy, so we need to get started as early as possible. The practicum must be done AFTER you have completed student teaching and at the end of your coursework. Failure to plan ahead could result in not being able to do the practicum when you would like.

For undergrad minors and those not working in a school: The ideal situation is to do the 100 hours of a placement in consecutive full days (about 14 days). If you are student teaching and doing a high school student teaching experience, we sometimes can work out a situation where you can do the practicum in your prep time, but this is not always possible. We reserve the right to approve your schedule to assure it provides an effective experience.  For current teachers or librarians on license with stipulations (formerly emergency license): The requirement is five consecutive days at each level with additional projects done in one's own school(s). If you are working, there are several options for completing a practicum:

• Seek a school that has a spring break other than yours and get up to 40 hours during this time. Additional days may have to completed through another arrangement.
• Use professional development and personal days to get into a school. 
• Do one practicum in the summer at a school with a certified library media specialist. Only one summer practicum is allowed as this is not a realistic representation of a school program. This option may not be available in many parts of the state.
• Complete a large portion of a practicum at the beginning or the end of the school year, especially at a school with a different start or stop date. This is often not satisfactory as the activities in the library don't represent a normal week.
• Use your preparation time to work in a school library in your district or a neighboring district to carry out in-district projects. This is not an option for 5 consecutive days of the combined practicum. 
• Seek sabbatical or release time from your district.

It is recommended that students do both practicum experiences outside their home district to get the widest possible experience, but it is recognized that this may not be possible in some cases. Students are allowed to do one experience in their home district, but this may not be in the school where they are currently working or where they have children attending school for the 5-consecutive days. The second experience must be in another district. The practicum sites must be approved by the practicum coordinator before finalizing them as each must have a 902-licensed library media specialist who has been there for at least a year and represents best practices in the field.

1. The practicum experiences should be done after your last class or in the semester in which you are taking your last class. Undergraduate students must first complete the student teaching experience in their major. You must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 in all library courses.
2. Discuss possible placements with the practicum coordinator at least a semester before you want to go out into the schools. Once a site is approved, contact the library media specialist in that library to determine if he/she is willing to take a practicum student. If they are willing, set up dates and times during the UW-Whitewater semester or summer school. (These dates can be found in the schedule of classes). Remember, they are not getting paid for this, so they are doing you a favor. Be as considerate as possible when working out the dates and times of the practicum. Check the dates with the practicum coordinator before proceeding further. For certain sites, the university will have to make the first contact to pave the way. 
3. Download the registration form - school  or registration form - public library (from the Office of Field Experiences ,Winther 2038, Phone:262-472-1123, Email: Jodi Roehl).
4. Fill out these forms and get the signatures of both the library media specialist and principal. It is important to get these back as quickly as possible as these are what triggers a contact with the cooperating LMS. These must be submitted to UWW by May 10 for the summer and fall experiences and December 1 for the spring experience. 
5. Many schools now require a criminal background check. This takes at least 60 days, so make sure to plan enough lead time. Download the instructions and disclosure form.  Contact Jodi Roehl for any additional information.
6. Practicum courses are at the graduate level:
   1. • If you are an undergraduate, you will have to complete a non-candidate for degree application for the Graduate Office and get a letter from your department chair allowing you to take graduate level courses. 
      • If you are a special student with full credentials (undergraduate level), you will have to complete a non-candidate for degree application for the Graduate Office (262-472-1006).
      • If you are in a graduate program or are registered as a non-candidate for degree, you should be able to register with no problems. 
7. Once your signed paperwork is received, you will be given permission to register.  Register for the course by May 10 for summer and fall experiences and December 1 for spring experiences. Check the schedule of classes for the appropriate catalog number. Choose the appropriate 3-credit course (LIBMEDIA 793e, for elementary, LIBMEDIA 793m or middle school , LIBMEDIA 793s for high school, or LIBMEDIA 793c for combined elementary / secondary practicum). If you are doing a public library practicum, it is a 3-credit undergraduate level course (EDFNDPRC 411). Registration is done via WINS over the web.

NOTE: You are not allowed to begin a practicum if you do not have the signed forms returned to the Office of Field Experiences or if you are not registered for the class by the dates indicated.

School Library Practicum

100-hour placements (LIBMEDIA 793e, 793m, or 793s):  Each student should do the following for EACH practicum experience. Each experience should total 100 hours. This is 13-14 days, assuming a full day to be eight hours.  A signed application and practicum agreement is required for each placement.

Combined School Library Practicum (LIBMEDIA 793c): If you are doing a combined practicum, you will do one practicum agreement form and will need an application form for each of your 5-day placements.

Steps: 

• Meet with the practicum coordinator (Sarah Beth Nelson) before starting the practicum (via phone, email or in person). Check with the coordinator for the deadline for this initial meeting.
• The coordinator will check your cumulative GPA in library coursework.
• Complete a practicum agreement form following the instructions provided on the practicum agreement webpage:
  • Develop a set of practicum goals, and proposed projects for accomplishing them during the experience, based on your personal goals and the five categories in the agreement. Describe areas (competencies) that your feel need improvement and/or are demonstrated in this project, selecting areas that would benefit you most professionally. If you are doing a combined practicum, all or most of these projects will be done in your own school.  
    • Categories:
      • Collection Development, Organization and Access
      • Technology
      • Administration
      • Information Literacy and Teaching
      • Reading and Literacy
    • Use the checklist of potential activities for ideas.
    • Talk with your cooperating librarian early if you plan to do one of the projects in a 5-day placement.  The cooperating library media specialist can provide ideas and feedback on the proposed project.  If you are doing the two traditional 100-hour placements, the cooperating librarian must review the projects do be done in his/her school.  
    • You should have at least one major goal in each area across the two practicum experiences and others as agreed upon with the practicum coordinator and your university supervisor.
    • For those doing LIBMEDIA 793c (combined practicum) most or all of these projects will be done in the time in your own district, but you could have a project in each 5-day experience.  This might be one involving work with students and teachers in an instructional, literacy, or reference setting.
  • Develop an implementation plan for accomplishing goals, including projected products and evaluation methods.
  • Discuss the goals and implementation plan with the practicum coordinator. This should include details on the timeline for the practicum and a description of the format for the final product / report demonstrating achievement of the goals.
  • The university practicum coordinator and the university supervisor must approve the form before you actually begin the practicum.  In many cases this could be the same person.
• Set up a practicum portfolio site.  This could be an extension of the site where you are saving materials from your courses.  Send the URL to your university superivsor.  
  • For the traditional 100-hour practicum placements, post weekly updates (log with reflections). 
  • For those doing LIBMEDIA 793c, add an update at the end of each 5-day experience in a school and every two weeks on the projects done in your own district.  Many people find it useful to organize this log by the projects.
• Carry out the activities detailed in the practicum proposal during the experience. For those doing the elementary and secondary 100-hour practicum experiences, these projects will all be done during those placements.  For those doing the combined practicum, some of this may be done during the on-site hours but most work will be done in your own school to reach the goals, outside of the 5-day experiences..
• On the first day of each experience, take a few photos that provide a picture of the library and its program (without recognizable students in the photos).  Put these with a short description of your first impressions in your practicum portfolio at the end of your first day.
• With the cooperating librarian, go over and discuss or do the activities on the checklist (public library, school library).
• Work with the cooperating librarian at each site to go through or discuss the checklist of activities.

• Visit with the university supervisor twice on-site in the traditional 100-hour practicum experiences. One of these may be the initial goal-setting meeting.
  • For those doing LIBMEDIA 793c, this may be one visit in your own school to observe work on your projects and video or phone visits in each of your five-day placements.
• Complete a final report demonstrating achievement of the goals / projects by the week before the end of the semester in which the practicum is completed.  This should be in your capstone portfolio.
• Answer the following questions in your portfolio:
  • How do you see yourself as a library information specialist benefiting students and teachers?
  • How have you demonstrated forward thinking in your work with children and colleagues?
  • How you have helped facilitate curiosity and learning beyond the curriculum?
  • Out of what you have learned in this program, what new things have you done for individual children in your classroom, outside your classroom or in your library?
• The cooperating library media specialist will complete an evaluation form (PracticumEvalFormAugust2018) that will be shared with you for posting in the portfolio, sent to the university supervisor, and sent to the Office of Field Experiences.
• The portfolio submitted at the end of the practicum becomes the capstone portfolio used to determine if you will be recommended for the 1902 license.  Additional artifacts from coursework may be added to demonstrate mastery in each area.  Make sure to look at the categories - competencies page for the specific competencies under each. Once this  capstone portfolio is approved and ALL library coursework is finished with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0, the certification officer will be notified that the 1902 is completed.  
• For those working on the 1902 initial license, this portfolio will be submitted at the end of student teaching.  In addition to the GPA requirement, these students must pass the school librarian edTPA to be recommended for the 1902 license.  

The FINAL TASK is to submit your  portfolio to your university supervisor in electronic format. Students are expected to create an electronic portfolio for each practicum experience, that, along with artifacts from courses to demonstrate the 1902 competencies, becomes the capstone portfolio. This final portfolio is examined by the library media faculty at UW-Whitewater when granting this licensure. It is your responsibility, not the cooperating librarians', to complete this. You should not expect to complete it during your hours in the school.

Parts

Artifacts

It is most useful to organize the portfolio by the five major areas:

• Collection Development, Organization and Access
• Technology
• Administration
• Information Literacy and Teaching
• Reading and Literacy

For the last two categories, cover both the elementary and secondary levels across the two projects.

Images from the Libraries 
Include several images from your practicum placements with captions describing what this tells you about the environment.

Course Artifacts 
Projects from library courses as well as examples from the practicum and professional practice can be included to demonstrate the competencies.  See the 1902 Competencies page for a list of competencies by category.

Project Documentation
Each project done in your practicum should results in materials that show what you have done. This may include lesson plans, web pages, documents, photos, etc. These should be included in electronic format in the portfolio. The student may have to scan some of these to turn them into electronic format, but most can be included as Word documents, PDF files, graphics files, HTML documents, or links.  If linking to a file on another server, make sure it is shared to all can see it.

Evidence of Success
In addition to the documentation of the project, the student will need to include the evidence of success, including a summary of this. This may include teacher or library media specialist surveys, written observations or comments (paraphrasing is fine here), test scores with summarization, sample student products with rubrics showing achievement of skills taught, etc.

Log
The daily log with the hours and activities undertaken and reflections about them should be included next. This can be in grid or narrative format but should clearly show how time was spent. The student should make sure to include time spent on projects in his /her own or other schools and / or activities at conferences. For those doing the LIBMEDIA 793c practicum, check with the university supervisor for the frequency of the log entries.

Reflection
The reflection on each project should describe how the student feels the project demonstrates mastery of the 1902 licensure competencies (see 1902 Competencies page ) and where he / she feels it necessary to continue to develop knowledge and skills, with specific reference to your project. The focus should be mainly on the competencies the practicum agreement said were covered in the project, but the student may reflect on the category of competencies as a whole.   A final reflection on each experience should look at all the student accomplished during the time and describe where he / she feels there are strengths and weaknesses are in the five categories which cover all eight of the program's courses.   Also answer the final questions for the school or public library practicum (see above).

• Collection Development, Organization and Access (Finding and Using Information Organizing Information, Library Administration, Children's Literature, Young Adult Literature)
• Technology (Digital Tools)
• Administration  (Library Administration, Leadership)
• Information Literacy and Teaching  (Information Literacy)
• Reading and Literacy (Children's Literature, Young Adult Literature)

See public library practicum agreement form for appropriate categories for that experience.

Organization

The portfolio should be organized in the following way:

• Practicum agreement(s) (student may have to scan the signature page to include it)
• Practicum checklist of activities (use electronic version in Microsoft Word to indicate what was have done or scan as PDF)
• Practicum log
• Artifacts and reflections arranged by the five categories of competencies.  These will represent both the practicum projects and any artifacts from coursework.  Public library practicum goals will have a slightly different format.
  • Collection Development, Organization and Access
  • Technology
  • Administration
  • Information Literacy and Teaching
  • Reading and Literacy
• Final reflection on experience with response to questions. Do one for the elementary and one for the secondary placement if doing traditional 100-hour practicum)

At the end of the first practicum, the student may have items in only some of these categories. By the end of the second practicum he / she should have at least one project in each category. The projects should be put in the categories where they demonstrate the most competencies but indicate how they might meet competencies in the other categories in the reflection. At the end of the second practicum, the student should include the following for both experiences:

• Cooperating librarian evaluations
• University supervisor recommendations (letters only)

The student may have to scan these documents for inclusion. PDF format is the best for this purpose. Make sure none of the files names have spaces in them and all have the correct extension (e.g., .doc, .pdf, .jpg).

Storage

The portfolio must be submitted in electronic format. This can be done by loading it on one's own webserver and sending the URL to the university supervisor, or by publishing it on the web through a site such as GoogleSites, Wix,  or Weebly. Make sure the university supervisor has permission to view the site.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA or the Buckley Amendment) is a federal law that afford students certain rights with respect to their educational records. Under FERPA, school officials, including instructors, university supervisors, and cooperating library media specialists, are prohibited from disclosing educational records or discussing a student's performance in a course or in any field experience without signed authorization from the student.

The written statement of reference written on behalf of a student by a cooperating library media specialist or university supervisor does not provide that person with authorization to discuss the student's performance with anyone other than the student, university supervisor, or other faculty member who has demonstrated a professional need to know, even if the letter is given directly to the student and even if the letter welcomes telephone calls or other inquiries about the student.Therefore, all students must provide the cooperating library media specialist and university supervisor with a completed and signed Student Authorization for Release of Education Record Information form if they wish to authorize these individuals to disclose educational records or discuss their performance. For information about FERPA and to obtain a copy of the Student Authorization form, go to the website of the UW-Whitewater Office of the Registrar (http://www.uww.edu/registrar/). On left side of the screen under Quicklinks, click the heading FERPA where links are provided to an overview, basic rules and the form. Questions on this should be directed to the Registrar's Office (262-472-1570). It is the student's responsibility to obtain a signed form. The cooperating library media specialist and university supervisor should keep a copy of the signed form.

Sarah Beth Nelson (nelsons@uww.edu) 
Barbara Erdman (erdmanbe@uwec.edu)

LIBMEDIA 793c: School Library Practicum Combined

200 hours total covering elementary and secondary levels
Permission of the practicum coordinator is required to register for any practicum course. Students who have a teaching license at the start of their coursework and have been working in a school library media center or teaching in a school for at least six months before the start of the practicum are eligible to do their two experiences in a modified format. This course focuses on both levels and requires a combination of time in two different schools as well as work in one's own district. (Syllabus). For those currently working across a K-12 setting, their activities must relate to both levels.  Certain activities such as interviewing the principal, attending a board meeting, or working with the public library can only be done once.

This option would NOT apply to those in the library minor, for those who do not have a teaching license at the beginning of coursework, or for those not working in a school. The lowest number of hours outside one's building is for those working on emergency license as a library media specialist in a K-12 setting (80 hours).   Specific hours will be determined for each individual at the beginning of the practicum in consulation with the practicum coordinator.  For summer school experiences, the consecutive days must total 40 hours per level.Selecting Levels: Students should have experiences at all three levels (elementary, middle school, high school).  Choose the levels for the 5-day practicum experiences to cover those not previously covered in either a professional job or prior field experience.  If a student has worked at more than one level, one of the experiences should be at the non-covered level and the other one is the student's choice.  If the student has experiences at all three levels, the two levels chosen for the 5-day experiences are up to the student.  

LIBMEDIA 793e, 793m, 793s: School Library Practicum (elementary, middle school or high school) 

Do two levels from elementary, middle school or high school (100 hours each) 
Selecting Levels: Students should have experiences at all three levels (elementary, middle school, high school).  Choose the levels for the 5-day practicum experiences to cover those not previously covered in either a professional job or prior field experience.  If a student has worked at more than one level, one of the experiences should be at the non-covered level and the other one is the student's choice.  If the student has experiences at all three levels, the two levels chosen for the 5-day experiences are up to the student.  

The practicum agreement is a contract between the student and UWW on the specific large projects to be completed during each practicum experience. It allows the student to develop projects to improve areas of weaknesses, to further develop skills in other areas, and to plan activities that will benefit both the student and the practicum site. The projects will provide the student with work samples that can be used in his/her portfolio when job hunting, too. The different practicum experiences have different agreement forms:

• Elementary or secondary library practicum agreement (LIBMEDIA 793e, 793m or 793s)
• Combined practicum agreement (LIBMEDIA 793c)
• Public library practicum agreement (EDFNDPRC 411)

Download the appropriate agreement and carefully read the instructions on it.Like any working librarian,  the student will find that work on some of these projects and the portfolio itself will have to be done outside of scheduled work hours. In addition to the large projects, the student will be doing and discussing a wide range of activities related to the everyday work of a school or public librarian. The checklist (school library, public library) will help guide the student and the cooperating librarian on these activities. This will be reflected in the daily log which is submitted weekly (bi-weekly for combined practicum).  For those in LIBMEDIA  793c, most of the projects will be done in one's own district.

The practicum agreement actually consists of several parts:

1. Signature page where the student, the practicum coordinator, the cooperating librarian and the university supervisor all agree to what the student plans to do.
2. A list of all schools to be part of the practicum along with the LMS's name, phone number, email and exact dates of each visit.
3. The checklist on completion of all requirements including:

• • The time log documents achievement of minimum clock hour requirements with reflections
  • All projects in the plan have been successfully completed.
  • Student's self-assessment / reflection indicates reflection on competencies.
  • The student has answered the practicum questions
  • The cooperating librarian has completed the practicum evaluation form indicating the student has reached all competencies at least at the proficient level.
  • The university supervisor and the cooperating library media specialist both believe the student has successfully completed the experience.
  • The university supervisor has reviewed the student's capstone portfolio and determines all competencies have been reached at least at the proficient level.

This completion checklist will be completed by the university supervisor after receiving the student's capstone portfolio:

4. A grid for each project:

To make this run smoothly, the student must pay careful attention to the timeline for completing the practicum agreement. Plan ahead as the agreement generally cannot get final approval during semester breaks.

Each project should focus on one or more program competencies  found on the  1902 competencies page . Select projects in each area  that would benefit you most professionally.  Across the two experiences the student needs to cover all five areas:

• Collection Development, Organization and Access
  • Courses covered: Finding and Using Information Organizing Information, Library Administration, Children's Literature, Young Adult Literature
• Technology
  • Course covered: Digital Tools
• Administration 
  • Courses covered:  Library Administration, Leadership
• Information Literacy and Teaching  
  
  • Course covered:  Information Literacy)
• Reading and Literacy 
  • Courses covered: Children's Literature, Young Adult Literature

Each experience must include at least two projects (5 for combined practicum). It is recommended that the student do an Information LIteracy and Teaching project  in each experience. These projects are not the only things the student you will do in your practicum, but they will allow you to do in depth work in several areas in each experience. For those doing a combined practicum the five areas should be covered in projects in one's own district.

Public LibraryAny student (school library or public library minor) may do the 150 hour public library practicum experience (EDFNDPRC 411). This experience involves some additional readings in D2L as well as specific practicum projects related to public library collection development, financial management and budgeting, and programming. For the public library practicum use the categories:

• Collection development, organization and access
• Technology
• Library administration, policies, structure and laws, budgeting, financial management, and resource sharing
• Community needs assessment, programming, and marketing
• Other (e.g., literature and reading)

The projects should be selected to demonstrate skills on one or more competencies. Depending on the projects chosen, the student may be able to cover multiple competencies and even multiple categories. The projects should go beyond the daily routine of the library to something that involves more in depth work and / or work with others in the school (e.g., teachers, groups of students, administrators). These are just suggestions. The student should develop projects based on his / her needs and interests. Projects may be accomplished at the main practicum site or may be explored across various sites. Some sample projects include:

Collection Development, Organization and Access

• Reference:  Develop a webpage of resources for a topic of interest including websites, databases, etc. 
• Reference:  Interview patrons about their use of reference services and materials including print resources, online databases and the open web.  Determine areas that need further instruction and / or tools to direct patrons to appropriate resources.
• Reference:  Review the library's website and develop suggestions for improvement or additions in resources, organization, design, and services.    Examine how Web 2.0 tools are, or could be, used in the library to provide access to resources and connect with patrons.
• Privacy and intellectual freedom:  Examine the library's policies that impact patron and staff privacy and intellectual freedom rights.  Analyze how these policies impact patrons' access to information.  Interview the library staff on the issue.
• Collaboration:  Examine collaboration with public library system and school libraries and develop plan for increasing.

• Cataloging:  Examine the cataloging for materials in an area of need.  Enhance the cataloging through the use of summary notes, levels, genre, tags, etc. 
• Cataloging:  Examine materials appropriate for use by patrons whose first language isn't English and enhance the cataloging.
• Collection development:  Do a needs assessment in a content area.  Recommend items in appropriate formats for acquisition or access that are not currently available in the library.    Examine existing materials in the collection and recommend items for weeding as appropriate.  Determine what is available through resource sharing in the library system. 

Technology

• Library technology:  Identify a new technology that could be used to improve patron access to information, involves patrons in contributing to the library's resources, facilitates collaboration among patrons and staff, etc.  Develop a plan to implement a trial of this technology. 
• Problem solving:  Develop a problem-solving manual for common technology issues in the library. 

Library administration, policies, structure and laws, budgeting, financial management, resource sharing

• Staffing:  Define an ideal staffing level for the library program.   Develop an advocacy plan for appropriate numbers of professional and other staff to meet the information needs of the community.
• Facilities:  Examine the current information and technology facilities in the library and make recommendations for changes over the next 10 years to support user needs. 

Community needs assessment, programming, and marketing

• Public relations:  Interview staff, board members, and patrons on expectations of the library media specialist and the library program.  Create a public relations campaign to elevate the image of librarians and the library program in your area.
• Staff development: Examine the current program for staff development in information and technology literacy as well as the role of the librarian.  Develop a plan for staff development in these areas for the coming year. 
• Literature:  Develop a plan for a reading motivation program for the library for a specific population. 
• Programming:  Identify an underserved population and develop a program pilot to serve their needs.

Combined projects

• Gather resources for library users in all formats a high-need area.   Recommend items for acquisition or interlibrary loan that are not currently available in the library.    Develop a webpage of resources for the topic including website, databases, etc.  (Access and collection management and use)
• Review the library's website and develop suggestions for improvement or additions in resources, organization, design, and services.  Develop template webpages for the website.  (Access and technology) 
• Examine collaboration with school libraries in the area and develop plan for increasing.  Work with the school librarians on developing and implementing a reading motivation program for students supported by the public library. (Access and instructional leadership and administration)

For each project the student should include artifacts showing work on the projects. This may range from lesson plans to webpages to manuals or brochures you created. This should be followed by data showing the effectiveness of the projects and how it demonstrates the competencies have been met.The projects will be judged on the artifacts, the data collected on the success of the project, and the reflection on how each project demonstrates mastery of the competencies. The data may include:

• Examples of student projects with an assessment of skills learned
  • Additional artifacts from coursework that demonstrate competencies
• Teacher surveys or feedback forms (e.g., on lesson presented, documents created, collections developed)
• Cooperating LMS or teacher written observations on lesson presented
• Interview data from teachers, students, or administrators
• Test scores

The purpose of the library media practicum is to help student apply their university coursework to real-world practice to see how it all functions in the schools with teacher and students. To do this, we want to develop relationships between exemplary practicing professionals and the library media program in preparing these new librarians for their first job.

Student benefits

School Libraries

The practicum experiences are the culminating activity for 1902  library media licensure that allows student to practice their skills in a real world setting and reflect on the experience. Students are required to have completed their student teaching as well as having completed, or being in the final stage of completing, their library media coursework. Students complete two practicum experiences at different levels. The elementary level can be in an elementary or middle school, and the secondary one in either middle or high school.  The choice is up to the student, but only one may be at the middle school level.   For undergraduate minors, each practicum experiences is 100 hours long.  This is 13-14 days, assuming a full day to be eight hours.  It may be done in a variety of configurations upon approval of the practicum coordinator.   For practicing teachers and librarians on emergency license, there is an alternative practicum that requires only five consecutive days in each of two sites. Overall objectives are articulated in the practicum checklist distributed to the cooperating librarian and his/her student at the start of the practicum. These objectives are based on the roles of a library media specialist defined inEmpowering Learners (AASL, 2009): information specialist, instructional partner, teacher, and program administrator and the five competency areas defined by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.  The UWW library media program requires a set of competencies based on the content competencies defined by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction in PI 34  and those approved by AASL and NCATE in the fall of 2010, the AASL Standards for Initial Preparation of School Librarians.   All assessment points in the program are based on these competencies including the pre-practicum (course) portfolio review and the final portfolio review at the end of the practicum experiences.   These competencies, grouped by the five categories set up by DPI, will be reflected in the practicum portfolio created by each student.

Public Libraries

The public library practicum is 150-hours and is the culmination of the Grade II Certification for a public library administrator in Wisconsin.The goals of this practicum are to:

• Understand public library structure, working with the library board, applicable state and federal laws and policies;
• Review development of a public library budget, financial procedures, record keeping, and funding sources;
• Conduct a collection and needs assessment and develop a set of suggested resources and webpage / site for a particular need;
• Examine needs of various populations potentially served by the library (e.g., youth, elderly, diverse population) and develop a library program to meet the needs of one group;
• Use the new skills and knowledge you have acquired in the coursework
• Further develop knowledge and skills in those areas of weaknesses;
• Examine a real-world library program and reflect on the experience;
• Develop a relationship with a practitioner; and
• Further develop one's philosophy of librarianship.

Each practicum student must develop, in coordination with the practicum coordinator and cooperating librarian, a series of professional projects to further develop specific competencies acquired during coursework.  Focus should be on areas of further professional development, or on areas of deficiency identified in discussion with the practicum coordinato.  These projects should be in the areas of:

• Library administration, policies, structure and laws
• Budgeting, financial management, and resource sharing
• Collection development and management
• Community needs assessment, programming, and marketing
• Other (as determined from portfolio)

Cooperating Librarian Benefits

The cooperating LMS will work with the student and university supervisor to provide experiences for the student that actively promote:

• The development of a philosophy of librarianship that is sound, workable, evolving, articulated, democratic, and reflected in practice;
• The development and application of management and instructional techniques, methods, and strategies that reflect the findings of research and the wisdom of practice;
• The development of professional reflection, interests, attitudes, ideals, and accomplishments; and
• School:An understanding of the school as a learning community, the library media center as an integral part of this learning community, and the community as a part of the larger community, the state, the nation, and the world.
• Public:  An understanding of the many roles the public library can serve in the community.

At the same time, the school or library site will benefit by having an additional trained pre-service professional contributing to the library's program and bringing ideas from coursework and personal experiences. Many cooperating librarians say they enjoy the opportunity to discuss professional issues with a pre-service student and see their program through another's eyes. Others describe their personal satisfaction in helping to train the generations of librarians.

University Benefits

The university strives to keep abreast of the most recent developments in school and public libraries and tie its program to the real world. The practicum experiences provide both information on what is really happening in the schools as well as provide feedback on how well the program's coursework is meeting the needs of the school and public libraries. The cooperating librarians provide a value service by evaluating the students' preparedness which feeds back to program improvement. The students provide feedback through their logs and performance on their practicum projects.

Instructions for students setting up the practicum are found on the practicum requirements webpage. Detailed instructions on developing the practicum agreement are also provided for students. Most of this work should be done before the student begins the practicum.

Structure

While the majority of the practicum experience should take place within the designated library setting, the cooperating librarian should feel free to have the student visit other schools in the district for an overview of the entire program. He/she should also feel free to expect the student to attend meetings or other professional activities as part of the experience.  One day of a professional conference could be considered part of the 100-hour practicum experience. For current teachers or emergency-licensed librarians, conference attendance should be outside the 5-day experience.Many structures have been used to accommodate student and librarian schedules and needs, but the most satisfactory has generally been three consecutive weeks during the school year. One hundred hours can be covered in 13-15 days, depending on the length of day. If the student is a practicing teacher or LMS on emergency license, the five-consecutive-day experience should be set in advance. Any other structure must have the prior approval of both the cooperating librarian and the university supervisor.  No more than one to one and a half hours of the day should be after-school time.  A student may not do a practicum entirely after school.Each segment of the school year has something to offer the students, but we strongly prefer that the experience not include either the first or last week of school. Students unable to schedule a practicum during the school year have the possibility of doing one over the summer, but these placements are hard to come by and generally less satisfactory as there is often less use of the library by students and teachers.

Absences

The cooperating LMS and the students should determine the hours the student is expected to be in the building and who to notify if he / she will be absent. He or she should also notify the university supervisor if planning to be absent. Any time absent must be made up, including snow days. The student is required to keep a log of the hours worked and what was done during each day of the practicum.

Students should be provided with increasing levels of responsibility to the point of being in charge of an activity or activities. It is at the discretion of the cooperating LMS as to the speed of this transition based on professional judgment of the student's knowledge and skills. If the cooperating LMS anticipates an extended absence on his/her part, the university supervisor should be notified. The practicum student should not be asked or required to function as a substitute teacher or librarian in the absence of the cooperating LMS or any other teacher in the school. The practicum student may continue with regularly assigned duties in the absence of the cooperating LMS when a fully qualified substitute teacher is present.

Student

• Set up practicum placement: contacting a faculty member for site suggestions, making the initial contact at the school and obtaining the necessary signatures, getting the dates approved, submitting the completed paperwork for for formal application to the school to the Office of Field Experiences, registering for the appropriate course, and completing the Graduate School application form if necessary
  
  
• Work with the practicum coordinator and the cooperating librarian to develop practicum projects before the practicum begins. Share draft with the practicum coordinator and cooperating library media specialist for feedback. This must be approved before starting in the school.
• Get access to the following documents are recommended as resource texts for the practicum. Most can be found at the practicum site.
  • Empowering Learners. AASL, 2009.
  • Wisconsin Model Academic Standards for Information and Technology Literacy. Wisconsin DPI, 1998.
  • Standards for the 21st Century Learner.  AASL
  • National Educational Technology Standards for Students.  ISTE.
  • Information & Technology Literacy: A Collaborative Planning Guide for Library Media and Technology. Wisconsin DPI, 2002.
• Work with cooperating library media specialist to plan activities. Take initiative to seek out a variety of activities and/or discussions based on the checklist (see school or public library checklist for activities) and the needs of the school.
• Keep track of activities on the checklist ( school or public library ) for inclusion in the portfolio.
• Notify the university supervisor of optimal times to visit. Especially note times the student will be working with students or teaching. This should be done as early in the placement as possible. At least one visit should be during a time the practicum student is working with students either in a class, small group, or individual setting. There should be some time that both the librarian and student are available for discussion.
• Submit a log of activities approximately every 25 hours to the university supervisor. This should be done via email.
• Conference with the university supervisor and/or cooperating LMS during observations.
• Request a conference with the cooperating librarian to discuss questions or issues as needed. Seek feedback from cooperating LMS on projects and other activities.
• Reflect on activities and observations.
• Attend meetings as appropriate.
• Treat staff and students equitability regardless of race, color, gender, creed, religion, age, ancestry, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, political affiliation, or parental status.
• Respect the privacy and confidentiality of students and staff.
• Implement practicum projects. Some work on these projects may have to be done outside of scheduled time in the schools. Document results and include with reflections in the final electronic portfolio.

Cooperating librarian

• Orient the student to the library and the school.
• Delineate professional expectations for the experience (e.g., planning documents required, schedule, school policies)
• Assist and advise the practicum student in planning, serving first as a model, then as a guide, and finally allowing independent planning by the student.
• Act as a sounding board for the student.
• Arrange a variety of professional experiences for the student (see school or public library checklist for recommended activities). We do not expect each experience will include all the activities on the checklist, but we would like the cooperating librarian to at least discuss briefly with the practicum student how each of them is handled.
• Encourage independent planning and action in the student.
• Act as a resource person for the student.
• Discuss library policies and procedures with the student.
• Observe the work of the practicum student and provide opportunities for the student to observe the librarian in action.
• Provide oral and or written suggestions to the practicum student.
• Provide opportunities for self-evaluation as well as observation .
• Meet periodically with the university supervisor and/or the student to provide feedback.
• Give input to university supervisor on final grade for the experience.
• Complete the practicum evaluation form and write a letter of reference to be sent to the Office of Field Experiences with a copy to the university supervisor.
• Report problems to the university supervisor in a timely fashion.

University supervisor

• Provide a communication link between university and the cooperating librarian, clarifying the goals and procedures for the practicum and transmitting suggestions from the cooperating librarians to appropriate university personnel.
• Orient new cooperating librarians to their roles.
• Make a minimum of two visits of at least one hour in length to observe the practicum student and discuss progress. The practicum student will be responsible for setting up these meetings with the university supervisor at least a week in advance. The supervisor will discuss the student's progress with the cooperating librarian and the student at each of these meetings.
• Confer with practicum student and / or cooperating librarian (three-way or two-way conferences).
• Act as a sounding board for the student.
• Mediate between the students and cooperating librarian if conflict arises.
• Assist in problem solving as necessary.
• Assist the student to place into perspective the circumstances and events observed.
• Discuss with practicum student the logs, projects, and other experiences.
• Complete observation report, signed by student, for each visit.
• Track the progress of the student, providing feedback.
• Complete written statement of reference to be submitted to Office of Field Experiences and sent to student (Student must complete FERPA Release of Educational Records form to use this for a job reference).
• Determine final grade for practicum (Satisfactory or Fail) in consultation with cooperating librarian.
• Turn over practicum portfolio or link to practicum coordinator.
• Inform practicum coordinator and Director of Field Experiences regarding special situations that may arise and areas of concern.

Practicum coordinator

• Coordinates the setting up of practicum placements the semester before the experience based on knowledge of school library programs and prospective cooperating librarians
• Organizes the workshop course on supervision for prospective cooperating librarians
• Approves practicum agreements
• Works cooperatively with the university supervisor in any problem situation which may develop
• Coordinates assigning the final grade for the practicum
• Provides communication between the Office of Field Experiences and the university supervisors

Communication channels

Most university supervisors prefer email communication, but feel free to phone if there is an urgent problem. Phone numbers and email addresses are found on the introduction page of this course.

Professional liability coverage

Professional liability coverage is provided by the State of Wisconsin under provisions of S.S. 165.22(6) and 895.46(1). This coverage protects student teachers  / practicum students against claims from third parties for personal injury or property damage caused by negligent acts while performing within the scope of duties in a student teaching assignment.

Difficulties

Occasionally a student has problems either in performance or in personal issues in a placement. Bring any difficulties to the attention to the university supervisor as soon as possible. You should first try to resolve the issues locally, but the university supervisor may feel it is necessary to intervene.

If the student, cooperating library media specialist, and university supervisor have explored and implemented all appropriate courses of action without success, it may be necessary to institute a withdrawal from the placement. This is a serous action and should be undertaken only if other remedies don't work. The withdrawal may be without prejudice, probationary or terminal as determined by the university supervisor and practicum coordinator. The policies and procedures are explained in the Office of Field Experience Handbook.

In addition to the projects in the practicum agreement, the student should be participating in all the daily activities of a library and learning as much as possible about its policies and procedures. The following should become part of the student's practicum portfolio.

Checklist

You can download either the school or public library checklist, based on the experience you are in or use the copy sent with the evaluation materials from the university. The student will not be able to do every one of these in every experience, but you should try to at least discuss most of them in both experiences. We will have him / her do as many as possible across the two experiences. The student is responsible for tracking what was have done on this checklist and include this in his / her portfolio.

Log

The student should keep track of the hours keep during the practicum as well as what was done. This should both describe the activities and reflect and insights or questions about the observations and activities. It should be submitted via email to the university supervisor approximately every 25 hours. The logs should become part of the practicum portfolio.

Practicum Agreement Projects

A description of the practicum projects, artifacts from the projects, data on how well they succeeded and a reflection on each should be completed by the end of the experience by the student. This may include lesson plans, web pages, documents, photos, etc. Evidence of success may include teacher or library media specialist surveys, written observations or comments (paraphrasing is fine here), test scores with summarization, sample student products with rubrics showing achievement of skills taught, etc. To convert some artifacts to electronic format, the student may need to scan them and save as .gif, .jpg, or .pdf files.

Reflection on the Experience

At the end of each practicum experience, the student should do a BRIEF reflection on how this experience allowed him / her to increase his/her knowledge and/or skills as well as where he / she feels there are strengths and weaknesses are in the five categories which cover all eight of the program's courses:

• Access (Reference)
• Collection Management and Use (Building Library Media Collections, Cataloging and Classification)
• Instructional Leadership (Developing Library Media Skills, Children's Literature, Young Adult Literature)
• Technology (Instructional Technology)
• Administration (Library Media Center Administration)

At the end of both experiences, the school library student should answer these questions and include them in the portfolio:

• How do you see yourself as a library information specialist benefiting students and teachers?
• How have you demonstrated forward thinking in your work with children and colleagues?
• How you have helped facilitate curiosity and learning beyond the curriculum?
• Out of what you have learned in this program, what new things have you done for individual children in your classroom, outside your classroom or in your library?

Observing Teaching

During the practicum experience, the cooperating librarian should have at least one experience observing the student teaching a group or working with students or public library users. It is generally best to have the student create some type of lesson plan before the lesson, so you can provide initial feedback. Consider the following areas in evaluating a lesson:
Planning and preparation

• Objectives clearly stated, match needs defined by teacher, and are aligned with state standards
• Lesson fits with teacher's stated needs
• Lesson content and activities take into account student differences in prior knowledge of content and information seeking, motivation, and learning preferences
• Content covered is accurate, covers the main points of the skill, and adequate for student needs
• Activities clearly tied to objectives, motivating, and well implemented
• Technology is integrated as appropriate
• Organization of content clear and aligned to needs of the project
• Materials handed out or used during lesson are well organized, appropriate to the skill being taught and level of student knowledge, and appealing
• Grouping strategies fit with activities

Implementation and interaction

• Implementation of lesson with students clearly covers lesson plan, but is adapted as necessary based on observed student needs and interests
• Strategies for getting and maintaining student attention are included
• Student questions are clearly answered
• Students given adequate time to practice skills with feedback
• Students are on task throughout the lesson, strategies effectively used to motivate those who appear inattentive
• Classroom environment is conducive to learning: expectations set, behavior monitored, appropriate behaviors reinforced and inappropriate ones remedied

Student evaluation

• Feedback provided to students
• Techniques for determining student proficiency are realistic
• Performance of all students is assessed (formally or informally)
• Assessment of student learning tied to objectives

Reflection

• Student can self-assess what worked and what did not with potential improvements
• Student can tie actions to learning theory

Cooperating Library Media Specialist Evaluation

The cooperating LMS evaluation form is aligned with our program competencies and activities on the checklist. Instructions for completing the evaluation form and written statement of reference are included at the end of the form. The cooperating LMS can simply type this statement onto school letterhead, sign it, and return it with the evaluation form in the enclosed envelope.Circle the number that most closely corresponds to your opinion on each of the following indicators.   These are overarching categories of competencies.   You may not observe every aspect of a competency in every practicum experience, so you may be giving an overall assessment of the dispositions, skills and knowledge rather than achievement on one specific aspect of a category.   If there are any specific points under each indicator where you feel the student needs work, please note those by commenting in the appropriate area.    If a particular indicator was not observed at all, select "undocumented". All students are expected to reach at least proficient level on all areas to pass the practicum. Please inform the university supervisor immediately if you feel a student will not reach this level on any area.

Relevant points on the evaluation form should be used to to discuss personal and professional qualities with the practicum student and, at the last visit, with the university supervisor. The supervisor will discuss this form at the first visit. We would appreciate if you could complete them and return them to the Office of Field Experiences with a copy to the university supervisor by three weeks after the practicum is over, but no later than the last week of the semester before finals if possible. If this will not work for you, please inform the university supervisor immediately. The cooperating library media specialist should mail this form along with the Written Statement of Reference to the Office of Field Experiences, UW-Whitewater, Whitewater, WI, 53190, along with sending a copy to the university supervisor.

Written Statement of Reference

The cooperating library media specialist's written statement of reference is perhaps the most important document related to the practicum student's experience, especially for many school and district personnel.   To provide the prospective employer with a useful document, the statement should include specific examples for general comments whenever possible.   Feel free to consult with the university supervisor as you prepare your statement. Your participation in library media specialist preparation is indispensable.   Your acceptance of the responsibilities involved in this and your expenditure of time and energy in working with a practicum student testify to your commitment to the profession.  

In composing your statement, you are encouraged to review the final evaluation form, noting especially areas of strength, weakness, and improvement.   In organizing your statement, it is recommended that you include sections:

Students have access to their letters of reference at the Office of Field Experiences. It is recommended that you provide the student with a print copy of this letter on school letterhead. The university supervisor will do a similar statement of reference based on observations, the student's log, and the practicum portfolio.

Grading

Each practicum will be assigned a pass / fail grade by the university supervisor in consultation with the cooperating library media specialist. Several factors go into determining this grade:

• Cooperating library media specialist evaluation and letter of reference
• University supervisor observations and letter of reference
• Portfolio review by the university supervisor

The portfolio for each experience should include:

• A copy of the approved practicum agreement: In addition , the university supervisor should mail or email this form with ratings and comments to the practicum coordinator 
• The Written Statement of Reference from the cooperating librarian
• The log documenting achievement of minimum clock hour requirements with reflections and activities
• The completed checklist
• All projects from the practicum agreement along with a reflection on the competencies achieved
• A final self-assessment / reflection on competencies and checklist activities
• Answers to the practicum questions

The portfolio submitted for licensure at the end of the two experiences should include these pieces for both experiences.

References

The Office of Career Services follows a "self-credentialing" policy. This means the office does not collect, store or disseminate statements of reference for education majors. It is the obligation of students to retain copies of the final statements of reference written by university supervisors and cooperating teachers that may be required as part of application for school positions. If the students wants to use these letters and/or have the cooperating library media specialist or university supervisor as a reference, they must complete an Authorization to Release Educational Records form under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. This should be given to the LMS or supervisor who should keep a copy of the signed form. It is up to the discretion of the LMS or supervisor on whether or not to act as a reference.