A teaching practicum is an investigation of the actual practice of teaching under the supervision of a mentor, usually involving actual teaching as well as responsibilities associated with the profession. This type of course is almost always available for credit, and many programs may require it. In this type of course, not all of a student’s time is spent on actual teaching duties; some is spent on consultation, seminars, and other preparatory work. Working in a teaching practicum is thought to provide future teachers with real-world experience, similar to an internship, but with the added benefit of close supervision from a university-approved source.
A teaching practicum, in most cases, must be tailored to the types of classes that the student will eventually teach. There are programs dedicated to teaching in elementary schools and in the sciences, for example. This type of teaching experience is almost always discipline-specific at the university level. A student usually does not have a choice in which practicum to participate in because it is usually a requirement of the program he or she has enrolled in.
A teaching practicum can be set up in a variety of ways depending on the school, but all courses with this designation will include some actual teaching with students, as this is the definition of the course. Other teaching-related activities may differ. Supervising lab time, developing laboratory experiments, and providing tutorials, for example, can all be part of the practicum in the sciences. More time may be spent grading essays in writing classes. Most schools try to limit the amount of grading students do in these classes because they often already have grading experience.
Supervision is one of the most important aspects of this type of course. A student’s adviser or a special mentor assigned specifically for this course can supervise a teaching practicum. Observation can take the form of the mentor sitting in on classes or the student reporting back at regular intervals. It can be beneficial to have guidance when learning the nuanced art of teaching, and this is one of the characteristics that distinguishes this type of experience from unsupervised internships.
A deeper understanding of working with large groups, attention to the demands of teaching, and improved communication skills are some of the skills gained from a teaching practicum, depending on the focus of the course. Because this type of course is intended to be a learning experience, perfection is rarely expected. Any student who faces challenges during a teaching practicum and works hard to find solutions is likely on the right track for a career as a teacher.