Information for Teacher Candidates
SUNY Cortland's Professional Development School (PDS) plays a vital role in bridging our teacher candidates' academic preparation with authentic hands-on classroom experiences. Our teacher candidates are more than just observers. We ask them to actively participate in lesson planning, instruction, assessment and classroom management as they learn alongside their mentor teachers.
When teacher candidates are part of a PDS, their transition from being a college student to a teacher-in-training marks a significant change in their responsibilities and mindset. When they are in a PDS, teacher candidates are asked to begin applying what they've learned in our college classrooms to authentically participating in our partner schools. This transition requires teacher candidates to portray what we refer to as 'dispositions' which includes professionalism, a strong work ethic, and a commitment to continuous reflection and growth. We ask our teacher candidates to view themselves as important members of a professional learning community and to meaningfully contribute to student learning while they work on refining their own skills as an emerging educator.
A critical component of the success of our PDS is the relationship that the teacher candidate builds with a mentor teacher. We believe that a strong, respectful partnership includes developing trust and collaborative skills. We ask the mentor teacher to provide guidance, support, feedback and to model best practices in teaching and professionalism. We encourage teacher candidates to have regular communication with mentor teachers, to participate in co-teaching experiences when possible, and to engage in reflective conversations.
In addition to engaging in an authentic classroom, we encourage teacher candidates to take on broader responsibilities that reflect their own commitment to becoming the best teacher they can be such as attending professional development opportunities, participating in school-wide initiatives and collaborating with other members of the PDS. We believe that doing so contributes to strengthening our school-university partnerships.
Teacher candidates who are interested in taking on leadership roles in our PDS are encouraged to apply to be a PDS Fellow. In the role of a PDS Fellow, teacher candidates gain valuable experience working closely with college faculty members which provides additional opportunities to enhance collaboration skills, interpersonal communication and professional advocacy.