Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Secondary Education, Special Education
Having completed coursework and its related practicum/field experiences as well as passed state-mandated exams, learners are now ready to move to the next progression point in their program: Student Teaching. At this point, learners acquire the designation Teacher Candidate. The capstone experience for the education programs consists of a 16-week guided student teaching experience designed to provide opportunities for the Teacher Candidate to apply their knowledge and skills as identified in national standards and research.
Student teaching is the culminating experience in the Teacher Candidate's academic Program of Study. It is an exciting, yet challenging, learning experience that places the teacher candidate in unfamiliar situations, affords intellectually stimulating activities, and allows for empirical application of concepts and skills learned. These experiences are offered through scaffolding that includes observation, participating and actually leading activities. During student teaching, introspection, personal change, professional growth, and self-assessment empower the Teacher Candidate's sense of development as a professional. The opportunity to work as an independent practitioner within the field coupled with supportive mentoring from the Mentor Teacher and Faculty Instructor provide a strong sense of the exciting opportunities that await the Teacher Candidate in the coming years.
Detailed information about single and dual placement student teaching, including standards-driven site visit evaluation instruments, can be found here:
Military Personnel
Military personnel completing their Student Teaching in a DoDD (Department of Defense Dependent) school should carefully read the DoDDS Practicum-Field Experience and Student Teaching Manual.
The DoDDS Student Teaching program supports the student teaching requirements of accredited colleges and universities. All Grand Canyon University Teacher Candidates requesting to teach overseas must follow the required instructions set forth by DoDDS in order to successfully be placed in the requested school.
The DoDDS Student Teaching Program is designed to provide overseas student teaching opportunities to learners enrolled full time in an approved teacher, counselor, or other programs at regionally accredited US colleges and universities. The program permits learners to fulfill their student teaching requirements in an intercultural setting while they are developing essential professional skills. DoDDS agrees to permit students from Grand Canyon University to perform teaching in schools designated by DoDDS. DoDDS will advise the University of the number of learners it can accommodate and locations at which Teacher Candidates may volunteer their services. DoDDS will select Teacher Candidates for the program from the list of nominees furnished by the University. Once a DoDDS placement is confirmed, the Teacher Candidate and Grand Canyon University will be notified in writing of the placement location and Mentor Teacher assigned to the Teacher Candidate. It is the Teacher Candidate's responsibility to provide contact information (contact phone and email address) for the assigned Mentor Teacher and principal of the building to their Field Experience Specialist.
Student Teaching Application Process
Teacher Candidates are required to submit a Student Teaching Application to the Office of Field Experience. Refer to the Student Teaching/Internship Inbox for submission information. To be eligible to begin student teaching, the Teacher Candidate must have all coursework completed within their program of study and maintain a minimum GPA of 2.8 for the Bachelor of Science program and a 3.0 for the Master of Education program. Teacher Candidates also need to work with the appropriate university department to remove any academic and/or financial holds on account to ensure that the academic counselor is able to complete the required registration process. Teacher Candidates can view their program evaluation through the Student Portal on the MyGCU website. The Teacher Education Specialist is also available to discuss program progression and academic eligibility.
Teacher Candidates are required to submit the Student Teaching Application to the Office of Field Experience by the following deadlines:
University Supervisors and Mentor (cooperating) Teachers
The Regional Field Experience Specialist will provide all required documentation via email.
