Resources for Cooperating Teachers

Thank you for your willingness to host a WWU Student Teaching intern! This webpage provides a number of resources to assist our Cooperating Teachers (CTs) in supporting the internship experience. Your mentorship is one of the most critical aspects of the intern's journey to becoming a certified teacher!

Please review and utilize the resources below to ensure a great internship experience for both you and your intern!

DOWNLOAD: Cooperating Teacher Handbook

Use this handbook to guide you in your role as a Cooperating Teacher!

Handbooks

There are two handbooks that will provide you with all of the information you need about supporting a Student Teaching Intern.

The Student Teaching Internship Handbook provides your intern with detailed information on the internship requirements and expectations. This is a great resource for both of you as you progress through the internship.

The Cooperating Teacher Student Teaching Internship Handbook (linked above) provides more role-specific information for you as the Cooperating Teacher. It includes mentoring and feedback resources, troubleshooting suggestions, and information on internship requirements.

Internship Materials

The Internship Materials page for your intern's specific program will give you access to all of the required materials, including calendars, standards and evaluations.

Co-Teaching 

Co-teaching is the preferred approach for transitioning an intern into the full responsibilities of a teacher. The resources below will support your understanding of the co-teaching process and provide you with a framework for implementing co-teaching with your own student teacher.

Principals of Co-teaching document provides a co-teaching overview, identified essential planning questions and describes types of co-teaching structures

Co-teaching Ideas & Strategies will allow you and your intern to brainstorm ways that you can incorporate different co-teaching structures into the internship experience.

Co-teaching Planning Chart provides a grid for co-planning lessons using the co-teaching approach.

Feedback

Providing regular feedback is one of the most critical tasks of the effective mentor teacher. High quality, specific feedback will allow your Intern to make incremental steps towards becoming an effective teacher. The resources below provide some tools to help you provide solid feedback throughout the internship experience.

Mentor-Mentee Conversation Tool is a great structure for framing feedback conversations.

Feedback Index Cards provide a method for CT and intern to record and receive feedback on a skill that the intern is intentionally working on.

Reflective Practices provides a set of questions that you can use to prompt reflection in your intern.

 

Clock Hours

For Supervision of Interns:

Cooperating teachers are issued supervisory clock hours under OSPI guidelines and WAC 181-85-033(3). CTs can earn up to 30 continuing education clock hours per school year for hosting a candidate. The Office of Field Experience will send clock hour forms to your school email address near the end of the quarter.

Please sign and submit your completed form to your district HR office and retain a copy for your records. If you plan to use the hours for certificate renewal, you will need to enter them into OSPI's EDS system. Directions for that process can be accessed by clicking this link.

 

For Mentoring Modules:

CTs can also earn clock hours by completing the online Mentoring Student Teachers course on Canvas. Email ofe@wwu.edu for details.

 

 

Cooperating Teachers receive stipends for hosting WWU interns. In order to receive payment, CTs must complete an A19 and a W9 form, and submit them to OFE. Stipends are paid at the end of the internship.

Instructions for A19 and W9 Forms

OFE will send forms to your school e-mail address.

W9 form

If you have not hosted a WWU intern before, you will need to provide the IRS W9 via a secure WWU Accounts Payable Form that in order to get you set up in the payment system. The W9 only needs to be completed the first time you host, unless you have a name change.

The form is sent to your school email address. Refer to these directions to accurately complete the form.

A19 form

To complete this form you will:

1. Enter your legal name and home mailing address in the n the Vendor or Claimant box

2. Sign and date where indicated

 

Thank you for your interest in hosting a student teacher from Western Washington University.

You may request a student by contacting ofe@wwu.edu. Please be sure to include your school, grade, and/or subject taught.