The Stevens Point Area Public School District (SPAPSD) and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP) School of Education team up to shape the future of physical education. Together, they provide essential practicum experience for future educators, training over 30 physical education degree students each semester.
A practicum is a period of hands-on training where students apply the knowledge and skills learned in their academic courses to real-world settings.
This immersive experience is invaluable for future educators. “We get to come and actually have the experience teaching before we get into our own classroom,” said Danika Lindgren, a UWSP student spending part of her practicum experience in Rachael Graves’s class at McKinley Elementary School. “It helps us build our tool boxes with different teaching strategies and different methods that work in the classroom.”
Learning Beyond the Classroom
The UWSP Office of Field Experience matches students with SPAPSD teachers. University students turn in a lesson plan draft to their professor who grades it and annotates it, ensuring the lesson is developmentally appropriate for students.
The practicum benefits everyone involved. “It reminds me to try to freshen things up,” said SPASH P.E. teacher Ryan Marnocha who graduated from UWSP’s physical education program and went through the same practicum he is now a mentor in. “For students, it’s an awesome opportunity to see the educational experience playing out. They get to see somebody going through the education program, have a new face in class, and work with different people.”
The experience gives future teachers skills impossible to learn from a textbook. “Something I learned from this is not every student is the same,” said Trevor Metzler, UWSP practicum student in Ms. Graves’s class. “Our goal as P.E. teachers is to make it engaging, make it more than sports, make it memories, and make good experiences for all students.”
Dedicated Mentors Make a Difference
SPAPSD teachers, many of whom are UWSP alumni themselves, step up to take on the extra responsibility of training future teachers.
Rachael Graves, a UWSP alumna and McKinley Elementary P.E. teacher, is one of those dedicated mentors. “Physical education is a very hands-on, learn-by-doing field,” said Ms. Graves. “And this practicum is an opportunity to ‘do.’”
The preparation pays off. UWSP graduates are often well-prepared to start their careers, with some even earning the title of “favorite teacher.” “Mr. Marnocha is definitely my favorite gym teacher,” said Lauren, a SPASH senior. “I’m really glad to have someone that can teach me to get better at the things I’ve always wanted to learn, like climbing. He’s a positive person that shows up in gym class every day.”
The Season of Gratitude
The practicum wouldn’t be possible without the dedicated teachers who welcome university students into their classrooms semester after semester.
“I want to thank Ms. Graves for letting us come and teach in her classroom because she absolutely doesn’t have to let us do that,” said Danika.
“It is really awesome that we get to come in here and be guided by Ms. Graves because she went through the same exact thing we did,” said Trevor.
“I appreciate Ms. Graves’s feedback every time,” said UWSP student Sam Graff. “Everything she says is helpful and reflective.”
P.E. isn’t the only education degree where a practicum is required. SPAPSD special education, social studies, and math teachers are also often called on to help UWSP students fulfill their practicum requirements.
Photo gallery: https://on.pointschools.net/4p9Ybj4
Story, video and photos courtesy of Stevens Point Area Public School District