Professional practice expectations
Administration package
An administration package has been developed for completion over the four main professional practice placements of the BEd (Tchg) EC. This package is submitted after the final professional practice at the end of the third year.
The associate teacher and student teacher should identify administrative tasks to become familiar with over each professional practice placement. We recommend that student teachers complete around seven to eight tasks while on each placement, while also being sensitive to other demands on their associate teacher’s time. Follow the instructions in the package with regard to recording information and signing off completed tasks.
By the end of this final professional practice placement, student teachers must have completed all the tasks in the administration package.
Non-contact time in EC centres
Early childhood student teachers’ expected attendance parallels a typical work week for practising teachers; however, we would also like them to have access to some non-contact time. We are aware that non-contact arrangements vary across services and so suggest that students follow a similar pattern used in the professional practice centre (such as one hour per day or 1 - 2 longer blocks per week). However, we do expect students to do at least 30 hours child-contact each week except where the centre programme offers fewer child contact hours across a week.
Student teachers' non-contact time should take place within the centre environment and include the range of activities that teachers complete. This may include:
- preparing assessment-related pedagogical documentation (such as learning stories)
- contributing to planning meetings
- setting up the environment for learning
- participating in activities involving parents and whānau
Where possible, we ask that student teacher have their non-contact time alongside their associate teacher. This provides students with further opportunities to learn about the broader roles involved in teaching within EC contexts.