Practicum

 
At the end of your 901 coursework, you will do two practicum experiences in two different school libraries.  The goals of these experiences are:

• Use the new skills and knowledge you have acquired in the coursework;
• Examine a real-world school library media program and reflect on the experience, tying it back to your own situation if you are already in a school;
• Develop a relationship with two practitioners; and
• Further develop your own philosophy of school librarianship.

As many of the students in the UWS-SLEC classes are practicing teachers or library media specialists on emergency licenses, the practicum experiences for this program are set up to provide valuable experiences in two different school libraries, one at the elementary and one at the secondary level, while allowing the student to relate the experience directly back to his or her own workplace and complete the experience with the minimum amount of disruption in one's work schedule. Students may choose to do their two experiences in the appropriate format listed below or work with the faculty member at their home institution to fulfill the requirements of the on-campus practicum.

General Requirements

Each student is required to complete two practicum experiences at the end of their 901 coursework. While it is best to wait until all coursework is completed, the practicum may be started during the semester of the last course.

All practicum experiences are arranged through the student's home institution and follow the specifics of that institution. Students work with the faculty member at their home institution to fulfill its requirements. Two hundred hours are required in the combined practicum experiences. Most people divide their hours evenly across the elementary and secondary levels, although exceptions can be made with the approval of the student's advisor. Elementary level refers to work in an elementary or middle school. Secondary level indicates middle school or high school level. A student may only do one experience at the middle school level.

It is recommended that students do both practicum experiences outside their home district to get the widest possible experience, but it is recognized that this may not be possible in some cases. Students are allowed to do one experience in their home district, but this may not be in the school where they are currently working or where they have children attending school. The second experience must be in another district. The practicum sites must be approved by the university supervisor before finalizing them as each must have a 902-licensed library media specialist who has been there for at least a year and represents best practices in the field. 

All practicum experiences are arranged through the student's home institution. Contact the following individual at your home institution in the time frame listed to set up a practicum experience. The contact person will suggest sites for the practicum and explain the requirements to a potential supervising library media specialist at the site, but it is the responsibility of the student to directly contact the potential supervising library media specialist to obtain permission to do the practicum, set up hours acceptable to both and within the university's requirements, and complete the required paperwork for the university.

School	Contact Person	Contact Information	Time of Application before Practicum
UW-Eau Claire	Barbara Solfest	(715) 836-2281 sofesbe@uwec.edu	One year
UW-Madison	Madge Klais, SLIS	(608) 263-2943 mhklais@wisc.edu	One year
UW-Oshkosh	Sherry Freiberg,Library Media Program	(920) 424-7251 freiberg@uwosh.edu OR freibs@charter.net	One semester
UW-Superior	Ella Cross, Library Science Program	(715) 394 - 8512 ecross@uwsuper.edu	One semester
UW-Whitewater	Eileen Schroeder, Educational Foundations	(262) 472-2837 schroede@uww.edu	One semester (at least 5 months)

Generally, you need to begin planning for the practicum about a year before you actually want to go into the schools.  As working professionals, it is often difficult to put together two realistic practicum experiences, but we will work with you to create the best experiences possible. 

It is good to begin a discussion of this requirement with your school administrator at the beginning of the licensure program.  A number of students have asked for and received some time out of the school to do the practicum.  While the options depend on the requirements of your home institution, here are some options that have worked in the past:

• Seek a school that has a spring break other than yours and get a good number of hours during this time.
• Use professional development and personal days to get into a school. 
• Do one practicum in the summer at a school with a certified library media specialist.  Only one summer practicum is allowed. These experiences are not commonly available around the state.
• Complete a good portion of a practicum at the beginning or the end of the school year, especially at a school with a different start or stop date.
• Seek sabbatical or release time from your district.
• Use your preparation time to do a practicum at another school in your district or a neighboring district. 

Library Media Specialist on Emergency Licenses or Current Classroom Teacher

Students who have been working as a professional in a school library media center or teaching in a school for at least six months before the start of the practicum are eligible to do their two experiences in a modified format if desired. The sixteen shours working in your own district only apply to the practicum at the level at which you are currently working. Each experience must total 100 hours.

	The level you are currently working at as a LMS or teacher (i.e., elementary or secondary)	The level you are not currently working at
Required:	5 consecutive 8-hour days (40 hours) in a school library other than your own Two additional hours must be spent before the 5-day experience to plan the practicum with the cooperating LMS.	5 consecutive 8-hour days (40 hours) in a school library other than your own Two additional hours must be spent before the 5-day experience to plan the practicum with the cooperating LMS.
Options for remainder of hours:	8 hours working with a teacher collaboratively planning and implementing an integrated information problem solving lesson. This must be a teacher you have not worked with previously or a new lesson.
	8 hours working in you own school library implementing new administrative project (e.g., webpage for library, changes in circulation system, collection development project, teacher survey, implement new database)
	8 hours carrying out the following activities for the district: Develop questions and interview your principal and one other principal in your district on the role of the LMS and the library media program in the school Attend a school board meeting and reflect on the process Talk with the public librarian in the area Learn about the public library system in the area	8 hours carrying out the following activities for the district: Develop questions and interview your principal and one other principal in your district on the role of the LMS and the library media program in the school Attend a school board meeting and reflect on the process Talk with the public librarian in the area Learn about the public library system in the area
	34 hours in schools other than one's own (could be the same school as the five consecutive days) carrying out practicum goals.	46 hours in schools other than your own carrying out practicum goals

Certified Teachers Currently Not Working in a School

Students who are certified as teachers but have not been working as a professional in a school library media center or teaching in a school for at least six months before the start of the practicum are eligible to do their two experiences in a modified format if desired. Each experience must total 100 hours.

Required at each level:	5 consecutive 8-hour days (40 hours) in a school library Two additional hours must be spent before the 5-day experience to plan the practicum with the cooperating LMS.
	8 hours carrying out the following activities for the district: Develop questions and interview your principal and one other principal in your district on the role of the LMS and the library media program in the school Attend a school board meeting and reflect on the process Talk with the public librarian in the area Learn about the public library system in the area
	50 hours in schools carrying out practicum goals

Each student will do the following for EACH practicum experience.

• Meet with the supervisor (via phone, email or in person) to develop a set of goals and a plan for accomplishing them for the practicum. Ideally, this would take place with the cooperating library media specialist on site. This should include a description of format for the final product / report demonstrating achievement of the goals.
• Carry out the action plan during the practicum experience. This will be done during the on-site hours with additional work done back at one's own school as appropriate to reach the goals. On-site hours must include:
  • One week-long (5-day) sequence in the school
  • Seven additional days that may be scheduled as appropriate to carry out the action plan.
• Send periodic updates via email to the supervisor (time period to be determined by supervisor based on length of practicum). At some institutions, this may be done via web conferencing.
• Visit with the supervisor twice on-site. One of these may be the initial goal-setting meeting.
• Complete a final report (i.e., portfolio) demonstrating achievement of the goals by the week before the end of the semester in which the practicum is completed.

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