Department of English Blog

students and teachers
Missouri State University faculty and preservice English teachers discuss mid-level practicum field work at Central High School in Springfield, MO. Seated from left to right: Baily Koppelmann; Paige Fiene; Anna McAlister; Jessica Cash. Standing from left to right: Samuel Ellifrits; Alexis Twigg; Danielle Lillge; Pierce Daniels.

Learning Lab pilot program is a new model for student teachers at MSU

English Education students interact with 10 different English classes at CHS.

by

BY EMILY ADERHOLD & DR. DANIELLE LILLGE

This fall, the English Education program at Missouri State University is scaling up its Learning Lab pilot practicum program.

Learning Lab is an English 405: Teaching of Middle and High School English practicum partnership with Central High School (Springfield, MO). It differs from traditional practicum experiences where teacher candidates are assigned to a mentor or teacher to work one-on-one with over the course of a semester. During Learning Lab, candidates participate in a series of instructional rounds where they rotate among ten different Central High School English classes. As they rotate through classrooms, candidates learn to develop ethnographic eyes that enable them to consider a classroom from multiple perspectives.

They also study and then rehearse particular teaching practices such as classroom discussion and conferencing as well as gather feedback and reflect on their efforts. Missouri State University English education faculty facilitate weekly debriefing sessions. As candidates probe their experiences, Central High School becomes a common text that invites their reflection on how English teaching practices are adapted to meet the unique needs and strengths of students within diverse classroom cultures, even within the same school.

central high school
Photograph of Central High School by Scott Pettit, taken in 2009.

Central High School offers teacher candidates a unique practicum experience. The oldest high school in Springfield Public Schools, Central is a neighborhood school with an International Baccalaureate (IB) program and honors students who contribute to the unique school culture.

This semester, Dr. Danielle Lillge has partnered with English BSEd alumna and second-year Central High School teacher, Ms. Jessica Cash. Dr. Lillge and Ms. Cash partner with teacher candidates to teach Literacy Lab, 30-minute literacy lessons meant to improve students’ metacognitive thinking and reading skills. Candidates regularly conference with students and teach portions of the lesson before analyzing instructional moves and student work. Learning Lab becomes a space to experiment, to look for patterns, to analyze data, and to seek clarity of understanding through hands-on experience.