90 ACADEMICS Pre-Student TECH-ING Pre-student teaching transitions to a virtual program in fall 2020. T raditionally, senior education majors had the opportunity to pre-student teach in preparation for student teaching in their final semester. However, this was altered in fall 2020. Local schools did not accept pre-student teachers into their schools for in-person field placement, requiring students to find an alternative. In response, the College of Education purchased a subscription for videos made by the National Board of Certified Teachers to ensure the students received the preparation they needed. Cheri Smith, assistant director of student teaching, said although nothing could replace the live interaction and classroom experience, the videos included critical thinking and analysis that served the students well. Senior Taylor Ferrante said she was excited that Harding provided this program, but she originally looked forward to the experience of pre-student teaching in a classroom. “Student teaching seems very intimidating, and I was really counting on pre-student teaching to help me feel more prepared,” Ferrante said. “I also think that the more that I can observe, the more I can learn from the good and bad qualities of the teachers.” Senior Molly Campbell said she thought the benefit of virtual pre-student teaching was learning flexibility. As a senior who was able to pre-student teach in-person before COVID-19, she thought gaining experience teaching virtually gave them a competitive edge. “Videos and virtual field placement will teach interns how to be flexible in their teaching and reach each of their students, even from a distance,” Campbell said. “Although this time is different than what it typically looks like, I feel confident that pre-student teachers will gain knowledge and new tools that they can use in their future.” Ferrante said her professors introduced opportunities for them to gain experience, including virtual tutoring twice a week. “I cannot help but think about all the amazing ways my teachers are trying to find to get us the experience we need before going off to student teaching,” Ferrante said. story by Darcy Sanford
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