Active Participation Students seeking Indiana state certification in teacher education are required to complete several hours of observation and participation assisting classroom teachers in or near Bloomington schools. These activities are offered as corequisites to educational psychology and methods courses. They are given as Satisfactory/Fail courses for 0-2 credits. A small fee is assessed in connection with these field experiences. Note: Individual school sites may require proof of a recent physical exam, TB test, drug test, first aid/CPR training, and criminal history check before participating in field placements and student teaching. Placement sites may deny a field placement or student teaching assignment based on a misdemeanor or felony conviction. The application process for a teaching license in Indiana requires a current criminal history check. Convicted felons cannot hold a teaching license in Indiana.

Placement Students will be assigned to field experiences in schools in which they have no previous history or relatives attending or working. Several visits are required each semester. Because it is the student’s responsibility to find transportation to the assigned school (which can be up to 50 miles from campus), it is helpful to have a car available for semesters of field experience. Carpooling is arranged where needed.

For field experiences in early childhood education, students will visit nearby child care centers. These sites require proof of a recent physical, TB test, and criminal history check at the student’s expense. Forms will be provided by IU.

For more information about early field experiences, refer to the Early Field Experience Student Handbook, which is available in Education 1020M or on the Web at education.indiana.edu/strongEarlyFieldExperiencesstrong/tabid/4288/Default.aspx.