Academic Programs Overview | Course Work | Supervised Fieldwork and Advisement | Integrative Master's Project
One component of a Bank Street education, and unique to this College, is supervised fieldwork/advisement (SFW/A), a multifaceted process which enables students to integrate the study of theory with practice.
Each student, regardless of program, is required to work closely with an advisor for one academic year, while simultaneously working three to five days a week in a setting appropriate to his or her program of study. (See individual program descriptions for particular fieldwork guidelines.)
During the year of supervised fieldwork/advisement, advisors visit students in fieldwork settings for half-days at least once a month. If the student is a student teacher, assistant teacher, or intern, advisors also work closely with the cooperating classroom teacher.
In addition, the advisor and student meet twice monthly for in-depth consultative meetings. In addition to individual meetings, the advisor and his or her students (usually a group of six or seven) meet together weekly. This "conference group" provides a setting for students to collaborate with fellow learners as they explore the challenging issues facing them as educators in their field placements.
Throughout this crucial year of supervision, an advisor supports and encourages each student to develop his or her professional capacity. Through individual and group meetings, students learn more about their practice while being supported by others, and they gain perspective and reflective insight into their own teaching. They learn to apply material from course work to their practice, and to reflect on this process.
Students are expected to participate as responsible professionals in all facets of supervised fieldwork/advisement. This is normally a year-long process (or, in the case of special education-only programs, one semester); however, there are rare instances in which students may be required to complete additional fieldwork.
The following programs have a different structure for supervised fieldwork/advisement: Leadership in Mathematics Education, Early Childhood Leadership, Leadership in the Arts, Leadership in Museum Education, some Special Education programs, and the Principals Institute. Students in some Teach For America cohorts also have a different supervised fieldwork/advisement schedule. See individual program listings for description of supervised fieldwork/advisement.