Mentors’ Perception on the Preparedness of Student Teachers for Practice Teaching

Abstract

The importance of an adequately prepared student teacher calls the attention of the teacher-educators to equip the future teachers with adequate and up-to-date knowledge of subject content entirely, have their skills in a full repertoire of instructional methodologies and foster acceptable values and attitudes. Hence, this study determined the preparedness of the student teachers as perceived by the cooperating teachers in various elementary and secondary schools in the second district of Cagayan. This paper utilized the descriptive, evaluative design by using a questionnaire to gather the data from 25 cooperating teachers. This study also determined the comments and suggestions of the cooperating teachers on the preparedness of the student teachers assigned to them. The student teachers were found to be very prepared with personal and professional qualities. They were also satisfactorily prepared as regards their teaching skills and strategies and in their classroom management and evaluation skills. The cooperating teachers commented that the student teachers show interest, try to cope up, and perform well in their practice teaching. Student teachers should strive always to master their subject matter, attend social gatherings, spend a longer period of practice teaching, be always ready to teach and improve their communicative competence and the College of Teacher Education should put up its own Laboratory School. Keywords: competence, evaluation, methodologies, strategies, teacher-educator