Current Students / Education Practicum

K-12 Education Coursework & Practicum

The K-12 education curriculum introduces students to the foundations necessary for becoming an elementary or secondary teacher. At Delta, students’ coursework will guide them in better understanding education as a career path, as well as its demands and rewards.

This coursework:

  • Introduces various theories and practices which form the bedrock of teaching actions inside the K-12 classroom.
  • Introduces students to various content-specific classes, including students with exceptionalities.
  • Discusses current issues, concerns, and innovations in the K-12 setting.
  • Provides Delta students with the necessary knowledge, experience and confidence needed to transfer to their preferred four-year institution.

Each four-year institution has its own transfer requirements. These requirements are found in the articulation agreements or the transfer guides between Delta and a given institution. Students will need to work closely with their Delta Student Success Advisor to ensure courses transfer smoothly to their preferred four-year institution. Contact Advising by email at  advising@delta.edu or phone at 989-686-9330 to schedule an appointment.

Practicum requirements

For those wanting to become K-12 teachers, Delta understands the learning done outside of our classrooms is just as important. As part of the education pathway, students complete 45 hours of a practicum experience (also known as field work). This experience takes place in a K-12 area school. Delta students will utilize a mentor teacher’s classroom to:

  • Prepare themselves for the demands and rewards of being a classroom teacher
  • Connect content and learning from the Delta classroom to its practice in the real-world setting
  • Observe, and begin to practice, teaching skills such as lesson planning/curriculum implementation, classroom management, building rapport with students in the field classroom, and practicing professionalism in the K-12 school setting
  • Develop a better understanding of whether or not teaching is the right career path

Criminal history

Because education coursework will place Delta students in a school setting in which minors will be present, students following this pathway will have to sign a criminal history disclosure. Your field practicum site will inform you if you must complete a background as well. While not all offenses will create a barrier, students who have certain offenses in their criminal history could be dropped from ED courses, may be refused placement by a practicum location, and/or may be ineligible to receive a State of Michigan Teaching Certificate. It is the student’s responsibility to disclose a criminal background offense when requested and to know what may prevent them from earning a Teaching Certificate, even if they pass Education coursework.

For more information about offenses that will pose a barrier, please see the list of Educator Conduct Enumerated Offenses on Michigan.gov.

Articulation agreements and transfer guides

Students starting their K-12 Education experience at Delta College will need to transfer to a four-year institution, of their choosing, to continue their coursework and earn the bachelor’s degree required to become a teacher. It is at this four-year institution where you will also take the steps necessary to earn your Michigan Teaching Certification.

While Delta students can transfer to their preferred college or university, there are several with which we have articulation agreements and transfer guides to make your transition smooth and allow for the maximum amount of your Delta coursework to transfer to ensure you are not repeating coursework.

Articulation agreements

This transfer path is created when Delta College and a university partner work together to design a specific course structure that will allow students to move directly into the four-year institution and continue their degree path. This is a signed agreement between the institutions and the courses needed and accepted will not change without notice as long as the agreement is in place.

Transfer guides

This transfer path provides a guiding document created by the four-year institution with recommended course equivalencies for students transferring from Delta College to that specific university or college. This guide is updated by the four-year institution itself and is meant to assist a student with course selection at Delta that will be accepted at their institution.

Learn more about Delta College's transfer guides and pathways

Work with your advisor

While the agreements and guides above provide a good direction for the courses a student needs to take at Delta to prepare for transfer, the best thing you can do is work closely with your Delta College Student Success Advisor. They will help to ensure you are interpreting the agreements and guides correctly, answer your questions, and help you get in touch with the appropriate representative from your transfer institution when the time is right.

Make an appointment with a Student Success Advisor 

K-12 education practicum

Our students have been participating in rewarding K-12 education practicums across our region for many years. A practicum is a required field experience working with students in a specific K-12 setting. The specific placement setting is dictated by the Delta course in which a student is enrolled. Fieldwork is required for certain ED classes (see below) and Delta students are responsible for ensuring they are able to attend and complete the field experience.

Students are required to secure their own practicum sites, based on their geographic location and the course in which they are enrolled. Delta students must follow the K-12 school/district requirements for placement in those buildings.  Upon enrollment in an ED course with a connected field experience, students should begin considering several potential school/classroom options as soon as possible. Further details about how, and when, to reach out to a mentor teacher to request placement will be given in the ED course.

Do not reach out to a practicum site prior to the start of your course.

Specific information will be provided within the ED courses themselves. Your individual instructor will also provide the necessary paperwork for you to share with your mentor teacher at the beginning of each course/semester.

Courses that require a practicum

Your instructor will discuss practicum specifics in your ED practicum course. Students must complete the required hours to successfully complete the course. The course cannot be taken without doing the practicum. 

  • ED 200A – Exploratory Teaching (Elementary)
    • 45 hours total
    • Suggested schedule: 3 hours per week x 15 weeks
    • Actual schedule determined in conjunction with mentor teacher
    • Field hours must span at least 10 weeks
  • ED 200 B – Exploratory Teaching (Secondary)
    • 45 hours total
    • Suggested schedule: 3 hours per week x 15 weeks
    • Actual schedule determined in conjunction with mentor teacher
    • ield hours must span at least 10 weeks

The time spent in the practicum is exciting and rewarding. You will quickly become an important component of the classroom environment, and the students in the classroom will rely on you to be consistent and professional. This consistent, reliable presence is critical to a successful experience for all. Most often, the practicum runs smoothly, and there is no reason for concern. However, students not fulfilling their practicum responsibilities or not adhering to applicable policies will be removed from their site. Please take a moment to read the Practicum Removal Policy. 

Required documentation

The following documentation is required for K-12 ED courses that contain a practicum and must be submitted to your professor by the end of the third week of that course. If any of the required documentation is not complete by this time (ED 200A; ED 200B), you may be dropped from the course. Please note that this documentation is unnecessary for ED courses not containing a practicum.

Paperwork to be submitted to and approved by your course instructor prior to beginning fieldwork experiences:

For more information regarding criminal/civil convictions that may cause an issue with placement, certification, or employment, please visit the Michigan.gov List of Educator Conduct Enumerated Offenses.

Finding a practicum classroom in a K-12 school

More information will be given in the specific course, but students naturally have questions about finding their own practicum site. Because of this, there are some tips below. Please keep in mind that these are here to help give guidance to the process. Students should not reach out to a potential mentor or secure a practicum site prior to the start of the practicum-related course. The ED professor will provide all the necessary information, steps, and paperwork required to set up a practicum site.

Tips for obtaining a site:

  • Make space in your weekly schedule to accommodate the additional hours you’ll need to be in practicum
  • Ensure the classroom you are looking to place in matches your course designation:
    • Students enrolled in ED 200A must place in an elementary classroom (Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade)
    • Students enrolled in ED 200B must place in a secondary classroom (6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade)
  • Consider a practicum classroom that is convenient for you to attend to complete hours. Picking a local-to-you school means it will be easier to add the additional observations into your weekly schedule
  • Do not contact a mentor until after the practicum-related ED course has begun for the semester. At the start of this course, the professor will provide all the necessary directions and details for how to secure your practicum placement

Ethical code of conduct and commitment

Students in the education pathway will abide by the standard of professionalism in field and commit to following the Delta College:

Because K-12 education coursework will place Delta students in a school setting in which minors will be present, students following this pathway will have to sign a criminal history release and complete a background check at Delta College’s Public Safety office. Students who have a criminal history could be dropped from ED courses, may be refused placement by a practicum location, and/or may be ineligible to receive a State of Michigan Teaching Certificate. It is the student’s responsibility to disclose a criminal background offense when requested and to know what may prevent them from earning a teaching certificate, even if they pass rducation coursework. 

For more information about offenses that will pose a barrier, please see the list of Educator Conduct Enumerated Offenses on Michigan.gov.

Child Development

The Child Development program at Delta is a rewarding career path for students interested in working with or teaching children from birth through preschool years. Students who enroll in this program can earn an Associates in Applied Arts for Child Development and/or multiple certificates in this field. Students can also take advantage of articulation agreements with partner institutions to earn a bachelor’s degree. If you are interested in this program, please contact the Child Development Coordinator for more information.

Child Development Program Coordinator
Jill Harrison
Social Sciences Division
A088
jillharrison@delta.edu 
989-686-9051

Child Development programs offered at Delta College: 

  • CD, Associate in Applied Arts
  • CD, Advanced Certificate
  • CD, Certificate of Achievement
  • Educational Parapro, Certificate of Achievement