Clinical Experience

Clinical experience is an integral part of the curriculum in all of RWU's Department of Education programs. Through it, prospective educators in the Department of Education at Roger Williams University:

  • Gain experience and proficiency in teaching academically, culturally, linguistically, and socioeconomically diverse students through a range of clinical experiences in urban, urban-ring, and suburban placements.
  • Have ongoing opportunities through clinical experiences to integrate subject matter and pedagogical knowledge into teaching practice.
  • Perform clinical work in schools and classrooms that are consistent with the Rhode Island Professional Teaching Standards
  • Are guided in their development by expert full-time and adjunct faculty University Clinical Educators and highly effective School-Based Clinical Educators during their residency clinical experiences, including Practicum and Student Teaching.

Learn more about what you can expect during your clinical experiences, or how to sign up for one through the many helpful links below:

Teacher Candidate Learning Outcomes

  1. Further demonstrate your exploration of and proficiency in critical concepts, principles, and practices in content area knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions related to state teaching practice and responsibility evaluation standards.   
  2. Identify and execute critical concepts, principles, and practices related to the knowledge of content and instructional pedagogy.
  3. Demonstrate an ability to design standards-driven instruction by implementing and assessing student outcomes with evidence-based tools, resources, and methodologies that reflect current local, national, and global trends in best instructional practice. 
  4. Research and utilize effective systems to collect, analyze, and track data from multiple sources (e.g. student growth over time, community, research) to inform instructional decisions, strengthen professional interactions, and enhance student outcomes. 
  5. Model the use of instructional technologies and tools that will enhance blended learning communities, and begin to explore new virtual networks that can strengthen bonds across divisive global communities.
  6. Begin to consider the impact of personal bias, implicit bias, world views, and current events as an obstacle to the development of responsive, inclusive, and restorative communities within student groups, schools, and local communities.
  7. Develop knowledge of diverse student populations and local communities in an effort to work toward demonstrating your own cultural competence and active service to families as not only a teacher, but equity advocate and progressive social justice leader.

The Department of Education at Roger Williams University has partnerships with elementary, middle and high schools across Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts where many of our students perform their student teaching. Schools and locations include:

Bristol/Warren, Rhode Island

  • Colt Andrews School
  • Guiteras Elementary School
  • Highlander Charter School
  • Hugh Cole School
  • Kickemuit Middle School
  • Mt. Hope High School
  • Rockwell Elementary School

Central Falls

  • Segue Institute for Learning 

Derbyshire, England

  • Ripley Academy 

Dorado, Puerto Rico

  • TASIS Dorado

East Providence, Rhode Island

  • Gordon School
  • Martin Middle School
  • Myron Francis Elementary School
  • Orlo Elementary School
  • Waddington School 

New Bedford, Massachusetts

  • Carlos Pacheco School
  • Global Learning Charter Public School

Fall River, Massachusetts

  • Argosy Collegiate Charter School
  • Durfee High School
  • Frank M. Silvia Elementary School
  • Henry Lord Middle School
  • William Greene School

Johnston, Rhode Island

  • Johnston High School

Middletown, Rhode Island

  • Aquidneck Elementary School
  • Forest Avenue Elementary School
  • Gaudet Learning Academy
  • Middletown High School

Newport, Rhode Island

  • Pell Elementary School
  • Rogers High School
  • Sullivan Elementary School
  • Underwood Elementary School

North Providence, Rhode Island

  • North Providence High School 

North Kingstown, Rhode Island

  • Stony Lane Elementary School
  • Hamilton Elementary School

Pawtucket, Rhode Island

  • Elizabeth Baldwin School
  • Nathanael Greene Elementary School
  • Shea High School

Portsmouth, Rhode Island

  • Melville Elementary School
  • Portsmouth High School
  • Portsmouth Middle School 
  • Hathaway Elementary School

Providence, Rhode Island

  • Anthony Carnevale Elementary School
  • Bishop McVinney Elementary School
  • Charles N. Fortes Elementary School
  • Community Partnership Center and Neutaconkanut Hill Conservancy, Inc. 
  • DelSesto Middle School 
  • George J. West Elementary School
  • The Grace School at Meeting Street
  • Paul Cuffee School
  • Providence Academy of International Studies
  • Veazie Street School

Tiverton, Rhode Island

  • Pocassett Elementary School
  • Ranger Elementary School
  • Tiverton High School
  • Tiverton Middle School

Seekonk, Massachuseetts

  • Mildred H. Aiken Elementary School
  • Seekonk High School

Somerset, Massachusetts

  • Chace Street School

Sundsvall, Sweden

  • Mid Sweden University

Student Teaching takes place over one full semester for a 14 week period of time. This is a supervised experience under the guidance of a professor from the school and University Clinical Educator. Both the School-Based Clinical Educator and University Clinical Educator mentor the students through observation of the participants in their school settings, providing feedback on their performance artifacts, and making recommendations for initial Licensure. Teacher Candidates, engaging in their senior residency experience, must also participate in Student Teaching seminar with their Clinical Educators.

Student Teaching Seminar
This course is taken concurrently with student teaching. The purpose of the course is to explore the Rhode Island Professional Teaching Standards and the Professional Teaching Competencies as goals that teachers must need in order to be recommended for initial licensure. Course participants are actively involved in a workshop setting dedicated to understanding and interpreting the Rhode Island Professional Teaching Standards and Professional Teaching Competencies and preparing materials as evidence of achieving those standards. In addition, guest speakers provide knowledge of professional education organizations and issues of continued licensure beyond the provisional certificate.

Completed application forms for Elementary and Secondary Student Teaching should be returned to the Clinical Experiences Office located in the Department of Education Office Suite, Office 76.

RI Student Teacher Certification Application Form

Praxis Series information and registration can be obtained on the following website: www.ets.org/praxis.

Questions/concerns about practicum and/or student teaching can be directed to:

Jennie Diercksen, Coordinator of Clinical Experiences and Partnership Liaison, at 401-254-5635 or email at jdiercksen@rwu.edu 

Dr. Kimberlee Johnsen-Smith, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Clinical Experiences, and Compliance at 401-254-3002, or email at kjohnsen-smith@rwu.edu in the Office of Education Partnerships, Clinical Experiences, and Program Quality.

Practicum is designed to engage pre-service teachers in teaching experience at the elementary or secondary school level. Students are placed in a public school for a minimum of 100 hours of participation. During this clinical experience, teacher candidates are required to perform several teaching actions and demonstrate competencies in a number of performance outcomes. This is a supervised clinical experience. University Clinical Educators observe participants in their school settings, assess their performance outcomes and provide seminars to debrief experiences and explore teaching/learning topics. Pre-service teachers work toward meeting the Rhode Island Professional Teaching Standards (RIPTS) in an authentic classroom setting.

Completed application forms for Elementary and Secondary Practicum should be returned to the Clinical Experiences Office located in the Department of Education Office Suite, Office 76.

Praxis Series information and registration can be obtained on the following website: www.ets.org/praxis.

Questions/concerns about practicum and/or student teaching can be directed to:

Jennie Diercksen, Coordinator of Clinical Experiences and Partnership Liaison, at 401-254-5635 or email at jdiercksen@rwu.edu. You may also contact Dr. Kimberlee Johnsen-Smith, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Clinical Experiences, and Compliance at 401-254-3002, or email at kjohnsen-smith@rwu.edu. 

Inquiries about education partnerships and clinical experiences can be directed to the Office of Education Partnerships, Clinical Experiences, and Program Quality.  Please contact Jennie Diercksen, Coordinator of Clinical Experiences and Partnership Liaison, at 401-254-5635 or email at jdiercksen@rwu.edu You may also contact Dr. Kimberlee Johnsen-Smith, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Clinical Experiences, and Compliance at 401-254-3002, or email at kjohnsen-smith@rwu.edu.