Current Issues in Middle Level Education - Volume 25 - Issue 2 - Article 6 - Modeling Flexibility for Middle Level Teacher Candidates during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Oct 15, 2026

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Faced with spring 2020 school closures from COVID-19, middle level teacher candidates could not complete required field experiences. The disruption continued into fall 2020 as many schools offered only virtual learning and restricted campus access. The article documents how one university middle level program redesigns field experience steps to sustain an engaging, meaningful placement while modeling flexibility for teacher candidates.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

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Modeling Flexibility for Middle Level Teacher Candidates during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction

The Field Experience

Spring 2020 Shut Down

Current Issues in Middle Level Education | Volume 25 Issue 2 | Article 6 | | --- | --- | | February 2021
Modeling Flexibility for Middle Level Teacher Candidates during the COVID-19Pandemic
LeahL. Kahn
Stephen F Austin State University, [llkahn@sfasu.edu](llkahn@sfasu.edu)
Michelle Williams
Stephen F. Austin State University, [williamsdm@sfasu.edu](williamsdm@sfasu.edu)
Follow this and additional works at: [https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/cimle](https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/cimle)
Part of the Junior High, Intermediate, Middle School Education and Teaching Commons, and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Commons | | Recommended Citation Kahn, Leah L. and Williams, Michelle (2021) "Modeling Flexibility for Middle Level Teacher Candidates during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Current Issues in Middle Level Education: Vol. 25 : Iss. 2 , Article 6. DOI: 10.20429/cimle.2021.250206 Available at: [https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/cimle/vol25/iss2/6](https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/cimle/vol25/iss2/6) This best practices is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. It has been accepted for inclusion in Current Issues in Middle Level Education by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. For more information, [please contact](please contact digitalcommons@georgiasouthern.edu)[ digitalcommons@georgiasouthern.edu](please contact digitalcommons@georgiasouthern.edu). Modeling Flexibility for Middle Level Teacher Candidates during the COVID-19 Pandemic Leah L. Kahn Michelle Williams Stephen F. Austin State University Abstract Faced with school closures in the spring of 2020 due to COVID-19, middle level teacher candidates were left with no way to finish their field experiences. The challenge continued into the fall with many schools providing only virtual learning and some not allowing visitors on campus. This article describes the steps one university middle level program implemented to create an engaging, meaningful field experience while modeling flexibility for the teacher candidates. Introduction On March 5, 2020, teacher candidates left for spring break, ready for some rest but unprepared for what the remainder of the semester would bring. Due to the spread of the Novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the university made the decision that students would not return to campus and would complete the rest ofthe semester in online instruction. Public schools also shut down during this time. This shutdown created a particular challenge for faculty supervising field experience courses. Concerns about teacher candidates completing the required hours in the classroom were real. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) (2020) announced modifications in the required face-to-face field experience hours due to the COVID-19 shut down. Middle level grades program requirements at our university were greater than the minimum required by TEA, and some teacher candidates had met the TEA minimum by spring break. However, many teacher candidates had not yet taught the required lessons. The field experience supervisors quickly realized that flexibility and offering more choice during this bizarre period in education would be necessary for our teacher candidates to successfully complete the field experience. As middle level teacher educators, we emphasize the importance of flexibility, adjusting instruction to students' needs, and providing student choice as we prepare our teacher candidates for the classroom. Being responsive to student needs is one of the five essential attributes of successful middle level schools, and the concept of student choice is part of the 18 characteristics (Bishop & Harrison, 2021). This situation presented us with an extraordinary opportunity to model the implementation of these attributes to our teacher candidates. In the sections that fol

FAQs

Why did middle level teacher candidates struggle to complete field experiences during COVID-19?

Spring 2020 school closures prevented candidates from finishing field experiences, and fall access constraints plus virtual-only learning further limited required classroom hours.

How did the program ensure engagement and meaningful field experiences despite uncertainty?

The university modified field experience steps to offer more choice and adjust instruction while meeting requirements and standards.

What were the field experience hour requirements for teacher candidates?

In Field Experience I (FE I), candidates were required to complete 90 classroom hours, and in Field Experience II (FE II), they were required to double that total to 180 hours.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by nayy☆