Student Teaching Placement Sites

Unique to Ithaca College’s Physical Education (Teaching) program is the requirement that students complete one of their placements in Rochester, New York.  Ithaca College’s School of Health Sciences & Human Performance has an educational and residential housing site at the Divinity School in Rochester New York.  The physical therapy and occupational therapy programs also use this site to provide masters level training in their fields. HPPE teacher-education students use the site during their 7-week placement in the Rochester City School District.

In the Rochester City School District schools, HPPE students learn about the value of having a high-needs/high-risk teaching placement.  Introduced in the HLTH 15200 Introduction to Heath & Physical Education course, understanding issues of diversity and high needs schools is an essential element to contemporary health and physical education professionals. 

The Rochester opportunity is also highlighted each semester during the group advising workshops held by the Associate Chair of the department.  Students are able to talk with others who have participated in the Rochester site placement and learn how valuable the experience was to the graduates.

Students in the Curriculum & Methods courses (PHED 33200, 33300, and HLTH 36000) are brought to Rochester during the junior year for a field trip to learn more about the students in the school district and to have an in-service training lecture by an existing public school teacher.  Ithaca College provides transportation and meals for the students.  The public school teachers who function as Cooperating Teachers for the students during their placement provide a workshop on timely topics such as classroom management, time management and diversity at the IC Rochester site. Students tour the housing and the elementary and high schools to meet faculty and students alike. 

During the Rochester placement students are supervised and taught by an Ithaca College faculty member who is on-site.  Students engage in the normal daily activities of the teaching staff at the schools.  Students are required to complete 30 professional development hours while on placement.