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2025-2026 / AESS1218-1

Special didactics in biology : placements (1st part)

Observation placements

Teaching placements

Reflexive practical work

Duration

Observation placements : 10h Internship
Teaching placements : 20h Internship
Reflexive practical work : 5h Pr

Number of credits

 Master in biochemistry and molecular and cell biology, teaching focus (Réinscription uniquement, pas de nouvelle inscription)3 crédits 
 Master in biology of organisms and ecology, teaching focus (Réinscription uniquement, pas de nouvelle inscription)3 crédits 
 Certified upper secondary education teacher (Réinscription uniquement, pas de nouvelle inscription)3 crédits 

Lecturer

Observation placements : Marie-Noëlle Hindryckx
Teaching placements : Marie-Noëlle Hindryckx
Reflexive practical work : Marie-Noëlle Hindryckx

Coordinator

Marie-Noëlle Hindryckx

Language(s) of instruction

French language

Organisation and examination

All year long

Schedule

Schedule online

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

Observation placements

Observation practice is visiting teachers' classes and observing them in different situations in science teaching; this is to improve one's own teaching during practice teaching and to build a systemic regard on teaching practices.

Teaching placements

Practice teaching is made up of important steps in the progressive acquisition of teaching skills. Students working on course preparation and related tasks must apply themselves as diligently as possible to these tasks. The teaching intern must sign a statement promising to act with respect toward the institution, the intern director and the students he or she is given to instruct, in human and moral terms as well as pedagogical terms.

This promise is a declaration on the part of the intern which will be made available to students, and which must be signed at the beginning of the year. If respect of them miss, stage can be stopped.

Internships with teaching are opportunities for students to be exposed to different kinds of teaching, different ways of presenting material in class, and different kinds of publics (students) of secondary school.

 

Course timetables must be entered on the platform at least one week in advance.

Reflexive practical work

Students will be able to gain perspective with regard to their own teaching practice during teaching exercises and practice teaching; there will be many occasions for students to analyze their own practices in order to improve. The reflective posture can take place into the teaching practice during all the cursus and in collaboration with DG course.

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

Observation placements

Students will be able to analyze teaching situations in which they may find themselves placed (in classrooms, in public, typical teaching tasks) prior to having full charge of class meetings. It will be an occasion to overview the teaching of sciences in his globality, from first grades to high school.

Teaching placements

The principal objective of practice teaching is to put the future teacher in situations that he or she will encounter in professional practice. These teaching situations will lead future teachers to acquire skills as they pursue their initial training for the profession of teacher.

At the end of the placements, students will be able to plan a placement, prepare a complete lesson, deliver the lesson, think on their practice with a view to improving it, and set personal goals for the future.

Reflexive practical work

Upon completion of the course students should be able to:
-analyse their practice in order to improve it, alone and in a group;
-analyse the practice of others in order to enrich their vision of teaching in the sciences;
-take into account their own representations of the profession in order to enable them to develop.

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

Observation placements

Student must be properly enrolled at the University and sign up for special didactics in biology (attendance required).

Teaching placements

In order to be allowed to enter the teacher training programme, students must sign an internship protocol and must have participated on a regular basis in classes and exercises (attendance is verified). If in the course of activities a lack of preparation is observed the faculty for special didactics in biology reserves the right to require students to remedy these lacks and to demand that additional conditions be met prior to that student being allowed to practice teach.

The student must observe the internship rules established for the classes of special didactics in biology.

Reflexive practical work

no one

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

Observation placements

Information collected during observation practice will help improve teaching practice during the internship, but it will also help students follow the material in classes and exercises.

The students themselves contact the establishments where they carry out the observations

Teaching placements

Exercises in small groups contribute to the construction of didactic sequences for each student's benefit, depending on what is asked for and the subjects involved.

The Wednesday sessions (disciplinary didactics course) allow to address the essential aspects of the active internship and to make links between theory and class practice.

The internship supervisor  (maitre de stage) accompanies the student in his professional practice; the didacticians meet this internship supervisor during the certificate visits and then can discuss with the student and himher on this occasion.

Reflexive practical work

Refresher sessions after the end of practice teaching are offered; each student can share his or her experience. Reflective posture can take place into the teaching practice during all the cursus

Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)

Observation placements

Face-to-face course


Further information:

8 periods (50') to be scheduled in accordance with different school's levels, in schools according student's choice 

He/she will contact the schools him/herself

 

Teaching placements

Face-to-face course


Further information:

The first phase of active teaching practice (November) will include at least 10 periods (50 minutes each) of lessons with a teaching mentor (a teacher who is a reference point in their class), preceded by at least two periods of observation of the class(es) involved in the teaching practice (observations + 10 periods of active teaching practice).


The second phase of active teaching practice (January) will consist of at least 10 periods (50 minutes) of teaching with a mentor teacher, preceded by at least two periods of observation of the class(es) involved in the teaching practice.

At the end of these two phases of teaching practice, students must have completed at least 25 periods of teaching practice.





Students will make their exact internship schedule and his planning available at least one week before the beginning of the period, with the help of an on line form to be filled out. Hours spent doing practice teaching, etc., which are not scheduled in this manner in a timely fashion will not be counted.

The internship report will be written according to instructions that are posted on eCampus and are downloadable. This report will be always available during the practice and will be send 15 days max. after the last course period.

Student in lightening program must take part of teacher training for 25 course periods to valid this partim.

Reflexive practical work

Face-to-face course


Further information:

Time spent in reflection on practice is not separated from time in class or time spent doing exercises: post-internship discussions, analysis of shared practices, and discussion of practices are opportunities to work on this.

Course materials and recommended or required readings

Observation placements

Platform(s) used for course materials:
- eCampus


Further information:

The documents needed for internship activities can be downloaded from eCampus

Teaching placements

Platform(s) used for course materials:
- eCampus


Further information:

The documents needed for internship activities and various other activities can be downloaded from eCampus

Reflexive practical work

Platform(s) used for course materials:
- eCampus


Further information:

The documents required for internships and mock-ups can be downloaded from eCampus.

Observation placements

Exam(s) in session

Any session

- Remote

written exam

Written work / report


Further information:

The eight hours of observation handled by the Special Didactic Service will be observations of students in the context of a class meeting of a science course. Following completion of the observations the proper form, completed and signed for each hour of observation must be return to Didactic professors, can be downloaded from eCampus.


These works determine part of acces to  evaluation exam DD partim II.

Teaching placements

Exam(s) in session

Any session

- In-person

written exam

Written work / report

Continuous assessment

Other : internship report; visits of didactician; referent teacher's advices


Further information:

During the placements (partim 1), students will be visited by members of the specialised biology teaching team. The purpose of these visits is to identify the working environment, difficulties and strengths, as well as progress in the teaching profession (building professional identity). Depending on everyone's availability and after the lesson has been observed, students will have the opportunity to discuss their difficulties or questions with each of the teaching staff, in the presence of the internship supervisor if possible. The minimum internship requirements will be available on eCampus. A written report will then be provided to the student, with the assessment obtained for the visit, as well as comments and objectives to be taken into account for the next placement.

A completed placement folder will be required. This folder, which should be a ring binder, will include the following sections, separated by coloured dividers: cover sheet, internship schedule with the signatures of the internship supervisor for the hours actually worked, by class: planning with the topics and methodologies covered, preparations for each internship period, a retrospective analysis of each of the lessons taught. This folder must comply with the instructions provided and downloadable on eCampus and must be submitted by the deadlines set at the beginning of the year.

The internship grade I will be based on the grades given by specialist teachers (certification visit 1) and the assessment of the internship supervisors.


There will be no second session for internships, and a grade lower than 10/20 may result in the student being deferred for this part.

If the preparation for the day's lesson(s) is not present during the visit, this will be penalised with a mark of Insufficient.

An incorrectly provided timetable (incorrect or incomplete address; incorrect timetable) leading to the impossibility of visiting the internship may result in the removal of 5 internship periods out of the 25.

Reflexive practical work

Exam(s) in session

Any session

- In-person

written exam AND oral exam

Continuous assessment


Further information:

The evaluation for reflective practice will be a training grade which will continue throughout exercises.

Work placement(s)

Organisational remarks and main changes to the course

Contacts

Observation placements

Teachers :

Marie-Noëlle HINDRYCKX
MN.Hindryckx@uliege.be


Teaching instructors:



Mélanie Laschet
melanie.laschet@uliege.be
Clara Cravatte
clara.cravatte@uliege.be
Mercedes Avignon
mercedes.avignon@uliege.be

Thierry Gouders

tgouders@uliege.be


Quartier Agora, 7 allée du Six Août
B6C bureau 2/5
B-4000 Liège
04 366 34 89

Teaching placements

Teachers :

Marie-Noëlle HINDRYCKX
MN.Hindryckx@uliege.be


Teaching instructors:

Mélanie Laschet
melanie.laschet@uliege.be

Corentin Poffé
corentin.poffe@uliege.be

 

Clara Cravatte

clara.cravatte@uliege.be



Mercedes Avignon

mercedes.avignon@uliege.be

 


Quartier Agora, 7, allée du Six Août
B6c 2/5
B-4000 Liège
04 366 34 89

Reflexive practical work

Teachers :

Marie-Noëlle HINDRYCKX
MN.Hindryckx@uliege.be


Teaching instructors:



Mélanie Laschet
melanie.laschet@uliege.be
Clara Cravatte
clara.cravatte@uliege.be
Mercedes Avignon
Mercedes.avignon@uliege.be
Clara Cravatte
clara.cravatte@uliege.be

Thierry Gouders

tgouders@uliege.be




Quartier Agora, 7 allée du Six Août

B6c local 2/5


B-4000 Liège
04 366 34 89

Association of one or more MOOCs