D718 Student Teaching II in Elementary Education is the closing clinical course in WGU's elementary teacher preparation route. WGU describes it as the final part of a two-part series and a mandatory course for every candidate seeking initial licensure.
The challenge is that you are being judged on live practice, not on an essay alone. You teach in a real classroom, take feedback from observers, and still produce written reflection that shows you can analyze and adjust your own teaching. Because the final evaluation feeds into licensure eligibility, the stakes feel high from the first week.
Course at a Glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| University | Western Governors University (WGU) |
| Course code | D718 (codes are revised over time, so check your degree plan) |
| Level | Teacher preparation, final clinical course |
| Builds on | Student Teaching I in Elementary Education |
| Requirements | Supervised classroom placement plus required synchronous learning sessions |
| Why it matters | Successful completion is a crucial step in determining licensure eligibility |
What D718 Covers
WGU's program guide lists five competencies for Student Teaching II in Elementary Education. In plain language they ask for the following:
| Competency (summarized) | What it looks like in practice |
|---|---|
| Implements effective instructional strategies and assessments | Lessons that match content and pedagogy, with assessment that shows what pupils learned |
| Implements knowledge of learning and developmental patterns | Teaching that fits the age, needs and progress of the children in front of you |
| Ongoing commitment to improvement through reflection and collaboration | Using mentor and observer feedback, and working with colleagues |
| Reflects to create a professional development plan | A forward-looking plan built from evidence in your own practice |
| Implements professional dispositions | Reliable, ethical, respectful conduct in school and online |
The final evaluation looks at how relevant and culturally engaging your activities are, how effectively you teach each student, whether you can analyze and adjust your methods, and your willingness to try new materials and approaches.
Ideas That Carry the Course
Teaching Each Student, Not the Average Child
The evaluation language stresses the effectiveness of teaching each student. That means your plans should show how you adjust for different readers, language backgrounds and levels of confidence, not only a single whole-class activity.
Example: A fourth-grade lesson on main idea might use the same passage for everyone, with sentence starters for pupils who need support, a shorter text for emerging readers, and an extension question that asks stronger readers to compare two paragraphs. Your reflection then names which adjustment worked and what evidence told you so.
Analyze and Adjust, Then Say So
Evaluators want a visible loop: you taught, noticed something, changed something. Reflection that only says "the lesson went well" gives them nothing to credit.
Example: "Exit tickets showed nine of 24 pupils could not explain regrouping. The next day I modeled the step with base-ten blocks and re-checked with three questions. Seven of those nine then answered correctly." The numbers are illustrative; yours must be real.
From Reflection to a Development Plan
The professional development plan should grow out of patterns in your feedback. Choose two or three areas, set one realistic action for each, and state how you will tell whether it worked.
What You Are Asked to Produce
WGU's description does not publish a fixed list of tasks, so check your course page for exact requirements. In courses of this type, work typically falls into these groups:
| Work type | What it tests | How to approach it |
|---|---|---|
| Classroom teaching | Instruction, assessment, rapport | Plan each lesson with a clear objective and a way to check it |
| Observations and final evaluation | Whether you act on feedback and meet the competencies | Ask your mentor what they will look for; keep notes after every observation |
| Synchronous sessions | Professional growth, ethical decisions, self-care | Attend, prepare questions, record takeaways you can cite later |
| Written reflection and development plan | Honest analysis | Use specific events and evidence, not general praise |
Where Students Get Stuck
- Treating reflection as a diary. Describe less and analyze more: what happened, why, and what changed.
- Weak evidence. Point to student work, exit tickets, observation comments or assessment data.
- Missing sessions. The synchronous sessions are required in addition to your placement, so put them in your calendar early.
- Generic plans. A plan that could belong to any teacher shows little about your growth.
- Last-minute pressure. Reflection written weeks later loses detail. Take brief notes after each teaching day.
Study Tips for D718
- Match your reflection headings to the competency wording so evaluators can find each one quickly.
- Keep a running log of one strength, one adjustment and one question after every week of teaching.
- Reread your Student Teaching I feedback and show how you responded to each point.
- Practice explaining a lesson decision aloud in two sentences; it makes written analysis sharper.
- Ask your mentor teacher early which parts of the evaluation they find hardest to see evidence for.
How We Help with D718
Send your prompts, rubric, observation feedback and any draft reflection. We provide model examples, editing feedback and study explanations of the competencies. See also our education assignment help guide.
GradeEssays is independent of Western Governors University and does not teach in your classroom, attend your sessions or log in to your WGU account.
Our work is study support and reference material, to be used within WGU's academic integrity rules. Every order is written from scratch, includes free revisions within the scope of your original request and is refunded in full if late.
Get Ready for Your Final Evaluation
Share your reflection drafts and feedback from Student Teaching I. We give you model examples and editing feedback to learn from.
Start My D718 HelpFree revisions · Full refund if late · Written from scratch for your order
Frequently Asked Questions
WGU calls it the final part of a two-part student teaching series, and says successful completion is a crucial step in determining licensure eligibility. Other program requirements and state rules still apply, so confirm them with your mentor.
Yes. WGU states that candidates must attend the required synchronous learning sessions in addition to their classroom placement. Topics include professional growth opportunities, ethical decision making and self-care.
One competency asks you to reflect on your practice and create such a plan. Base it on real patterns in your feedback and set specific actions with a way to judge progress.
The title is the same, and WGU codes are updated over time. Always follow the code and requirements shown in your own degree plan.
WGU lists relevance and cultural engagement of activities, effectiveness in teaching each student, ability to analyze and adjust methods, and willingness to explore new materials and methods.
No. Your evaluation depends on your own teaching and your evaluators. We offer study support, examples and editing feedback only.