The student teaching program at the University of Northern Iowa places priority on developing a preservice teacher's ability to become a reflective practitioner. As a required field experience for teacher education students, the program provides time for learning, experimentation, critical analysis, and practice. The second major construct on which the program rests is the mentor relationship fostered between the student teacher, university supervisor, and cooperating teacher. The program is organized into five curricular components. (1) The teaching component is the time when the student teacher is allowed to work on a full-time basis, under supervision, with students. (2) An action research component allows the student teacher to understand classrooms and schools; the relationship between them and the external factors that act upon them. (3) Seminars, linked to students' classroom experiences, broaden knowledge of teaching by encouraging reflection on practice. (4) Journals written by student teachers allow constant dialogue to take place between the student, supervisor, and cooperating teacher. (5) Supervisory conferences precede and follow formal observations of the cooperating teacher and the university supervisor. Each component is described in detail with emphasis upon what takes place in its arena and what purposes it fulfills. (JD)