PACE - LCSC Education Division - Lewis-Clark State College

SECTION 6 – REFERENCE SECTIONOf Potential Interest to the On-Site Teacher EducatorOverview of the InternshipThe on-site teacher educator should orient and prepare his/her students for the arrival of theintern. A desk or workspace for the intern equipped with appropriate curriculum guides,materials and supplies is important. During the first week, the intern needs to get acquaintedwith the building, the staff members (including counselors and secretaries), policies, schedules,etc. No detail is too small, for example: where to park; where to eat lunch; which rest roomteachers use; where to make copies; where to locate books and supplies; etc.Students need to know that they are expected to treat the intern as they would treat theirclassroom teacher and that under the law, interns assume the same legal responsibilities and areentitled to the same privileges as are licensed teachers.It is helpful to the intern to have some information on the community, staff, and students.Access to cumulative records and other student data should be discussed. The intern should beintroduced to other faculty and building personnel. Activities, such as faculty meetings, P.T.A.functions, parent conferences and inservice events can be scheduled into the intern’s calendar.Approaching the internship experience as a team-teaching effort is suggested for inducting theintern into the life of the classroom. This provides a less stressful transition for the OSTE, theintern, and their students. Interns are meant to be an asset to their on-site teacher educators.Students should benefit from the presence of two adults in the classroom. The intern, forexample, can free the OSTE to work with smaller groups or to give more attention to individualswho need special help. Interns can tutor students, grade and record assignments, help developinstructional materials, mirror teach, team teach, or provide instruction for small and largegroups.As with induction into the classroom, planning should begin as a cooperative venture. Initially,the OSTE will share instructional plans with the intern, pointing out the sequences of instructionand explaining routines of each day and week. The intern will teach more often as the internshipprogresses. Interns need to be team members who know how to follow and how to lead whenasked. They need to feel comfortable questioning their OSTE about why they do certain things,but interns also need to understand that they are the novices. It is entirely inappropriate for anintern to challenge the authority, experience, or expertise of an OSTE. Interns should alwaysdiscuss their plans well in advance with their OSTEs and should react positively to thesuggestions and advice they receive. They need to follow the directions given them by theirOSTEs. The OSTE has a right to expect detailed lesson planning from interns. All plans shouldbe submitted to their OSTEs at least one day in advance of teaching.44