PACE - LCSC Education Division - Lewis-Clark State College

The OSTE, the college supervisor, and the intern should be conferencing and collaboratingduring the entire semester so that any problems or concerns are quickly identified andappropriate action taken. Major weaknesses should be addressed well before the end of theinternship. If the internship is to be extended so that the intern can improve in some area ordemonstrate certain knowledge, skills or dispositions, this should be determined well before thelast week of internship and should come as no surprise to the intern.Of Potential Interest to the InternIntroduction to the InternshipInternship will probably be the highlight of the intern’s PACE Elementary Teacher EducationProgram experiences. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that the intern will be required towork very hard. In working hard, the intern should work smart. Interns should keep a dailyplanner book in which they carefully note their classes, activities, and assignments. Internsshould schedule carefully; do the most important things first. Whenever it is possible, internsshould work ahead of assignments and projects. They should not let personal business or parttime work interfere with their internships. Interns should always maintain high expectations andstandards. Interns’ work should always be of the highest quality. Internship requires totalcommitment.OSTEs have volunteered to work with their interns. OSTEs are not required to do this; no matterhow much help interns provide, it is still additional work for on-site teacher educators to workwith interns. And while the on-site teacher educator is concerned with helping his/her internbecome a good teacher, the OSTE’s first loyalty and concern is with his/her students. Likewise,the intern’s first concern should not be self, but the welfare of the students with whom s/heworks.Interns should develop a rapport with their on-site teacher educator so that they feel comfortablequestioning about why things are done certain ways, but interns also need to understand that theyare the novices. It is entirely inappropriate for interns to challenge the authority, experience, orexpertise of their OSTEs. Interns should always discuss their plans well in advance with theiron-site teacher educators and should react positively to the suggestions and advice they receive.Interns should practice listening skills; OSTEs should not have to tell interns something twice.Interns should follow the directions given by their OSTEs.ObservationThe primary purpose of observation is to improve the intern’s instructional capacities.Observation and analysis of the on-site teacher educator’s techniques as well as other schoolfaculty is critical if interns are to develop a basis for their own teaching strategies. Anotherpurpose for observation is to discern the varying forms of student behaviors, when they occur,and how they enhance or distract learning (i.e. when students get restless, tired, active, etc.).47