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office of field experiences & internship
Purpose, Structure, and Objectives
The final clinical field-based experience (the internship) is the capstone of our Professional Program in Teacher Education. At the internship level, interns meld the theoretical and practical knowledge of classroom instruction with professional behaviors. Interns have the opportunity to explore, investigate, grow, and develop through the internship.
Interns are expected to demonstrate mastery of selected Performance Dimensions in addition to all of the Professional Behaviors and Dispositions found in section one of this Guidebook. Interns must be able to apply their knowledge of learners and learning in the classroom by successfully working with students as full participating members of a professional school community.
Expectations for interns include the ability to
- design sequential objectives and strategies based on state and local standards,
- analyze his or her own teaching methods in comparison with student achievement to ensure that standards are met,
- plan and deliver instruction, within the school setting, with consideration given to individual background and learning style of the individual student, and
- assume the role of a professional educator, working productively with his or her mentors.
Finally, the internship represents an all-important exit point in the program. Interns may not finish the internship, or complete their particular programs of study, without demonstrating competence as defined in this document; therefore, the internship serves as the final check of both student quality and program effectiveness.
Specific Intern Responsibilities
In addition to the responsibilities outlined in Section II of this document, as well as the Coastal Carolina University Student Handbook, Interns are expected to adhere to the following specific responsibilities.
- Attendance
Attendance is expected on all internship days. Unexcused absences may result in removal from field experiences and/or a grade of “U” or “F”. The University Supervisor is the only individual who can approve excused absences. All absences must be “made-up” according to a plan prescribed by the Cooperating Teacher and the University Supervisor.
Obviously, an absence may be necessary due to an infirmity or other serious personal problems. If this necessity arises, the intern must notify both the University Supervisor and the Cooperating Teacher as far in advance as possible. Interns should pay particular attention to the following restrictions on absences:
- Unexcused absences may result in the requirement to repeat the entire internship.
- An excused absence, which would cause the Intern to have fewer than sixty (60) days in the classroom, must be made up after the last scheduled day of the internship. In addition, the Cooperating Teacher, the University Supervisor, and the Director of Field Placement must approve the rescheduling of the internship completion date.
- Failure to notify the Cooperating Teacher and the University Supervisor of an absence may result in the absence being classified as “unexcused.”
- It is the responsibility of the University Supervisor, in consultation with the Cooperating Teacher, to notify the Intern of the final determination of excused or unexcused status for an absence.
- After receiving a determination of “unexcused” for an absence, the Intern has the right to appeal this decision to the Program Chair.
- The Intern must deliver a written request for appeal and schedule an appointment to present his or her circumstances regarding the absence to the Program Chair within five (5) calendar days of receiving notification of the “unexcused” determination. The Program Chair will notify the Intern within three business days of the final determination of the absence and any consequences of that determination.
Code of Student Conduct
- Interns are expected to know, understand, and abide by both the “Code of Student Conduct” (published in the CCU Student Handbook), and the “Standards of Conduct for South Carolina Educators” (published by the SCDE).
- Confidentiality regarding student and public school issues is imperative.
The Program Chair shall remove a intern from any field-based placement when removal is deemed to be in the best interest of the public school or the intern.
Personal Appearance
Interns will be well-groomed and maintain their personal appearance in a professional manner befitting an educator. It is the responsibility of the intern to know and adhere to the standards governing dress for the faculty of the assigned school.
Personal Involvement
Interns shall refrain from becoming involved with public school students at the assigned school both during and after the internship. Involvement may take many forms including, but not limited to:
- inappropriate personal comments made individually or to the class as a whole,
- participation with a public-school student in social activities not sponsored by the public school,
- communication of a personal nature by phone, email, text-message, Internet communication services, or letter to either the student or the parents/guardians of the student, and
- engaging in social situations with school district personnel (faculty and staff of assigned school) outside of the school setting during the course of the internship.
Extra-curricular Duties
Interns will assume the full teaching responsibilities of a classroom teacher during the internship. The Intern will adhere to the daily schedule of the Cooperating Teacher during the internship including all extra-curricular duties. These extra-curricular duties may include, but are not limited to:
- bus, hall, cafeteria, or playground duty,
- general faculty meetings,
- parent conferences,
- open house or PTA meetings that the faculty or department is required to attend,
- departmental meetings,
- in-service training and activities which are required for all faculty or for the specific department to which the intern is assigned,
- team planning meetings,
- rehearsals or practice sessions, and
- field trips planned during the school day.
The Intern is not responsible for participation in activities or duties assigned to his or her Cooperating Teacher that are “extra-duty paid positions.” The Cooperating Teacher may ask the Intern not to participate in committee meetings that are specialized and are of a confidential nature for either the student or the school (e.g.: due-process discipline hearings, placement meetings for students that the intern does not teach, etc.).
Assuming Teaching Responsibility
The Cooperating Teacher, the intern, and the University Supervisor will jointly determine the rate of responsibility assumption during the initial weeks of the internship. The Intern will assume the full teaching responsibilities of his or her Cooperating Teacher for no fewer than 35 days of the total experience. The Intern will demonstrate competency in the five Performance Dimensions of the Knowledge, Skills Documents and the nine Behavior and Disposition criteria during this time. The Intern should bear in mind that the 35 days of full-time teaching is a minimum CCU expectation. It is expected that the intern be involved in instructional activities for the entire time he or she is assigned to the public school.
Weekly Lesson Plans
Weekly lesson plans will be submitted to the Cooperating Teacher for any week that partial or full instructional responsibility lies with the Intern. The lesson plans will provide a specific outline of the major standards, topics, skills, and activities addressed during the week. The plans are due to the Cooperating Teacher no later than the beginning of the school day on the Friday before the week of instructional duties, or earlier if the school policy so dictates.
Interns will prepare lesson plans according to the model prescribed by the program faculty for their program area. All Internship lesson plans, and critiques of the plans, should be kept in a folder or notebook accessible to the Cooperating Teacher and the University Supervisor.
Performance Dimensions Notebook
In order to document their “Student Achievement and Professionalism” Performance Dimension interns will create a folder or notebook that includes, but is not limited to, the following materials:
- student work,
- instructional units,
- lesson plans,
- self-evaluations,
- classroom management plans,
- seating charts, and
- demographic studies
Teacher Work Sample
Interns are required to complete a Teacher Work Sample (TWS). Program faculty will give interns specific program area requirements and determine the schedule for submitting TWS sections. Interns will find examples of TWS exemplars on The Renaissance Partnership for Improving Teacher Quality Project web site (http://fp.uni.edu/itq) .
Self Reflection
Interns will engage in self-reflection and self-evaluation on a regular basis. This self analysis is an essential component of both the formative and summative conferences.
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