An Alternative Approach to the Traditional Internship

2020

Bush A, Grotjohann N. The impact of a long-term internship on pre-service teacher collaboration. Journal of Innovation in Psychology, Education and Didactics . 2020;24(1):7-24.Through the participation of pre-service teachers in a six-month, long-term internship, the pre-service teacher collaboration could be examined for the first time over a longer teaching practice phase. N = 74 students in a master of education program were interviewed before and after the long-term internship with respect to their general team orientation, their attitudes towards collaboration, their intentions to carry out future collaborative behaviors in the future as well as their performance of collaboration during the long-term internship. The results show that the pre-service teachers’ intentions to collaborate decreased during the long-term internship, especially in case of pre-service primary school teachers. The regression models show that during the long-term internship, it is possible to infer the p...

School University Partnerships, 2012

The Professional Educator, 2011

Peer placements, pairing two preservice teachers with a cooperating teacher, have been shown to provide a more supportive and collaborative context for learning to teach than the traditional student-cooperating teacher, single placement model. In some cases, however, tensions existed. This qualitative study seeks to expand the extant research by identifying and analyzing the challenges 24 preservice teachers experienced in their peer placements. While virtually all preservice teachers viewed their peer placements positively, results indicate that all preservice teachers negotiated challenges that pertained to the act or perceived value of collaboration in practice. Specifically, preservice teachers’ prior experiences had not prepared them for in-depth collaboration, and their tendency to view teaching as an autonomous profession that one gains entry into by “sinking or swimming” influenced their perception of the role of collaboration in professional learning. Recommendations are provided to guide the development or refinement of peer placements.

Developing professional expertise of prospective t eachers not only in terms of theoretical knowledge but also in terms of competencies of desi gning challenging and cognitively activating learning opportunities in the mathematics classroom is certainly one of the key aims of internship phases in pre-service mathematics teacher training. As mathematics-related theoretical contents of teacher training and practice-related learning oppo rtunities of school internships are not always link ed in an optimal way, this paper aims at discussing a model of an intensive internship phase combined with a triple coaching approach partly integrated i n a course accompanying the internship phase.

Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 2015

An issue of particular concern in mathematics teacher education is the relationship between theory and practice, and the nature of university-school partnerships. We report here on results from a research project answering the call for a more systematic understanding of the practice learning context. The study focuses on the new Norwegian elementary teacher education programme and highlights the difficulties involved in connecting theory and practice and how prospective teachers may be supported in this respect. Focus group interviews involving 51 first-year prospective teachers and 25 teacher-mentors investigated early school placements, specifically prospective teachers' positions in the classroom as teachers of mathematics, and the ways in which the mentoring relationship supported their developing role. Taking a communities of practice perspective, we found that the idea of movement across intersecting and sometimes conflicting communities of practice is helpful in aiding our understanding of the difficulty of connecting theory and practice. Additionally, variations in mentoring styles and perceptions of prospective teachers' mathematics and pedagogic knowledge competencies play a part in some prospective teachers' difficulties in taking up a role as legitimate peripheral participant in the school. We conclude by considering ways in which prospective teachers might be better supported to cope with school placement.

Teaching Education, 2010

Research on peer placements suggests that partnering two preservice teachers with a mentor provides a better, more supportive context for learning to teach. As extant research has focused more on student teachers’ development, less is known about mentors’ perceptions and experiences. This qualitative study focuses on seven mentor teachers who have mentored one–three years in peer placements to provide a textured understanding of their perceptions and experiences. Results indicate: (a) peer collaboration provides important pedagogical scaffolding that helps student teachers plan and implement complex pedagogies; (b) peer–mentor observation helps student teachers feel more efficacious about their developing practice; (c) sharing responsibility for instruction and distributing roles and resources enables mentors to better meet the needs of student teachers and students; and (d) effective peer placements require mentors to conceptualize their work in different ways. Professional development recommendations are also provided.

Journal of Education & Social Policy, 2018

Extensive field experiences can significantly impact the preparation of teacher candidates. Living in a high-stakes era of accountability, education reform efforts have shifted toward educator preparation programs. Such programs are being examined to measure whether they are preparing effective teacher candidates who are ready for today's classrooms. In fact, the current accrediting body for teacher education programs, Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), seeks to advance equity and excellence in education. Institutions of higher education and their partnering local education agencies understand the importance of clinical partnerships, purposeful placements, and reflective practices as they relate to teacher preparation. This study sought to create a pilot teacher residency model in an effort to make continuous improvements to the educator preparation program and prepare highly effective teachers.

EURASIA Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 2007

In response to shortages of science and mathematics teachers in the U.S., many states have promoted alternative routes to certification in which individuals with non-education undergraduate degrees can become certificated in shorter timeframes than in traditional programs. One consideration in designing alternative programs is how to arrange field-based internships that help provide transformative pathways to non-traditional students in becoming a teacher. The purpose of this study was to understand the views of interns, their mentor teachers, and university personnel who participated in one alternative certification program regarding the best structures for field experiences. Through an analysis of artifacts collected in a meeting where we discussed the pros and cons of five different intership models as well as interviews with individuals in each stakeholder group, we were able to understand the various viewpoints. We found that, although perspectives were consistent within each group, they differed across the three groups. These differences were grounded in the personal needs and experiences of each group. Although our findings point to no "perfect" internship model to support the transformation of alternative certification students into teachers, they have implications for the design and enactment of field-based internships in such programs.

IGI Global eBooks, 2016

This qualitative inquiry described the nature of paired placements within a revolutionary new teacher education program designed to prepare undergraduate teacher education candidates for employment in inclusive early childhood learning environments. The focus of this project, reflecting a Vygotskian lens, has emerged into a five-fold examination: to document the ways that pairs work together, to articulate the outcomes of pairings as contrasted with single arrangements, to identify the practices that make pairings successful or not, to examine the practice of pairing students from the mentor teachers' perspective, and to explore how collaboration between student teachers and mentor teachers lead to critical reflection about teaching. Data sources included semi-structured interviews with teacher candidates and cooperating mentors and teachers, observations and field notes. The site for this study was a university-based early childhood center.