Internship I: Inquiry in Teaching and Learning

Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:

Students successfully completing this course will be able to:

• Develop an understanding of young adolescents, their developmental characteristics and needs and how best to meet these needs within the classroom.
• Synthesize and articulate the research base which supports a student-centered approach.
• Examine student’s beliefs and teaching and begin the formal process of building a vision statement to guide their teaching through reflective writing.
• Begin to understand, develop, and implement lessons in area of concentration.
• Describe, analyze, and evaluate the characteristics of effective middle schools.
• Introduce students to the complexities of teaching.
• Learn to observe classrooms systematically and critically for their organization, interaction patterns, and the relationships between interaction and learning.
• Research, describe, and demonstrate teaching strategies, formative assessments, and the many ways to group students for instruction.
• Begin to understand their role in professional leadership through study of School Improvement Plans, use of data, and professional reading. Strategies for addressing student needs and forms of assessments will be explored.

Course Grading Information:

Activity/Performance Measure	Percentage/Points
Participation/Professionalism	10%
Internship	30%
Educator Interviews	10%
Structured Reflection Prompts	45%
Culminating Assignment – Looking Back/Looking Forward	5%

Attendance/Participation:

You are expected to attend every class and should inform the instructor of any conflicts or emergency situations. The level and quantity of learning depends, to a large extent, on the quality of class participation and discussion. Please come prepared to assume an active and thoughtful role by having completed all assigned work.

Course Materials Purchased by the Students:

No course materials are required.