Academic Programs

Professional Semester III - Course Outline - Expectations

Expectations

Below, is an executive summary of important expectations for this practicum experience for all those involved:

General

  • start date is the same as the first day of school (the actual date will be variable depending on the school),
  • end date is approximately 15 weeks later (e.g. in the Fall, usually last teaching day before the Christmas break)
  • interns cannot be hired as subs (schools still need to hire a sub if the mentor teacher is not there)
  • interns have to be with a designated teacher if they leave the school premises on a field trip

Intern

  • will have a long range plan before teaching or as soon as possible
  • will take 50% of the mentor teacher's full time teaching load
  • the interns will engage in a professional inquiry study
  • will develop a professional growth plan, mentor teachers can help by discussing school goals and initiatives
  • the interns will participate in seminars conducted by the University Adviser
  • will work on their professional portfolio - the Teacher Mentor will work with interns on this
  • will be involved in online seminars conducted by the University Adviser, Teacher Mentors are welcome to participate (in our case this will be done online)

Teacher Mentor

  • should do a minimum of 1 observation/week (2-3 times would be better)
  • should hold one formal meeting with the intern per week - potential topics include long range planning, classroom management, etc.
  • will be the main person who is responsible for working with the intern - occasionally there are two teacher mentors but this should not be a group or committee (although it would be fine for the intern to work with two Teacher Mentors or a committee for planning and doing curriculum integration (e.g PLC), and even doing some team teaching; if that is the way the school works
  • will fill out the final report description

Administrator

  • will do at least 3 formal observations during the 15 weeks - administrators can use the same procedure and forms used on first year teachers
  • will fill out the final report description

University Adviser

  • will have regular contact with both the teacher mentor, administrator, and intern (primarily through e-mail for distant placements)
  • will make 2-3 observations if the intern is Zone 6 (Southern Alberta)
  • fills out the final report and assigns the grade (Pass/Fail)

Formative Evaluation of the Intern

There are no specific evaluation forms for the mentor teacher or administrator to use while observing the intern. Each teacher mentor or administrator tends to use forms that they are comfortable with (e.g administrators often use first year teacher evaluation forms). However, the following formative assessment form may help guide conversations with the intern teacher:

Involvement in the School

Interns are expected to participate in staff meetings, IPP planning meetings, and local professional development. Where appropriate, the interns should participate in co-curricular activities under the supervision of the Teacher Mentor.

Involvement in PD Activities

Beyond teaching in the classroom, there are professional development expectations for the interns, see the Assignment section.

School Visits

If your school is within our local area (zone 6), the Faculty Advisor will observe the intern's classes formally at least twice. If the intern is outside our local area (zone 6), the Faculty Adviser does not ususally make visits. In the later case the University relies primarily on the Administrator and Mentor Teacher to represent the interests of the teaching profession and make judgement calls about the intern's ability.

More Details

The link below will provide general background information on the Professional Semester III:

Please see the PS III handbook, which describe responsibilities and expectations in more detail (pdf document).