Academic Programs

Professional Semester III - Course Outline - Background

Background

Professional Semester III is the culminating practicum experience in the Faculty of Education. PS III will provide students with an internship teaching experience in which they take on the primary responsibility for approximately one-half (50%) of a mentor teacher’s load.

PS III operates for approximately 12-17 weeks in either the Fall semester (from the opening of the school year to the Christmas vacation), or in the Spring semester, (January to April). Students are urged to complete a Program/Graduation Check and/or consult with the SPS office, prior to their enrollment in PS III.
The Intern Teacher will work collaboratively with the Mentor Teacher, the Faculty Advisor and other school personnel to develop and deliver a curriculum that s/he has planned.
PS I has a lesson planning focus, PS II has a unit planning focus and PS III has a course planning focus. At the conclusion of PS III, an intern will have demonstrated the skills necessary to begin his or her teaching career.

Purpose

The purpose of PS III is to give students a transitional teaching experience in preparation for a position as a teacher.

Helps

Check out Marlo's PS III Survival Guide to help cope with the stresses of PS III.

Teaching is a balancing act, the following epistle describes the cold hard consequences of maintaining appropriate balance in teaching and professional development.
There is a procedure for when things are not going well; here is the process when PS III students experience deep difficulties:

Professional Conduct

The Faculty of Education ethical code of conduct applies to all aspects of the practicum, see the link below.