Academic Internship
STEM 485 Apprentice Teaching

My LeADERS Academic Internship course was STEM 485 Apprentice Teaching. As a preservice teacher seeking licensure, this is a state requirement to receive licensure through an undergraduate education program. There are seven key experiences involved in apprentice teaching:

 

1. Observe the operation of schools

2. Analyze the implementation of curricula and instructional strategies

3. Assist with assessments and analyzing data

4. Observe the growth and development of students

5. Assist with classroom and extracurricular activities

6. Assume responsibility for the learners and the instructional activities

7. Assume the professional identity and dispositions of a skilled and successful educator

 

I completed an 11-week internship at Tabb High School (THS) in the York County School Division I observed and taught in five 9th and 10th-grade general biology classes and was responsible for approximately 130 students. I began the internship mostly observing the classes and assisting with work but quickly transitioned into teaching one class at a time until I was responsible for all five classes. During my time at THS, I was mentored by my amazing clinical faculty member who provided me with weekly feedback and consistent guidance. Observing her teaching taught me a lot about teacher-student interactions and everything a teacher has to deal with behind the scenes.

 

The experience I had during apprentice teaching provided opportunities in many ways, but some of the key objectives I met during my academic internship were:

• Gain experience working with learners of diverse needs and from diverse backgrounds

• Apply principles and methods from the knowledge base of my professional program while also experimenting with alternative teaching strategies

• Develop and implement assessments and lessons with the goal of significantly impacting student learning

 

This is best seen in the completion of my Impact on Student Learning Project (Impact Project). The Impact Project is a required component of apprentice teaching that demonstrates expertise both in content and pedagogy, as well as reflection on clinical and classroom experiences. For the Impact Project, I was required to survey my classroom demographics, administer and analyze a pre-test, create a unit plan to effectively teach the topics of my pre-test, administer and analyze a post-test, and reflect on what I had done in the unit and how my teaching practices affected my students.