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The Master of Teaching program culminates in a full school term Internship, a workplace learning experience for neophyte teachers who are already fully employable in the profession by virtue of their having satisfactorily completed all requirements for the award of a teacher qualification degree. This Handbook outlines the nature, purposes, roles, expectations and administration of the Internship.
May - June Notification to schools of names of
Internship applicants June July Internship starts - School Term
3 September Internship ends
Academic Coordinator:Dr Llian
Merritt Internship Administrator: Robyn
Hector
In the two year Master of Teaching degree, introduced in 1996, the culminating professional experience is a 1-school term Internship completed after all coursework necessary for the award of the Bachelor of Teaching qualification. Details of the Internship, its nature and the role responsibilities of those associated with it are provided in this section.
The Master of Teaching (M.Teach) degree is a two year postgraduate preservice initial teacher education program, designed to produce quality teachers through a carefully integrated program. Candidates for the degree have already qualified for a bachelor’s degree. Many are mature age people with rich life experience and varied professional skills.
The M.Teach addresses important contemporary issues in schooling and education using case-based and inquiry methods of teaching and learning, grounded in theories of problem-based learning. It provides carefully sequenced school experiences culminating in an extensive work-place internship, and positively assists professional growth in participants especially by fostering reflection upon action.
In line with principles set out in the 1994 NSW Strategic Policy Framework for Initial Teacher Education (MACTEQT), the program seeks to be responsive to current demands on teachers and teaching, to be formative and predictive as staff and students consider the latest ideas on improving schools and school students’ learning and to be collaborative, in that it is based on sustained practicum activities in partnership schools.
The components of the M.Teach program build on participants’ present knowledge and thinking skills, encouraging further development of critical judgement, rigorous and independent thinking, accounting for decisions, realistic self-evaluation, problem solving capacities, creativity and imagination. These goals are achieved through cooperative and individual learning and inquiry approaches, which challenge participants to tackle stimulating, challenging and convincing cases and simulations based on real-life schooling situations.
Throughout the program, personal skills and attributes are also further fostered, including the capacity and desire to continue learning, plan towards and achieve goals, work effectively with others, strive for tolerance and integrity, and assume personal responsibility for value judgements and ethical behaviour towards others. Such ends are addressed through systematic consideration of many different educational issues and perspectives, and through a wide range of practicum and assessment tasks which engage the interests of individual participants in a challenging manner.
The professional expereinces component of the M.Teach degree comprises four elements:
4 or 5 visits to various sites
(schools and other educational environments) FOCUS: The nature of contemporary
schools FOCUS: The roles of the teacher in the
classroom. 20 days block practicum FOCUS: The roles of the teacher in the
classroom and the school. All School Term 3 - 50 days FOCUS: The roles of the teacher in the
classroom in the school and its community
(typically 4 weeks @ 5 days per week)
(4 weeks @ 5 days per week)
(10 weeks @ 5 days per week)
The M.Teach degree is organised in two academic course components:
Associate Teachers, by the beginning of the Internship will have completed a minimum of 23 days of professional experiences (practicum) in Year 1 and a further 20 days professional experiences in Year 2.
The Internship is conceived as a bridge between the ending of preservice professional preparation and the first year of teaching. It is an extended intensive period (the whole of school term 3) in which internees (Associate Teachers) are expected to gain knowledge and experience of all facets of the role of the teacher in the school and prepare themselves as thoroughly as possible for their first year of teaching.
The expectation is that each Associate Teacher will teach only 50 - 60% of a normal teaching load. This includes, under the guidance of the Mentor teacher, responsibility for all aspects of teaching and student matters for one class. In the remainder of the time the Associate Teacher will become involved in as many other aspects of school life as possible (eg. all duties associated with being a teacher in a school, some committee work, program and resource planning and development, community based involvement etc.), including some form of action research project (see below).
It is important to know that the exact nature of the Internship for each Associate Teacher will be negotiated with the school at the time of the application to the school for Internship and subsequent interview by members of school staff.
An Associate Teacher should be viewed and treated in a similar way to a beginning first year teacher. If an Associate Teacher is not performing to the expectations of a first year teacher in the school in which they are placed the school has the right to terminate the Internship. Termination of the Internship generally will result in the Associate Teacher failing to complete requirements for the Award of the M.Teach degree and graduating with the Bachelor of Teaching degree.
Union and NSWDSE Approved:
The nature and organisation of the Internship has been negotiated with and approved by both state and independent teacher unions, the NSW Department of School Education and Training, the Catholic Education Commission, the Association for Independent Schools and the NSW Federation of Parents and Citizens.
The research available investigating Internships in the UK, USA and Australia suggests that they have the following advantages for beginning teachers and those associated with the internship:
Other commonly reported outcomes include:
In addition, coming to grips with teaching issues through structured and regular times of discussions with other interns and staff in a group setting, through release time for Mentors to work effectively with their charges, and meetings on-site between Associate Teachers, Mentors and university staff to clarify expectations and ongoing issues, are also identified as important.
The exact nature/activities and emphasis of each Internship will vary according to the context, resources and expertise of a school and its staff and the experience, qualities and aspirations of the Associate Teacher. Thus, details of each Internship will be a matter of negotiation between the Associate Teacher and the school in which they wish to be placed. Generally, however, any Internship should have the following outcomes:
For Associate Teachers to:
Who Are Associate Teachers?
Associate Teacher is the name given to those undertaking the Internship. This nomenclature has been deliberately chosen to indicate that they are different from student teachers undertaking a supervised practice teaching program.
Associate Teachers are fully qualified, employable teachers who have already completed all requirements for the award of the Bachelor of Teaching degree (ie 4-year trained qualification). They have chosen to undertake the Internship, and thus delay their entry into the teaching service, as part of the requirements for the award of the Master of Teaching degree.
They have completed all requirements to be accredited as an employable teacher by the NSW Department of School Education or any other employing agency. This includes passing the NSW Police Security check and completing the professional development program dealing with Child Abuse, Child Sexual Abuse and school Grievance Procedures offered by the NSW Teachers’ Federation. They are thus able to be left on their own to take responsibility for groups of students.
Having an Associate Teacher in your school is similar to having a supernumerary teacher at the beginning of their career.
There are two major roles associated with the Internship program. The first of these is the Mentor. The second is that of the Associate Teacher. It is also important to mention, however, some other important role responsibilities in the school.
When Associate Teachers are appointed to a school they come under the administrative control of the Principal and under the direction of those members of school staff to whom the Principal delegates this responsibility. The School Principal thus has a major role in the in-school Internship program. It would be expected that at some time during the Internship an Associate Teacher would spend some time with the principal discussing details of the specific school, particular aspects of the role of teachers in the school and its community and the leadership and management roles and responsibilities of the Principal.
There are considerable advantages for Associate Teachers if the School Principal (either personally or by nomination of an experienced member of staff as School Coordinator) can maintain a general oversight of all those Associate Teachers placed in a school, ensure that they are informed and advised of school policy, and provide opportunities for some extension of their experiences beyond the classes to which they are assigned.
Principals are reminded that legally the Internship agreement signed by the NSW DET, CEO, and AIS provides for Associate Teachers to be given sole responsibility for supervising activities involving risk to pupils.
The role of school coordination of Associate Teachers may be assumed by the Principal but experience indicates that this is a task that is best delegated to an experienced member of staff, particularly in larger schools.
Responsibilities of a School Coordinator prior to and during a period of Internship include:
The Mentor Teacher plays the most important role in the professional development of the Associate Teacher.
Because each Associate Teacher is a fully trained person the main role of the teachers in the school working with them is not one of supervisor. It is that of Mentor: that of an experienced colleague who is an effective teacher in both classroom and the school and who is committed to assisting a fellow neophyte colleague to enter the profession of teaching and understand the cultures of classroom and school. The Mentor, in one sense, is a critical friend, assisting a young teacher to begin their own professional growth in a spirit of collaborative work, inquiry and support.
There is no need for Mentors to be present in all of the lessons of Associate Teachers. In fact, after initially satisfying themselves of the competence of the Associate Teacher there is no need for supervision of any lessons taught by the Associate Teacher. At the same time, to assist the professional development of the Associate Teacher, it is important that Mentors and Associate Teachers regularly share classroom experiences that they can then discuss together. Research suggests that there are important differences in the manner in which experienced teachers make sense of classrooms, schools and teaching as compared with beginning teachers. An important strategy to assist beginning teachers to start to think about these contexts in the way that experienced teachers do, is for Associate Teachers to discuss shared experiences with their more experienced Mentors.
The following sections provide some further details of the role of Mentor and suggestions as to how this role can be best achieved.
One of the most important advantages of being a Mentor, and recognised by the NSWTF and IEU as central to the Internship agreement, is for the Mentor to be released from teaching and supervision to be able to undertake professional development.(see further details below).
The Tertiary Supervisor has overall responsibility in the University for the program and its organisation and for liaison with schools, Mentor Teachers and Associate Teachers. Tertiary Supervisors generally will make at least one Liaison Visits to each Associate Teacher (placed in schools in the Sydney region) during the period of the Internship. The purpose of these visits is to meet with the Associate Teacher and her/his Mentor(s) to ensure that everything is proceeding as would be expected and to provide any support and advice necessary.
All Associate Teachers are expected to make themselves thoroughly familiar with the details of the Internship as set out in the Internship Handbook.
The Associate Teacher, comparable with any newly appointed teacher, works under the direct control and supervision of the school Principal, the Practicum Coordinator and the specific Faculty Head. They are expected to act in accordance with the expectations established for any other teacher in a particular school.
(a) Lesson and Unit Planning
Because the internship is an extended period there is a strong emphasis on the planning and development of a sequence of lessons to constitute one or more units of work with classes taught. Unit plans and lesson plans/daybook notes should be discussed with the Mentor well before lessons are to be given.
There is no single prescribed format for lesson and/or unit planning. Mentors may well direct Associate Teachers to plan units/lessons in a format to conform with particular school/faculty guidelines/practices.
There must be written evidence of all planning. While plans may vary, common elements generally include:
(b) Observations of other teachers
Observation of other teachers’ teaching and all aspects of school life is central to a successful Internship. Associate Teachers should spend a part of every day engaged in some form of observation. Observation of teachers in other subject areas and/or on different classes, particularly in the early part of the Internship, is essential.
Associate Teachers must maintain a written record of their observations. Each record of observation should also include some evaluative reflective comment related to their own professional development as a teacher.
(c) Roles Additional to the Classroom
The key purpose of the Internship is to provide the opportunity for Associate Teachers to learn about the broad range of roles and responsibilities of teachers in the school and in the community. Thus performing in this broad spectrum of roles is an essential part of the Internship.
Associate Teachers should participate in every program and aspect of school life. This includes all roles related to the teacher in the classroom, the teacher in the school and the teacher in the community. Associate Teachers should thus participate in playground duty, sport supervision, roll duties, school and faculty staff meetings and professional development sessions, parent/teacher meetings, and any other programs or events in the school.
(d) Attendance, Absences and Leave Procedures
Expectations regarding attendance, absence from the school and leave are in exact accord with the expectations of teachers at the specific school. It is the responsibility of the Associate Teachers to determine what these are.
(e) Jury Duty
Jury duty does not entitle Associate Teachers to an exemption from Internship. If necessary, a jury duty appeal can be lodged with the Sheriff’s Office. If an exemption is not granted an Associate Teacher may be required to make up internship days lost.
(f) Industrial Disputes During Internship
If an industrial dispute occurs during an Internship it is the responsibility of the Associate Teacher to determine whether they will be ‘on strike’ or not’ If they are ‘on strike’ they are expected to attend any stopwork meeting or other strike activity. If an Associate Teacher decides to be ‘on strike’ they must inform their Mentor(s) well before the day of the strike.
Where the Mentor of an Associate Teacher is ‘on strike’ and the Associate Teacher attends school, it is inappropriate for them to undertake any duties and responsibilities of absent teachers.
(g) Accidents to Students
Accidents to students during activities conducted by the Associate Teacher are the responsibility of the Associate Teacher. Associate Teachers must make themselves familiar with procedures for reporting accidents to students, any safety procedures in the school, and the location of First Aid Kits/rooms/personnel and fire extinguishers in the first week of the Internship.
(h) Exclusion from School
If in the judgement of the Mentor/ Head Teacher/Principal an Associate Teacher is not fulfilling the expectations of a beginning teacher then they may choose to terminate the Internship. Generally, if an Associate Teacher, for any reason, is asked to leave a school, she/he will not be eligible for the award of the Master of Teaching degree.
(i) Associate Teachers are reminded that all schools are alcohol and drug free sites. The carrying of, and/or consumption of alcohol and other prohibited substances is illegal. Failure to observe these legal obligations will result in immediate termination of the Internship, and thus failure to complete requirements for the award of the M.Teach degree.
The Internship is designed to be a bridge between teacher education and the first year of teaching. As such, it takes on many of the purposes of an induction into teaching.
There is now increasing awareness and understanding of the concerns and needs of beginning teachers. It is important that Mentors are aware of these so that they might be able to be aware of and sensitive to these needs and concerns in the Associate Teacher, if and when they arise. The following notes are based on a recent paper developed by Neville Hatton and Kaye Harman (University of Sydney) and Norm McCulla, Trish Anderson and Mark Carter (NSW Department of School Education).
The major issues/concerns/problems for beginning teachers identified in the literature can be summarised as:
The perceived problems faced by beginning primary teachers are those of programming and developing curriculum, and to catering for individual needs. For secondary teachers the main perceived problems are those of classroom management and discipline.
The biggest single issue for all beginning teachers is that of adjusting to context-related factors, ie. the school setting with its own ethos and often unspoken rites, or the community within which it is located, and people with distinctive cultures and values.
There are now many reports of the experience of mentoring Associate Teachers from Australia and overseas. In addition, there is increasing research into the major issues to be considered in being an effective Mentor. It is important that Mentors are aware of this experience and research.
A summary of the most recent research is included here. A summary of key ideas is presented below:
The Internship is a workplace learning experience for beginning teachers who are already fully employable (as they are 'conditionally certified to teach' having satisfied all requirements for the award of a teaching qualification, the BTeach). As such, there is no expectation of a report such as that used with a student teacher undertaking practice teaching. Rather, the report on the Associate Teacher is more like that which would be written by a Principal or Faculty Head for a teacher after the first year of teaching. While there is not one single format for the report it should include the following:
The Internship report should be:
A copy should be sent to:
as soon as possible after the Internship has been completed.
The Internship report should be written by the Mentor in consultation with any other staff who have worked directly with the Associate Teacher.
As part of the Internship each Associate Teacher not engaged in the Honours Program must engage in some piece of Action Research. Associate Teachers enrolled in the Master of Teaching Honours program are already engaged in a research program that will culminate in the writing of a 20,000 word long essay.
Action Research is a process of gathering and analysing information/data with the purpose of improving practice. The topic of the research can be selected from a range of options. Associate Teachers will generally choose to research some aspect of their own classroom practice. If they choose to do this then participation by the Mentor and/or a peer colleague in the gathering and analysis of data will be important. Alternatively the Associate Teacher, with the negotiated permission of the school, may choose to research some issue related to the practices of the wider school or the school in its community. The focus of the research in this case may well be one that the school requests the Associate Teacher to undertake. Again some form of collaborative research would be advantageous.
The exact nature of the Action Research Project is again a matter of negotiation between the Associate Teacher and the school. No matter what the focus of the research, however, the Associate Teacher would be expected to engage in several cycles of the following steps after identifying the focus/topic or issue for research:
- situational analysis;
- planning for gathering of data/ evidence;
- gathering of data/evidence;
- analysing data/evidence;
- replanning etc.
Associate Teachers will be expected to present a report of their Action Research Program and its findings at the Post-Internship Conference. The dates for this Conference are 27 and 28th September 2004. All Mentors are welcome to attend all or part of this Conference.
