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| Internship Program |
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Internship programs provide opportunities for intern teachers to engage in systematic study and supervised practice of teaching while they serve as instructors-of-record with compensation. The Commission currently awards $11.0 million in grants to local education agencies and postsecondary institutions to support the design, development and implementation of internship programs. These programs provide an alternate route into teaching for individuals who have met certain entry requirements (described below) and have demonstrated strong potential to succeed as teachers while completing their professional studies. Like pre-interns, interns have earned baccalaureate degrees and passed the CBEST. Unlike pre-interns, interns have completed their subject matter preparation, so an internship gives much less attention to subject matter studies than a pre-internship does. Like new teachers in BTSA , interns participate in planned sequences of instruction, study, consultation and reflection that support the learning-to-teach process. Unlike new teachers in BTSA , interns have not completed professional preparation or met California's teaching standards. For this reason, an internship includes a formal curriculum of entry-level professional studies, which BTSA teachers have already completed. Internships are alternatives to traditional programs that include education coursework and supervised teaching in an experienced teacher's classroom. An internship is a planned program of instruction, study and supervised practice of teaching. Because interns have met California's subject matter requirements for teaching, their instruction focuses almost entirely on pedagogical principles and strategies. For one or two years, interns attend classes, read textbooks, engage in curriculum and instructional planning, and have their classroom practices observed, coached and assessed. Unlike BTSA teachers, interns begin their programs with a minimum of prior professional training, so their initial support in schools more closely resembles the supervision of pre-interns than the guidance and mentoring of BTSA teachers. For new teachers who begin as pre-interns, enrollment in an internship is the most appropriate "next phase" of learning-to-teach. The great majority of interns remain in teaching beyond the conclusion of their internships. Completion of an internship should be followed by participation in an induction program such as the BTSA Program. - For more information, email Mike McKibbin mmckibbin@ctc.ca.gov - |