Experiential Learning
Pre-service teachers engage in experiential learning opportunities within K-12 schools
First-Year School Placement
Spend at least four half-days obtaining exposure to the diverse nature and unique practices of teachers, learners and school communities. These classroom experiences are embedded within a first-year course, providing pre-service teachers with the chance to observe, participate, and contribute in a school setting.
Third-Year School Practicum
Return to the classroom for an eight-day practicum in the fall and three-week block in the winter semester. In the fall, pre-interns are placed in pairs to teach lessons, engage with students, and conference with the classroom teacher. In the winter, pre-interns teach one lesson per day of an interdisciplinary unit plan. For this practicum experience, pre-interns deepen their understanding of the teaching process, learning to plan, teach, review, reflect, self-evaluate, and relate.
Fourth-Year School Internship
Complete a semester-long internship in a K-12 classroom. Grounded in a gradual release of responsibility framework, this 16-week internship supports interns as they work toward assuming full responsibility for the duties of the classroom during a three-week teaching block. During this immersive classroom-based experience, interns develop professional competence, enhancing their teaching strategies, skills, and methods, as they plan, organize, assess and evaluate.
