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=This wikispace is presented by John in fulfillment of the requirements of= =SEED 394 Internship in Secondary Education= The Internship Field Experience is the second of three required field experiences for certification in The School of Education at The University of South Dakota. The Internship is designed to give students a more extensive and participatory experience than the Paraprofessional Field Experience, and students who complete the Internship will be better prepared to enter the Student Teacher Field Experience. In keeping with the School of Education’s theme of //Reflective Decision Making + Leadership//, the Internship is designed to allow students the opportunity to examine their interactions in the school setting and to evaluate the role they play in student learning. According to Donald Graves (2001), “Awareness that grows out of the specifics of your own situation produces energy. For this reason, you need to know the details of your own experience in order to make some judgments about how to set a personal and professional direction for your life.” The activities required during the Internship Field Experience and the associated written assignments will give you the chance to reflect upon your progress toward becoming a teacher. Perhaps more importantly, you will have the opportunity to reassess and, hopefully, reaffirm your commitment to teaching as a career path.

Graves, D. (2001). //The Energy to Teach.// Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann


 * Professional Resources File

John's Spring 2009 SEED 394 Internship Placement** =Check List - Next Steps=
 * School: || Yankton Middle School; Yankton, SD ||
 * Field-based supervisor: || Mrs. Suzanne Dumke ||
 * Content area: || Social Studies ||
 * FBS e-mail address: || SDumke@ysd.k12.sd.us ||
 * FBS phone: ||  ||
 * USD supervisor || Kevin J. Reins, Phone: 605-677-5831, e-mail: kreins@usd.edu ||

Next steps: Please check off the following items by replacing the "o" with an “X” in the left hand column of the table once you have completed the task.
 * X || Upon receiving this information, respond immediately via e-mail to Dr. Kevin Reins indicating that you have received your placement information and that you have no major conflict with the placement. ||
 * X || Contact your field-based supervisor within 48 hours of receiving your placement information either by phone or e-mail. ||
 * X || During this first e-mail or phone call to your field based supervisor, ask to set up the first meeting (at your FBS’s convenience) for you to visit the classroom. ||
 * X || Upon arriving at the school, go directly to the main office, introduce yourself, the reason for your attendance, (make a great impression from the beginning) and ask to be directed to your FBS’s classroom. ||
 * X || During the first visit to the classroom, notify your FBS of the URL to your wikispace and let her/him know that you will be documenting the __requirements__ of the experience in this space. Discuss the requirements. ||
 * X || Deliver the FBS’s packet with the evaluation forms and return envelope to your field based supervisor during the first meeting. ||
 * X || Also during the first meeting, exchange phone numbers in case of emergency (edit your wikispace and put your FBS’s prefered phone number in the informatin table above), confirm your visitation times, and discuss what you will be doing in the class over the course of the 45 required hours in the classroom. ||
 * X || When convenient, introduce yourself to the principal and other faculty throughout your stay at the school. Be kind, courteous and show appreciation for the opportunity to be visiting and working with the students and faculty at the school. Always try to leave a great impression on people. ||
 * X || Within the first two visits, ask for a copy of the school handbook or ask to borrow a handbook for the semester. ||
 * X || Report to Dr. Kevin Reins via e-mail after you have completed your initial visit. Briefly describe the visit and ask any questions or state any concerns you have at this time and through the semester. ||
 * X || IF YOU MISS A SCHEDULED TIME – REPORT IT TO DR. REINS IMMEDIATELY. ALWAYS KEEP HIM INFORMED. RECORD THE DATES THAT YOU MISSED HERE. ||

= =

My goals for the internship:
Write three goals for your internship experience. (1) To figure out whether I would like to teach at a high school or a middle school. (2) To improve my lesson teaching skills. (3) To gain more knowledge about using technology in the classroom (i.e. Smart Board)

A. 45 hours of field-based classroom participation
Then, they reviewed a quiz that they took the day before. After class, Mrs. Dumke and I spoke about my requirements. We also decided that I would be coming every Tuesday and Thursday for 2-3 classes every time. || to begin project on Rome and different aspects of it. I helped many different students get their projects started and answered any questions. Today, I did my first hall duty at the end of the day with Mrs. Dumke. || to interact with the students and answer any questions. After these classes, Mrs. Dumke had study hall, and she had me take a few students down to the computer lab to keep working on their projects. || We went back to the computer lab, where I worked with one student who was struggling with his project. My encounter with this student is described below. || them today. Following this, the students began a new unit about Africa where I mainly listened to their reading. || walked around the room and answered any questions I could. || review game and the test. || to help with. || also the day that I spent at the extracurricular carnival. || some of the teachers were. Also, the school was a great learning venue. I believe any student would be lucky to learn in a building like Benson. || Note: Some hours may be completed outside of your placement by the SEED 394 class as a whole.
 * **Date** || **Hours** || **Description of my activities/participation in the classroom....** ||
 * 2/24 || 2 || First day of Internship; Class participated in an activity about Yellowstone.
 * 3/3 || 2 || Students do daily geography homework known as D.O.G.; Students went to computer lab
 * 3/5 || 3.5 || Once again, the students went to the computer lab to work on their projects. This gives me a better opportunity
 * 3/9 || 4.5 || I was able to spend my whole day at Yankton Middle. This allowed me to see each class of Mrs. Dumke's.
 * 3/12 || 4.5 || The day before, the students presented their projects. However, some of the students were absent, so they presented
 * 3/17 || 2 || Today, the students first read one of the sections on Africa. Then, they worked in small groups on an assignment. I
 * 3/19 || 2 || Today, the students worked on a worksheet. Then, they were handed a review sheet that would help for the upcoming
 * 3/26 || 2 || Taught my lesson today- Did Jeopardy Review game for the students ||
 * 4/2 || 3 || The students began a new unit on the Americas. They read for a little while and began a worksheet that I was able
 * 4/7 || 2 || The students watched a short video on the Americas, and then Mrs. Dumke handed them completed notes. This is
 * 4/14 || 2 || The students did reading, a short worksheet, and then notes, which I helped with as well. ||
 * 4/16 || 2 || Students did group work which allowed me to work with the students in small groups. ||
 * 4/21 || 2 || Taught my second lesson today- Did Buffalo Discovery Lesson ||
 * 4/23 || 2 || Last Day- Played review game with students about the Americas ||
 * || 10 || Went to Omaha to Benson Magnet School. I learned many different things at this school. I was amazed at how great

B. Work with a group of students
During one of my times at Yankton Middle, Mrs. Dumke asked me to take a group of students (7 students) down to the computer room during Study Hall. These students were students that were done with all of their homework, so they used this time to work on their project for Mrs. Dumke's class. Out of the 7 students, 5 were boys and 2 were girls. I believe that the boys were pretty excited to take advantage of not having Mrs. Dumke around. They were pretty hyperactive and did not seem like they were actually going to work on their project. Luckily, they soon calmed down and got into working on their project. They had many questions for me about their project, which was a research project on a different aspects of Rome. I believe that the students were affected by my ability to push the students to work on their project instead of surfing the web.

C. Work with students individually
The student I worked with was a smart 6th grade boy who did not have a lot of ambition. The boy, who I will refer to as J, was working on his Roman project. Mrs. Dumke's requirements for the project was that if a student had less than 5 sentences for each paragraph the student would not get an "A". J asked me a question about his project. While answering his question, I realized that J had only 3 sentences for each paragraph which was guranteeing him with a grade no higher than a "C". I pointed this out to J, who said that he did not believe he could get an "A". J seemed excited when I told him that I believed he could get an "A" if he just worked a little more and found some more information. Therefore, I sat with J to help him along finding new and exciting information for one of his paragraphs. Later, J raised his hand to tell me that he had 5 sentences for each paragraph.

D. Participate in redesign of a lesson with technology
After talking to Mrs. Dumke about her lessons, I had come up with the idea of using a Jeopardy game for review instead of doing just a worksheet. I believe the technolgoy standards by ISTE were crucial to the creation of the game. The most important teaching standard from ISTE was #2, which is "Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments". This standard helped me focus more about the creation of the game and to make sure that it was an effective use of technology.

E. Classroom teaching two lessons with lesson plans and documented impact on student learning

 * Lesson #1 - Jeopardy Africa.**


 * Lesson #2 - Buffalo Museum.**

F. Design an assessment tool for evaluation of one of the lessons taught
Instruction Objective: The students will discover and be able to explain the various uses that Native Americans had for buffalo.

G. Share two duties with field-based supervisor
The two duties I shared with Mrs. Dumke might seem to be completely different, but turned out to be very similar. On one of my first days, I participated in hall duty with Mrs. Dumke. This happened at the end of the day, where her and I stood outside her classroom. We watched the students, and Mrs. Dumke reminded several about their homework or different things about the next day. I was amazed at how well she knew what other students' homework was, even students that did not have homework in her class. This also happened when I assisted during her Study Hall Duty. Mrs. Dumke had this duty for a little while. Once again, Mrs. Dumke was able to help with students' homework, that wasn't even Social Studies. The most valuable thing I learned from these duties was how important it is to know your students, even outside your class time.

H. Attend an extra-curricular activity with students
The extracuirricular activity that I attended was the 6th grade Fun Night at Yankton Middle School. This event was for all 6th graders at Yankton Middle. It was a carnival with several games. I worked with Mrs. Dumke at a PLINKO game. At this carnival, I was able to see the different attitudes and personalities in the students. For the first time, I was able to see which students hung out together. Many of the students came up to me and talked to me for a while. It was the first outside interaction with the students that I have had. I believe the most impact was seeing that the kids appreciated I took time out of my day to come. It is one thing for me to come during school, but it was another to attend an activity like that with the students.

I. Attend a school board meeting
On April 13, 2009, I attended a school board meeting at Tripp-Delmont School, a small school northwest of Vermillion. I wanted to view a small school board meeting because I want to teach at a small school. I learned quite a bit from it. My mom was on school board in Marion when I was growing up, so I knew somewhat about it. However, the school board was doing contract negotiations for a few people, so it was interesting to see how this goes about. These contracts were all renewed, so it went very smoothly. The reports from the principal and superintendent were also interesting. Knowing somewhat about politics, it was interesting to see the type of politics that goes into even a small town school board meeting. I realized how much schools revolve around policies. From what I gathered from the meeting and what my mom said about school board meetings, I believe that policies are how schools are ran and how school board meetings are conducted.



J. Reflective interview of field-based supervisor around teaching standards
__1. Do you feel your knowledge of the content that you teach has gotten better while teaching? How?__

Definitely! With each new book series that we have adopted over the years, the content has shown not only repetition of the material but also new discoveries and additional information that has since been unearthed by archaeologists and others doing research about the ancient civilizations that we study. I also work with another 6th grade social studies teacher that compliments my style and helps broaden my understanding of the material by keeping me exposed to her methods and point of view. We also collaborate on projects, tests, and other activities to enhance the textbook. The constant inclusion of more technology, I need to continue to learn and adapt my lessons to fully take advantage of this new avenue of information and communication. Also, the state department keeps adding new civilizations to our curriculum which requires us to find additional time and materials to cover everything within the school year.

__2. How do you feel your teaching has changed since you began?__

One word = technology driven!! I used to have fun teaching using more hands on projects and field trips. Field trips are no longer allowed by our district, and the pressure is on to add more technology to our lesson plans. This is also a good thing since more information can be gathered from the internet, and it allows for further expansion of the material beyond the book. Unfortunately, the students aren't mature enough yet to be good researchers, and they want to use the computer for only playing fun games.

It also takes longer to prepare lessons. When I first started teaching, all I had was the teacher's manual. Now, there is so much available that it takes time to pick and choose what would work best in the class- room, what would enhance the lesson, how much time it would take, etc.

__3. How do you get the students' parents involved in the students learning?__

We have open houses, a very active PTA, and parents are expected to attend the conferences we have. We also encourage parents to volunteer to help with activities such as Sixth Grade Fun Night, book fairs, etc. We have a monthly newsletter that is distributed monthly with classroom updates and timely information about upcoming events. We send home midterm grade reports and quarterly report cards that require a parent's signature. We have postcards that are available to use as "happy grams" or to communicate other information to the parents. At times, we request parents to attend our TEAM meetings to discuss specific problems or concerns we may have concerning their child that haven't been chronic problems that conventional methods don't seem to solve.

__4. Why did you choose to teach middle school students instead of high school students?__

I love this age group! They are so easy to communicate with and fun to teach. They are interested in the material and more excited about learning. This age group is more cooperative and more forgiving if things don't go well. They are easily motivated and are still concerned about pleasing their parents and teachers. They are more adventurous and are willing to try new ideas and new projects without moaning and groaning. They are not so clingy and babyish - they are more like young adults and are more independent learners and less needy of attention and instant gratification.

__5. What differences do you think there are between middle school and high school students?__

Middle school students aren't overloaded with jobs, etc. which can make it more difficult for high school students to get homework done, or get too tired from lack of sleep, etc. Major attitude doesn't kick in until later and most middle school students don't act like they don't care or know more than their teachers. Dress codes and codes of conduct mean more to most middle school students, where high school students are more inclined to "test" the rules and regulations and become more rebellious. Competitive sports are just beginning at this age, so the extra practices, competitions, and competitiveness among their peers which can cause overload and stress haven't interfered with their childhood, yet.

__6. How much do standards shape your lessons?__

Totally! We choose our curriculum, write our lesson plans, and develop projects based on the state required standards.

__7. What keeps you coming back to teach students everyday?__

I've always said that I would continue to teach until "I decided what I wanted to be when I grew up!" I still love coming to work, interacting with my students, preparing my lessons, trying out new activities and projects, etc. I really don't know what I'd rather do! I'm nearing my retirement and the thought scares me!! I can't think of anything else I'd rather do than teach! I'm a workaholic and I hope I can make a difference in my students lives. . . not just in the curriculum area I teach, but also in the life lessons we experience along the way.

When I knew that I had to interview Mrs. Dumke, I wanted to ask her some nagging questions of my own along with the questions about standards. I believe that this interview shows the kind of passion that Mrs. Dumke has towards teaching. Some teachers might hate standards, but Mrs. Dumke spoke about how good they actually can become. I believe Mrs. Dumke follows her standards very closely, and I like that. I believe standards are a good thing in education. It should not hold a teacher down and restrict that teacher, but it should be a guiding service for the teacher. I believe some teachers might rely too much on standards, and not enough on their own teaching skills. Teachers should combine the two, which Mrs. Dumke does wonderfully. I plan to teach like Mrs. Dumke. She is enthused about standards as much as she is enthused about teaching.

= = =Items that I have included that might be helpful for accomplishing the requirements of the internship=
 * Suggested Routines for Participating in the classroom**

1. Make a seating chart. 2. Take attendance. 3. Run errands for the classroom teacher. 4. Help with classroom housekeeping. 5. Organize materials needed for a lesson. 6. Make copies of materials needed for the lesson. 7. Help pass out materials to the students. 8. Arrange a bulletin board. 9. Check out books from the library to be used by students in the classroom. 10. Check out media to be used in a lesson. 11. Make a chart or graph. 12. Make a transparency or stencil. 13. Run a film, filmstrip, videotape, etc. 14. Get supplementary materials needed for a lesson (e.g., magazine illustrations, pamphlets, maps, etc.). 15. Develop a bibliography for an upcoming unit. 16. Correct papers. 17. Set up or help set up a lab. 18. Write news/assignments on the chalkboard. 19. Set up a learning center. 20. Set up an experiment or a demonstration. 21. Obtain a speaker to come to class, or help organize a class field trip. 22. Help gather materials for a class party. 23. Help make costumes for a class play. 24. Send out a class newsletter to parents. 25. Help individual students with seatwork. 26. Assist a small group. 27. Assist students with library research. 28. Monitor a test. 29. Hand out and collect materials. 30. Listen to an individual student read or recite a lesson. 31. Give a test or a quiz. 32. Read aloud or tell a story. 33. Help students in a learning center. 34. Accompany students to school office, bus, playground, after-school programs. 35. Help monitor the hallway, lunchroom, or playground.

1. What did the students learn from your lesson? How do you know they learned from your lesson? (Attach assessment tools from the lesson.) 2. What did you think about or consider when planning the lesson? (Be specific.) 3. What do you think was the most effective part of the lesson? Why? 4. How closely did you follow your lesson plan? If you deviated from the lesson plan, what decisions did you make during the lesson and why? 5. Were the activities/materials/visuals/aids appropriate? Why? Why not? 6. What part or parts of your plan would you consider changing before teaching this lesson again? 7. What do you see as your teaching strengths? 8. Identify a goal you would like to have your field-based supervisor assist you in achieving.
 * Analysis of Instructional Planning and Impact on Learning**


 * Checklist of Interview Techniques for Teaching Standards**

1. Before the Interview a. Establish the purpose for the interview. b. Request an appointment (time and place), giving sufficient time for the interview. c. Plan specific questions related to the purpose of the interview. d. Prioritize questions, asking the most important first.

2. During the Interview a. Be on time for the interview. b. Start the interview by restating the purpose of the interview. c. Take careful, objective notes-- try to list direct quotes as often as possible. d. Avoid inserting your own impressions or judgments. e. Limit the interview to no more than 15-30 minutes.

3. After the Interview a. Review with the respondent what has been said or heard. b. Express your appreciation for the interview. c. Offer to share the interview report with the interviewee.


 * School of Education Standards for Initial Preparation of Teachers**


 * 1. Understands Content:** The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and the structures of his/her discipline. The teacher demonstrates the content, pedagogical, and professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to help all students learn meaningful subject matter.


 * 2. Understands Development:** The teacher understands how children learn and develop and can provide opportunities leading to active learning that support their intellectual, social, personal, and physical development.


 * 3. Understands Difference:** The teacher understands how students differ in their approaches to learning and creates instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners.


 * 4. Designs Instructional Strategies:** The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage students’ development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills while incorporating state and national standards.


 * 5. Manages and Motivates:** The teacher uses an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to establish a safe, orderly, and equitable learning environment that fosters positive social interaction, active engagement in learning and self-motivation.


 * 6. Communicates:** The teacher uses knowledge of effective verbal ,nonverbal, and media communication techniques with students and their constituents within and beyond the classroom. The teacher fosters active inquiry and engagement in lifelong learning to prepare students for workforce readiness.


 * 7. Plans for Instruction:** The teacher plans instruction based upon knowledge of students, subject matter, technology, curriculum goals, and the community.


 * 8. Evaluates:** The teacher understands, creates, selects, and uses formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and ensure the continuous intellectual, social, and physical development of the learner.


 * 9. Reflects on Practice:** The teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effects of his/her instructional choices and action on others (students, parents, and other professionals in the learning community) and who actively seeks out opportunities to grow professionally.


 * 10. Participates in the Professional Community and Seeks Professional Growth:** The teacher fosters relationships with school colleagues, parents, and agencies in the larger community to support students’ learning and well being, reflects on their professional behaviors, and actively seeks opportunities for professional growth and development.

1 **1. Integrates Technology to Enhance Learning:** The teacher uses current technologies, software, and telecommunications networks to plan, design, deliver, and evaluate learning experiences to enhance learning. The teacher employs the ethical use of technology and uses it to further his/her professional productivity.


 * 12. Understands Evolution of Public Education and Its Legal and Ethical Responsibilities:** The teacher understands the foundations of public education, technological and societal changes in the schools, and upholds the legal and ethical responsibilities of the teaching profession.

=How your wikispace will be graded=

 Name: _ Completing the Internship Application Form (3 points) _ Writing goals for internship (3 points) _ Post-experience reflection on goals (5 points) _ Log of: A. 45 hours of field-based classroom participation (10 points) _ Reflection on: B. Work with groups of students (5 points) _ Reflection on: C. Work with students individually (5 points) _ Artifacts for: D. Participate in redesign of lesson with technology (10 points) _ Artifacts for: E. Classroom teaching two lessons with lesson plans and documented impact on learning (40 points) _ Artifacts for: F. Design an assessment tool for evaluation of one of the lessons taught (10 points) _ Reflection on: G. Share two duties with field-based supervisor (2 points) _ Reflection on: H. Attend an extra-curricular activity with students (2 points) _ Reflection on: I. Attend a school board meeting (2 points) _ Transcript and Reflection on: J. Reflective interview of field-based supervisor around teaching standards (5 points) _ Documentation form for field experience (3 point) _ Maintaining wikispace (6 points) _ Performance on Knowledge and Skills from Evaluative Comments (21 points) _ Performance on Professional Dispositions (18 points)
 * Wikispace Grade – SEED 394 Grade**

Total points possible: 150 points