A core feature of the program is that teacher interns engage in the everyday experience of the classroom four days a week or more for an entire school year, August to June, or for those beginning the program in Winter term, January to December.  Interns observe, participate and teach under a mentor who is at once a teacher and a colleague.  They take part in all aspects of school life, including teacher meetings, parent meetings, team meetings, student extracurricular activities, and other teacher duties, becoming integral members of the teaching staff at their placement sites.

Learn more about the internship and mentor teachers

Connect with readings and other students to integrate theory with practice 

A Summer Institute, a Winter Institute and weekly seminars provide the foundation for graduate level pedagogical inquiry. The seminars are organized as thematic modules. Each semester culminates in an Exhibition, with presentations by the interns on curricular projects, research topics and critical reflections.

Get more information about Seminars

Deepen your subject area expertise

Interns will have had prior coursework in their subject areas.  They gain competence in teaching their subjects through the advice and feedback of their mentor teachers, by observing, reading, reflecting, writing lesson plans and finally by teaching. In addition, the program provides specific subject area and grade level seminars for the interns.

Gain confidence with support from experienced teachers

The Support Team for the intern includes the Field Advisor and the Mentor Teacher. The Support Team assists the intern in the design and implementation of the Individualized Learning Plan (ILP) and evaluation of learning. Each intern’s Support Team meets three or four times during the year (and more if needed) for planning and ongoing feedback and support.  The interns meet on a daily basis with their mentor teachers, and weekly with the program

Focus on what you need most

Each intern works with his or her Support Team to formulate an Individualized Learning Plan (ILP) for meeting program expectations, which include developing teaching competencies consistent with state and national and standards for teacher certification.  The development of the intern’s ILP mirrors the Personalized Learning Plan process required of 7-12 students in the state of Vermont.  

Gain research skills to inform your teaching

Interns learn to investigate questions relating to their practice, such as the economic and political context of the school and community, integrating cultural knowledge with subject matter, and assessment of teaching methods.