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For Practicing Teachers of Spanish

Interim-Year Practicum

The Interim-Year Teaching Practicum, between the two summers of coursework at SIT, is an integral part of the Summer Master of Arts in Teaching program. After you finish the coursework of the first summer, you will return to your school for the Interim-Year Practicum (IYTP). It is intended to be a time of significant professional growth, when you can reflect on the learning experiences of the first summer and experiment with new skills, attitudes, knowledge, and awareness in your classroom. For several days during the Practicum, advisors will observe you as you teach in your classroom. This is a time to examine your work and to act purposefully to improve your effectiveness as a teacher. You do this on your own and with the guidance of a supervisor from the MAT faculty. You set goals for your own learning, and these goals are the basis for your work with your supervisor. The IYTP also provides a way for you to evaluate your teaching competencies, for your practicum advisors to assess strengths and weaknesses, and for you and your advisor to determine future directions for improvement and growth. You will communicate regularly throughout the year with your supervisor in a variety of ways: telephone calls, emails, reports, and during on-site observation visits.

This work is best described as a 9-month seminar in developing a reflective practice. You are encouraged to build the skills and awareness for describing what happens in your classroom, separating observation from judgement, finding valid explanations for what happens, and devising informed and workable solutions to enhance students’ learning and improve your teaching.

The Interim-Year Teaching Practicum site is the student’s usual place or places of employment. The teaching load must consist of a minimum of 12 hours of classroom teaching per week for a minimum of eight months.