MHH & MSF ACTFL Ensuring the Successful Student Teaching Internship Marjorie Hall Haley, PhD & Melissa S. Ferro George Mason University

MHH & MSF ACTFL Agenda Objective: to compare the efficacy and usefulness of our previous manual to an updated, NCATE-aligned version Description of older version Discussion and demonstration of newer manual Data collection and analyses Results shared via portfolio and video clips Group shares experiences and asks questions Closure

MHH & MSF ACTFL Defining the Concept What does “ensuring successful student teaching internship” mean? Internship Experiences: Incorporate prior coursework, assessments and reflective practices Provide for continued intellectual and professional growth Prepare pre-service teachers for the realities of today’s culturally, linguistically, and cognitively diverse learners Culminate with completion of a Professional Development Portfolio

MHH & MSF ACTFL Defining the Concept What does “ensuring successful student teaching internship” mean? The Internship Manual: Includes the goals and responsibilities of each team member States protocol and includes forms for meeting state licensure requirements Provides guidelines for completing the Professional Development Portfolio

MHH & MSF ACTFL The Internship Manual Prior to this study, GMU used one generic internship manual. While it served a meaningful purpose, it was often ambiguous and difficult to follow. Anecdotal evidence and program completers convinced us it was time for a change.

MHH & MSF ACTFL Generic Version Sample Timeline

MHH & MSF ACTFL Generic Lesson Plan Template (PK-5)

MHH & MSF ACTFL Generic Lesson Plan Template (6-12)

MHH & MSF ACTFL Generic Version Portfolio Standards

MHH & MSF ACTFL Generic Version Portfolio Standards

MHH & MSF ACTFL Initial Goals for Revisions To meet the specific needs of foreign/world language interns Provides continuity between coursework and internship requirements by using similar forms and assessment tools Observation forms, Lesson plans, Portfolio guidelines To align with ACTFL/NCATE standards Promotes successful internship experiences by fulfilling nationally recognized benchmarks

MHH & MSF ACTFL Reviewing the Standards PK-12 Language Learners ACTFL Standards for Foreign Language Learning The 5Cs: Communication Cultures Connections Comparisons Communities From:

MHH & MSF ACTFL Reviewing the Standards Professional Language Teachers ACTFL/NCATE Standards From / Language, Linguistics, Comparisons Cultures, Literatures, Cross-Disciplinary Concepts Language Acquisition Theories and Instructional Practices Integration of Standards into Curriculum and Instruction Assessment of Language and Culture Professionalism

MHH & MSF ACTFL Revisions From Generic to World Language Specific: Update the timeline to include two placements (PK-5 and 6-12) Revise forms to make them specific to world languages Revise guidelines for the professional development portfolio Align to ACTFL/NCATE and INTASC standards Guidelines with examples Assessment checklist

MHH & MSF ACTFL Revised Version Sample Timeline Table

MHH & MSF ACTFL Revised Version Sample Timeline Table

MHH & MSF ACTFL Revised Lesson Plan Template

MHH & MSF ACTFL Revised Version New Observation Checklist

MHH & MSF ACTFL Revised Version: Aligned to Standard

MHH & MSF ACTFL Revised Version Aligned to Standard

MHH & MSF ACTFL Description of the Present Study Objective: To conduct a comparative research study to examine the student-teachers’ perceptions of the two Student Teacher Internship Manuals (STIM) Action Steps: Fall 2006 the GMU STIM was completely revised and made foreign/world language specific. It was also aligned with ACTFL/NCATE standards

MHH & MSF ACTFL Data Collection: Timeline Fall 2006 Student teacher interns completed surveys and participated in interviews to provide feedback on the ’06 STIM. Spring 2007 The Curriculum and Program Development Committee approved the revised STIM for Foreign/World languages and it was implemented with one student intern and university supervisor.

MHH & MSF ACTFL Data Collection Generic Manual Fall-2006 Semester: Five foreign/world language interns used the generic manual for their student-teaching internships. Three interns completed a survey that evaluated the usefulness of the manual. Two interns participated in video interviews that provided detailed responses to the survey questions. One intern completed both the survey and the interview. Total participants: N=4

MHH & MSF ACTFL Generic Version Feedback from Interns Survey Question: How would you rate the content of the manual? Interns’ Responses Two “Mostly Useful” “By reading the manual, I knew what I was supposed to do.” One as “Partially Useful” “I used it only for getting the forms and to refer to the timeline—when to progress from observing to co-teaching to independent teaching.”

MHH & MSF ACTFL Generic Version Feedback from Interns Survey Question: What would you suggest to improve the organization of the manual to make it more user- friendly? Sample Interns’ Responses “Make sure all the materials related to those involved are all together. It seemed that I had to look in several places for the information relevant to me.”

MHH & MSF ACTFL Generic Version Feedback from Interns Survey Question: How would you rate the manual in terms of how it helped you to develop your professional portfolio? Sample Interns’ Responses “I used the checklist often to ensure I was including all the necessary elements.” “It would have been helpful to provide examples of what is expected in each section.”

MHH & MSF ACTFL Generic Version Feedback from Interns Overall Experiences: Three of the four interns rated their experience with the manual as “good”, or “excellent”. One intern rated her experience with the manual as “poor”. Additional Considerations: Each internship is a unique experience for all involved Different personalities and approaches may affect general attitudes and perceptions of individual student-teacher interns.

MHH & MSF ACTFL Generic Version Additional Feedback Other comments and recommendations included: A checklist for the cooperating teacher to use during observations (bi-weekly reports are too broad) A checklist for the intern to use at the second placement that includes questions about student needs (IEP’s) Make lesson plans specific to teaching languages Reduce amount of information (especially for the cooperating teacher) Provide more structured feedback on the development of the portfolio during the internship

MHH & MSF ACTFL Revised Manual A Case Study Spring-2007 Semester: The revised manual was used by one intern during her student-teaching internship. The intern completed the same survey for evaluating the usefulness of the manual Two video interviews were completed by the intern: A full presentation of her portfolio A brief follow-up interview on the revised manual The university supervisor also provided feedback on the revised manual.

MHH & MSF ACTFL Revised Version A Case Study Survey Question: How would you rate the content of the manual? Intern’s Response: Very Useful: “The manual helped to clarify the responsibilities of the team members. University Supervisor’s Response: “Lots of good suggestions for the role of each person (Student Intern / Cooperating Teacher/ University Supervisor).”

MHH & MSF ACTFL Revised Version A Case Study Survey Question: What would you suggest to improve the organization of the manual to make it more user- friendly? Intern’s Response: “I think that there was a bit of repetition in the manual in terms of directions and there were conflicting requirements in terms of the forms needed.” University Supervisor’s Response: “Drop all mention of Clinical Faculty. It confuses the cooperating teachers.”

MHH & MSF ACTFL Revised Version A Case Study Survey Question: How would you rate the manual in terms of how it helped you to develop your professional portfolio? Intern’s Response Very Useful: “I had a head start on the manual in one of my methods courses. I was happy that I didn’t have to create the whole thing from scratch during my internship” Regarding the Portfolio Evaluation Form: “I checked off what I included in each section since I knew that ultimately I would be evaluated against that form”

MHH & MSF ACTFL Revised Version Additional Feedback Other comments and recommendations included: “Clarify how hours should be listed for direct teaching vs. independent teaching and what to do in the event of inclement weather.” “There should be some type of tracking method for completing the requirements— maybe a checklist or a timeline for visual people like me.” “There were some conflicting requirements in terms of the forms needed (regarding clinical faculty and/or cooperating teacher).”

MHH & MSF ACTFL “Live Standards” Video Clips Standard 1: Language, Linguistics, Comparisons (2:13) Proficiency Standard 2: Cultures, Literatures, Cross- Disciplinary Concepts (1:26) Whose cultures are valid? Standard 3: Language Acquisition Theories and Practices (1:30) Lesson Plan with Reflection (3:03)

MHH & MSF ACTFL “Live Standards” Video Clips Standard 4: Integrating Standards (4:15) MI Lesson Plan Standard 5: Assessments (2:23) Rubrics and Exit Slips Standard 6* Technology (1:50) PowerPoint Turning Point Standard 7: Professionalism (2:33) Honing your craft

MHH & MSF ACTFL Results and Implications Standards-based Professional Development Portfolios show evidence of: The intern’s ability to address the cultural, linguistic and cognitive realities of today’s diverse language learners Intellectual and professional growth Life-long learning

MHH & MSF ACTFL Results and Implications This study will remain “in progress” Continue to elicit feedback from interns, cooperating teachers, and university supervisors Future changes will reflect updates to standards and the changing needs of our interns, cooperating teachers, and university supervisors

MHH & MSF ACTFL Conclusions All indications are extremely positive that having a STIM aligned with both ACTFL/NCATE standards and coursework, provide a more substantive document – one that will not only enhance efficacy but also usefulness. Having the document posted on our websites makes it readily available and students are encouraged to begin their portfolios earlier in their program.

MHH & MSF ACTFL Group Share How have you aligned your student teaching internship (and perhaps a manual) with your accrediting body’s standards? In way(s) do you connect course work directly to their experiences in the field? What are some of your most effective methods for collecting evidence of the student internship experience?

MHH & MSF ACTFL Additional Resources 1. GMU’s FL licensure and Master’s degree courses (NCATE aligned) can be found at To see all teacher education programs NCATE-aligned go to 40

MHH & MSF ACTFL Presenters’ Information Marjorie Hall Haley is an Associate Professor of Education and the Director of Foreign/World Language Teacher Licensure Contact: Melissa Ferro is a doctoral student in Multilingual/Multicultural Education, an Adjunct Instructor, and Graduate Research Assistant at GMU Contact: