Overview of program For the fourth year, Shanghai American School is proud to be part of a collaborative internship program with East China Normal University (ECNU). This program is a valuable way for us to select future employees as well as to foster progressive teacher education in China. As part of our burgeoning relationship with ECNU, SAS hosts 12 Chinese interns and introduces them to international education.

Background on Interns Most interns will be third year students who are studying to teach Chinese as a foreign language All interns will have completed an application and been through an interview process with a panel from SAS, conducted in both English and Chinese. Once selected, interns will be placed with mentors based on several criteria, including interest in a particular grade level and their professor’s recommendations. All interns will then attend an orientation day to familiarize themselves with the SAS environment, expectations for conduct and performance while they are with us.

Mentor Responsibilities SAS mentor teachers are asked to: NB: Each division will have 2 interns, each working with 2 different Mentor Teachers Facilitate classroom observations. Interns are asked to observe one class/section for each mentor, e.g. Grade 9 English B. Each time the assigned class meets the intern is expected to be in attendance. Be prepared to discuss lesson and unit plans as time permits Discuss teaching methodology Answer questions related to the above and other aspects of international school education Provide feedback and a final evaluation using the template attached Serve as a buddy, mentor and generally guide and support the ECNU interns

Intern Responsibilities ECNU Interns are asked to: 1. Complete a weekly log, in English, detailing observations and reflections on their learning experience at SAS. This includes completing tasks set at the weekly meeting with SAS advisors based on the weekly lesson topic. 2. Participate in SAS Learning Experiences – some examples Meet administrators – principal and vice principal. Work closely with the Mentor Teacher, observe, learn and reflect. Observe mentor teachers for at least 12 hours a week. Interns may be asked to help provide cultural resources Interns may be assigned responsibility for assistant type tasks e.g. preparing handouts, classroom resources, photo copying, gathering supplies as needed Assist with small groups or individual students as appropriate Meet with and be guided by SAS Human Resources Department with regard to employee conduct 3. Participate in Professional Development experiences at SAS. Part of the expectation of all teachers at SAS is to continually learn and grow professionally. We are excited to invite the ECNU interns to join our professional development program. Details of these opportunities will be provided during the internship.

Advisor Responsibilities: SAS advisors –Wendy Da (Pudong) and Lisa Ferguson (Puxi) will oversee the program. SAS advisors will provide an orientation for mentor teachers and interns before the program begins. Once interns are placed and on campus, advisors will read and respond to the intern’s weekly logs and coordinate with mentor teachers. SAS advisors will meet with the interns once a week to provide guidance as well as lessons on education in an international setting. ECNU supervisor – Professor Tao will visit the interns on campus during the internship, communicate with advisors regularly, evaluate the students at the conclusion of their internship and collect their daily journals for assessment.

Mentor Opportunities: Mentor teachers will receive a 300$ Professional Development certificate which they can use against PD expenses Mentors and other teachers who are interested may be invited to be guest lecturers at ECNU to talk with a class about American/Western education or aspects of it Mentors and other teachers can attend presentations on campus by professors from ECNU. Topics may include comparative education, talks about the Chinese education system, etc.

Thank You!! If you have any further questions about the program, please don’t hesitate to contact Wendy Da or Lisa Ferguson. If you are interested in serving as a mentor, please advise your building principal as well as the advisor for your campus. We hope to see many of you at our mentor teacher orientation at the beginning or April!