Internship 2
In-depth immersion in teaching
Your immersion into the world of teaching deepens in Teaching Internship 2 as you prepare for the student teaching that will follow. In locations near and far — primarily in the Cedar Valley for on campus students — you will practice what you learned for the equivalent of 35 or more hours.
This placement occurs over several weeks during a semester for all levels of teaching majors — early childhood, elementary, middle level, high school and K-12 teaching majors.
This placement is built within your teaching major’s curriculum (EDUC 2400). Your home department coordinates and supervises these placements. For example, Curriculum & Instruction oversees the elementary education experiences, while Science Education supervises science ed Internship 2 placements.
In this internship, you’ll complete a major step in bringing together what you’ve learned about methods of teaching, the subjects you want to teach, classroom management and assessment.
Finding Your Setting
Your experiences, timeframe and settings will vary for Teaching Internship 2, depending on your teaching major. While generally in your junior year, you may also complete earlier or later, but always prior to student teaching. All of these placements are supervised by departmental faculty in the college associated with your major.
Early childhood education
- 35 or more hours completed through twice-weekly visits to schools over a semester
- For on campus students, emphasis in an elementary education (K-3) setting in primarily inclusive classrooms in Cedar Valley schools
- If you commute or are an online student, we’ll work with you on options in local schools.
- To meet additional state requirements unique to early childhood education, you will also gain an additional 40 hours in inclusive preschool settings in the Cedar Valley as part of additional “guidance” coursework prior to student teaching.
Elementary and middle level education
- 35 or more hours completed during the semester
- Placements primarily in the Cedar Valley for on-campus students
- Alternative option: participation in professional development school
Secondary and K-12 education (music, art, physical education, TESOL, TESOL/Spanish)
- 35 or more hours completed over the course of a semester
- Some placements available across Iowa with some out-of-state offerings, too
Coordinating your Level 3 placements
Depending on your major and coursework, you may find yourself working with Department of Teaching clinical experience coordinators as well as faculty associated with your major within one of the four colleges (Education; Arts, Sciences & Humanities; Social & Behavioral Sciences; Wilson Business) during your Teaching Internship 2 experience in Iowa school settings.
Your faculty will help you link theory with practice, provide feedback and guidance, and assess your performance in the classroom in conjunction with your mentor teachers.