SUPO :: Roles of Participants :: School-University Partnerships Office

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Internship Roles and Responsibilities

There are 5 major participants collaboratively involved in making the Internship experience the best that it can be for each Teacher Candidate. These roles and related responsibilities are outlined below.

Academic Internship Coordinator | Teacher Candidate | Site Supervisor | OISE Advisor | Internship Administrative Support

Academic Internship Coordinator

The Academic Internship Coordinator is located in the School-University Partnerships Office (SUPO), and has the following responsibilities:

Maintaining the programmatic and academic integrity of the Internship;
Meeting with Teacher Candidates as they encounter questions and issues in their Internship planning process;
Communicating regularly with OISE Internship Advisors to ensure they are clear and consistent in enacting their role;
Reviewing all Internship postings on the Internship website to ensure the submissions meet the requirements of the Internship;
Responding to inquiries from various school and nonschool sites about OISE’s Internship program;
Approving all Non-School and International Internships; and
Determining if a make-up Internship session is required for a Teacher Candidate who was not able to attend the full duration of the Internship program.

Teacher Candidate

Like all self-directed activities in education, the Internship program sees each learner in this case, each Teacher Candidate—as the centre and focus of the Internship. In order for an Internship to fulfill its purpose to extend and deepen an individual’s teacher education experiences in a meaningful way, each Teacher Candidate has a variety of responsibilities related to the Internship, including:

identifying their professional needs and interests;
locating an Internship site where these interests and needs can be addressed;
negotiating an Internship that takes into consideration the interests and needs of the Internship site;
articulating an Internship Action Plan Agreement that meets the necessary criteria by explicitly connecting to the Standards of Practice for the Teaching Profession, and revising this Action Plan at the end of the first week of the Internship;
displaying a willingness to learn and demonstrate initiative and self-direction;
abiding by the rules, regulations, and policies of the Internship Site;
attending and being on time;
participating and contributing fully to the regular functioning of the Internship Site;
notifying the Site and their OISE Advisor of any absence;
ensuring that the Verification of Completion form is completed and submitted to OISE on the final day of the Internship - see Important Internship Dates;
seeking out the necessary support and/or resources in case of need;
displaying a professional commitment to their ongoing development as a teacher during all stages of the Internship process;
completing and submitting the necessary Internship forms by the due dates outlined on the document Important Internship Dates;
negotiating an Internship that allows weekly access to the Internet to facilitate weekly journal tracking of Internship activities.

Site Supervisor

The Site Supervisor is responsible for providing a learning environment in which the Teacher Candidate can observe, participate, and contribute to during the Internship. Additional responsibilities of the Site Supervisor include:

assisting the Teacher Candidate with the development, revision, and implementation of the Action Plan Agreement;
informing the Site Manager of the details of any Internships that have been arranged for the site (e.g., name of Teacher Candidate, dates, activities of Internship);
providing the Teacher Candidate with necessary and appropriate materials;
completing the online Mid-Point Formative Assessment form;
verifying that the Internship has been successfully or unsuccessfully completed on the Verification of Completion form at the end of the Internship.

OISE Advisor

Each Teacher Candidate has a faculty instructor who takes on the role of their OISE Advisor for the Internship. Responsibilities of the OISE Advisor include:

assisting Teacher Candidates in various stages of the Internship process;
answering a variety of Internship-related questions;
approving Internships taking place in school sites within Canada;
communicating on a weekly basis during the Internship with each of their Teacher Candidates through the on-line journal tracking system;
contacting the Site Supervisor of each Teacher Candidate once during the Internship;
responding to any questions or concerns that might arise throughout the Internship from either the Teacher Candidate or the Site Supervisor at the Internship site;
notifying the Academic Internship Coordinator of any prolonged absences of a Teacher Candidate during the Internship; and
notifying the Academic Internship Coordinator of any issues that need attention.

Internship Administrative Support

provides administrative support to the Academic Internship Coordinator;
answers a variety of Internship-related questions;
directs Teacher Candidates to the Academic Internship Coordinator or OISE Advisor depending on the situation;
tracks and collects paperwork from the Teacher Candidates who are completing an International Internship;
troubleshoots for the Internship journal tracking system; and
troubleshoots for the Safety Abroad tracking system for International Internships.