1. Linking Interns’ Assignments to
School Improvement Goals at PDS Sites
Keith Conners, Sara Elburn, Lindsay Wild, Jennifer Lewis and Kelly Thomas
Salisbury University

2. Atlantic Ocean
Salisbury
Chesapeake Bay

3. Pinehurst Elementary School
Snow Hill Elementary School
Berlin Intermediate School

4.  “The overarching goal . . . is to enhance
student achievement . . . .”
 Preparation and induction of pre-service teachers
 Ongoing professional development for in-service
teachers
 Advancement of scholarship and best practices
through research and inquiry
 “. . . and serving as a bellwether . . . in advancing a
co-teaching internship model.”

5.  100% PDS placements (Maryland mandate)
 80 days + 20 days (2 semesters)
 Co-teaching model
 3 showcase lessons
 Action research investigation
 Legacy project
 Weekly seminar

6.  Taught on-site by PDS mentor teachers
 Coordinated by SU PDS liaisons
 Integrated with internship
 Assignments scaffolded by seminar leaders
 Legacy projects
 Action research
 Showcase lessons

7.  Must be aligned with the school’s mission and
objectives.
 Must represent an undertaking that extends
beyond the routine obligations of the
internship.
 Should have some enduring value for one or
more of the school’s stakeholders (students,
parents, teachers, school staff, community
partners, etc.).

8. The code red system in
kid-friendly terms
Decorating the building
with school pride
More Examples…

9.  Consult school improvement plans
 Brainstorm with mentors, site
coordinators, supervisors and principals
 Design investigation linked to school goals
 Collect data
 Analyze and reflect
 Display at intern reception & gallery walk

10. An intern uses the playground in
order to answer her action
research question, “Can extra
practice with multiplication
drills, improve a student’s fact
fluency?”
More Examples…
• Accelerating student learning in reading using specific
reading skills and strategies
• Does teaching style affect the academic performance of
students with ADHD?

11. “The action research projects that the first
grade interns carried out really documented
the benefits for students. We got tangible
evidence that their efforts made a significant
difference with the kids who needed help the
most.”

12.  Technology-Rich
 Arts-Integrated
 Differentiated Instruction Highlighted

13.  Planning
 Collaboration
 Engagement
 Student Learning
 Differentiation
 Assessment
 Technology
 Reflection

15. “It was an easy decision to select a class to
present an arts immersion demonstration at
the Kennedy Center when we received a
national award last spring. The fourth
graders needed very little rehearsal because
the teacher and her intern had been doing
arts immersion all along.”

17. “The co-teaching arrangement during the
student-teaching internship is a far cry from
what I experienced many years ago. My
intern and I really focus on differentiating
instruction and challenging one another to
make learning come alive. I know I do my
best teaching when I have an intern.”

18.  Questions? Comments?
 Stop in at the poster session on Saturday
morning to look more closely at examples!