Faculty of Education

Students proceed to the Professional Semester III Internship after having successfully competed PS II in their major (or minor for Native American Studies students).

Just as no two teaching positions are the same, neither are practicum placements.  To make sure that students get the most of out of their PS III placement, they can choose from the following:

• Elementary; Secondary; Native Education; Early Childhood Education; Special/Inclusive Education; Technology in Education; International; Fine Arts (Music, Drama or Art); and Career Coaching Education.  Some choices are a requirement of the type of degree  the student is pursuing (i.e. BFA Fine Arts in Art or Drama, or a B.Mus/B.Ed.), while others are dependent on whether the student has successfully completed the prerequisite criteria.  

Professional Semester III is where students are assigned full time to a school for an entire semester (approximately 375 hours or 15 weeks).  The main purpose of Professional Semester III is to give interns a transitional teaching experience in preparation for a position as an employed teacher.  PS III can be taken in a variety of locations throughout Alberta, Canada and internationally, however prerequisite criteria must be met for any placement requests outside of Zone 6.

PS III interns are also assigned a University Consultant from the Faculty of Education.  This University Consultant generally acts as liaison between the intern, teacher mentor and school administrator, and leads small groups of interns in discussion of matters concerning professional growth and development.

PS III consists of:

• an internship
• academic study
• and professional development.

Interns have the invaluable opportunity to take a half-time responsibility for a classroom with guided support from a teacher mentor within a collaborative framework.  During the other half time in the school, the Intern is to be involved in a Professional Development project within the assigned school usually in cooperation with their teacher mentor.

You will be paired with a teacher mentor for an entire semester.  During this practicum, you will

1. Assume half of your mentor’s teaching load and will get a truly hands-on experience of what it means to be an educator.
2. Engage in professional study under the direction of a faculty member.  This will include reflective practice, exploration and discussion of selected topics and professional portfolio development.

The benefits of this extended opportunity to hone teaching skills and put emerging teaching philosophies into practice are invaluable to you as a young teacher.  No other program in the country will better prepare you for the realities of the teaching profession or give you a deeper appreciation of connecting with learners and colleagues both in and out of the classroom.

PS III facilitates the intern teacher's movement from the pre-service to a professional development mode.  The supervision and evaluation responsibilities rest with the school administrator who observes the intern two or three times and then prepares a formal written evaluation.

PS III is compulsory for all students.

Note: Students should be aware that PS III will be in a school setting for a full semester anywhere in southern Alberta (or beyond, at student request); and students will be responsible for their own accommodations and/or travel expenses.

For a complete list of PS III resources, please visit our Forms and Guidelines page.