203- The Gradual Release of Responsibility and Co-Teaching Model (Pearson &
Gallagher, 1983 ) operates in all aspects of the internship. - Interns contribute to a range of day-to-day demands of the profession including
report writing, intranet use, attendance and parent communication. - All participants contribute to the online community of practice.
- A range of interschool and interclass exchanges and initiatives is encouraged to
add variety to the program and alleviate pressure points. - Interns meet face to face weekly with the school coordinator/mentor and online
with university teacher education academics to reflect on the Australian
Professional Standards for Teachers (Australian Institute for Teaching and
School Leadership, 2011 ) and critical learning incidents.
The MIMs’ 12-month combined internship and immersion program is a select-
entry program. Students apply knowing the commitment necessary to meet the
requirements. Logistically, interns enrol in their final-year units externally; how-
ever, they can enrol internally in semester one and use the non-contact school days
to attend university if preferred. This blended mode of delivery provides the flexibil-
ity needed to juggle the demands of university whilst at the same time meeting the
demands of school. The program relies on strong partnerships between university,
schools, teacher registration board and the Department of Education. However,
these strengths are also its points of vulnerability as success relies on the ongoing
relationship and commitment by individuals within the program.
Model: New South Wales (University of Wollongong)
Introduction
In New South Wales, from 2015, the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational
Standards (BOSTES) mandated a 2-year Master of Teaching degrees to replace
1-year Graduate Diplomas of Education. This policy change led initial teacher edu-
cation providers to review and reconceptualise their postgraduate teacher education
programs. The change from a 1-year to a 2-year program provided an opportunity
to strengthen the practical component of teacher education programs, an important
imperative as discussed in the introduction to this chapter. This section provides a
discussion of an initiative by a New South Wales university to enhance preservice
teachers’ experiential learning through a Professional Immersion Program (PIP).
12 Immersion Programs in Australia: Exploring Four Models for Developing...