Anchor Subject Internship


The Concurrent Education Program Anchor Subject Internship (Internship) is a program component embedded in the undergraduate degree (BA, BSc, BPHE or BMus). It includes a minimum of 100 hours of education-related experience aimed at linking teacher candidates’ subject specializations to aspects of the teaching profession.

The Internship may take place in Years 3, 4 or 5 of the program.

As interns, candidates have the opportunity to apply key learning concepts acquired during their courses at the University of Toronto to real work environments, and link their learning to the reality of schools and community organizations.

Academic Criteria: Standards of Practice

In order to ensure that all Internship opportunities are educationally valuable, the Internship experience must meet the following criteria:

  1. Include activities that reflect a minimum of three of the Ontario Standards of Practice for the Teaching Profession;

  2. Allow for an Action Plan connected to these Standards to be developed;

  3. Ideally, the Internship Site must be a place where new learning will occur;

  4. Preferably, the Site Supervisor should have had previous experience in both a supervisory capacity, and in educational program development/delivery.

Roles and Responsibilities

Each Concurrent Education teacher candidate has a variety of responsibilities related to their Internship, including:

  1. Reviewing the Anchor Subject Internship Handbook, and discuss their plan with their Anchor Subject Internship Advisor to seek tentative support before moving forward with their plan;

  2. Identifying their professional needs and interests as they relate to their anchor subject;

  3. Negotiating an Internship that takes into consideration the interests and needs of the Internship Site;

  4. Articulating an Action Plan Agreement that meets the necessary criteria;

  5. Abiding by the rules, regulations, and policies of the Internship Site;

  6. Ensuring that all work is completed online and the Site Supervisor can access the online database to complete their role regarding the Internship.

The Site Supervisor is responsible for the following:

  1. Providing a learning environment in which the candidate can observe, participate, and contribute during his/her Internship;

  2. Assisting the candidate with the development, revision, and implementation of his/her Action Plan, as well as supporting the Action Plan through an online approval process;

  3. Completing the Mid-point Formative Assessment form online;

  4. Verifying that the Internship has been successfully or unsuccessfully completed at the end of the Internship by completing the candidate's Summative Assessment form online;

  5. Participating, on a voluntary basis, in the online journaling that comprises an essential component of the Internship.

Benefits to Sites

Schools and/or organizations willing to provide Internship opportunities for Concurrent Education teacher candidates can benefit from candidates' special skills, ideas and subject expertise, as well as from their assistance with large scale school-based, or organization-wide projects. In addition, as potential employers, sites can observe Concurrent Education candidates and participate in the professional development of future teachers.

Need more information?

Contact the Concurrent Education Program Partnership and OISE Unit-level Coordinators: Paul Kelly (paulj.kelly@utoronto.ca) and John Smith (john.smith@utoronto.ca)

To post an Internship opportunity for Concurrent Education Students please complete the form on our Internship posting website.