Practicum Experience

Practicum Summary

Practicum experiences are closely mentored teaching programs that integrate theory and practice throughout the graduate students' year.

There are four total practicum weeks in each season: fall, winter and spring. The summer offers a culminating practicum project intended to integrate all the skills and knowledge developed during the year.

Faculty mentors work closely with teams of graduate students throughout the planning and delivery of their practicum. Multiple observations throughout the year advance graduate students through transitions of novice instructional development.

There are several practicum strands during the year. These include:

Residential School Programs	In-residence programs involve field-based teaching for school groups visiting the Kelly Campus .All graduate students have at least one season teaching in-residence programs. Click here for additional information about these field science experiences.
Outreach Teaching	Outreach programs develop place-based teaching strategies for formal classrooms throughout Wyoming Utah and Idaho including the Wind River Reservation. Click here for additional information about Outreach teaching practicum.

Journeys School Teaching	Teton Science Schools' Journeys School is a pre-K through 12 independent day school in Jackson . Practicum experiences at Journeys involve intensive classroom teaching and explorations into independent school design. Click here for additional information about Journeys School practicum.

Practicum programs unfold differently for nearly every student. The following are examples of three students' experiences:

Student # 1

Season	Month-long practicum	Academic courses
Fall	Residential school programs. Field science teaching with in-residence schools	Field Science Teaching Community Ecology Principles of Place-based Education
Winter	Residential school programs. Field science teaching with in-residence schools	Instructional Strategies Winter Ecology Ecological Inquiry
Spring	Outreach classroom teaching in rural and reservation schools	Advanced Elements of Field Ecology

Student # 2

Season	Month-long practicum	Academic courses
Fall	Residential school programs. Field science teaching with residential schools	Field Science Teaching Community Ecology Principles of Place-based Education
Winter	Classroom teaching in Teton Science Schools' Journeys School	Instructional Strategies Winter Ecology Ecological Inquiry
Spring	Residential school programs. Field science teaching with residential schools	Advanced Elements of Field Ecology

Residential School Programs
Teton Science Schools' Kelly Campus operates a small residential school program that serves as a teaching laboratory for graduate students. Working closely as a team, graduate residents use Grand Teton National Park and Bridger-Teton National Forest as outdoor classrooms.

Teton Science Schools' curriculum uses the Greater Yellowstone Geo-ecosystems as the integrating contexts for learning. Student-driven research is used as a means for understanding basic concepts in earth and life sciences. Journaling, poetry, art and other activities help students contemplate their sense of place.

In-residence programs serve middle and high schools from all over the country in mostly 6-day format. Graduate students learn skills in lesson design as well as developing confidence in their instructional practice.

Outreach
Outreach practicum experiences provide opportunities for graduate students to teach in classrooms throughout Wyoming , Utah and Idaho as well as reservation schools. In these experiences, graduate students adapt outdoor teaching strategies to the indoor classroom, coordinating with classroom teachers to provide a balanced environmental science curriculum.

Primary goals for outreach experiences include the development of hands-on learning activities that allow students to explore science concepts through direct experience, the local schoolyard and their own community. All outreach graduate students will take part in a two-week teaching experience on the Wind River Reservation that includes a Native Ways of Knowing teacher training. Click here to learn more about this program.

Journeys School of Teton Science Schools
Another graduate student practicum setting is Teton Science Schools' Journeys School, integrating ecology, culture and community to ensure academic excellence and personal success for pre-K through 12th grade students in an independent school setting. The Journeys School learning environment features small, multi-age, interactive groups with low student/teacher ratios. Interpersonal skills are nurtured as students of all ages work together in activities that incorporate peer teaching and cooperative learning. In this practicum, Graduate Students are given an introduction to independent school design as well as an opportunity to both observe and extended opportunities to teach in Journeys School classrooms. This practicum is limited to one season and, therefore, is available to only a small number of students (5-6) with an interest in classroom teaching.

Summer Culminating Experience
The summer teaching practicum is the culmination of the year for graduate students, a chance to apply their skills in new and challenging ways. Under the guidance of faculty, teams of graduate students design and lead programs for middle and high school in-residence programs or elementary and middle school non-residence day programs. Graduate residents set program goals, develop curricula, design activities and evaluate student successes. Prospects for learning include working with diverse groups of students; building rigorous environmental science programs with appropriate outcomes and objectives; understanding the physical, emotional and mental development of students; maintaining the energy and cooperation required for team teaching; and providing students with lasting and memorable experiences.