What is a Learning Through Internship?
NOTE: The essential LTI component is run as an R unit at LTC. Students will receive extra points towards their Year 12 Certificate upon successful completion of their LTI.
Learning through internships (LTI) is a unique educational strategy aimed at making education more relevant and engaging. Unlike the job-training placements of prior reform generations, the Big Picture Learning approach to LTI experiences is not intended to consign students to a vocational track that steers them away from college. Part of the growing movement to prepare all students for college, careers, and civic participation, LTIs seek to engage youth in rigorous project-based learning within a “real-world” 21st century learning context.
While the primary purpose of a student’s LTI experience is to build knowledge, understanding and skills in the context of authentic work, fundamental to the Big Picture Learning approach, is that each student learns through pursuing his or her own interests and passions. LTIs offer a framework for teachers to gain awareness of, acknowledge, and validate the learning that occurs around these interests outside of school. By extending the educational process beyond the walls of the classroom, students are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning and become inspired life-long learners.
Few learning experiences in schools apply the well-established power of integrating hand, heart, and mind learning and real-world contexts, but the Big Picture Learning approach to LTIs aims to give every student and teacher the tools, materials, and thinking to be designers, tool users, and creators of their world. Every student completes project work that is relevant and useful to the internship site; in this way, the experience benefits the mentor and internship site as well as providing “real-world” experience for the student intern. The role of the school-based educator is to assist the student intern and mentor in developing authentic project work so that learning becomes visible.
LTI creates the framework for adults and young people to get to know each other, to develop close relationships, and to learn from each other about the messiness of real world planning, critical thinking and problem solving. However, LTI is not simply about the product that is created or the service that is rendered. On a deeper level, it is about children and adolescents learning to become mature, thoughtful adults.
While the primary purpose of a student’s LTI experience is to build knowledge, understanding and skills in the context of authentic work, fundamental to the Big Picture Learning approach, is that each student learns through pursuing his or her own interests and passions. LTIs offer a framework for teachers to gain awareness of, acknowledge, and validate the learning that occurs around these interests outside of school. By extending the educational process beyond the walls of the classroom, students are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning and become inspired life-long learners.
Few learning experiences in schools apply the well-established power of integrating hand, heart, and mind learning and real-world contexts, but the Big Picture Learning approach to LTIs aims to give every student and teacher the tools, materials, and thinking to be designers, tool users, and creators of their world. Every student completes project work that is relevant and useful to the internship site; in this way, the experience benefits the mentor and internship site as well as providing “real-world” experience for the student intern. The role of the school-based educator is to assist the student intern and mentor in developing authentic project work so that learning becomes visible.
LTI creates the framework for adults and young people to get to know each other, to develop close relationships, and to learn from each other about the messiness of real world planning, critical thinking and problem solving. However, LTI is not simply about the product that is created or the service that is rendered. On a deeper level, it is about children and adolescents learning to become mature, thoughtful adults.
The story of a strong mentor relationship and an engineering internship. Since this video was made Sameer has been accepted into an Bachelor of Engineering Degree at University of Tasmania.
Shauna talks about her internship with Adriano Zumbo in Sydney.
Shauna has since been accepted into the prestigious William Angliss Institute in Melbourne, a specialist centre for foods and hospitality. She begins her studies in 2014. Jacob is a student from Montrose Bay High who is undertaking an internship at an architectural firm that is responsible for designing the new Big Picture campus at Goodwood. He tells us of his experience at the company and how he was inspired to start the internship.
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Alex tells the story of his move to a Big Picture school and his experience doing an internship at the Sydney Opera House.
Emily loves writing and is doing an internship with the Federal MP for Canberra, Gai Brotdmann.
Brad is 16 and is in the Wanniassa School Big Picture Program. His internship with Paul has given him real world skills, confidence and also re-engaged him with school education.
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