ED 569 Teaching Internship
Student Teaching Abroad: Curitiba, Brazil
Faculty Director: Megan Landwehr
Office Phone: 919-515-1065
Cell Phone: 919-946-0417
E-mail: megan_landwehr@ncsu.edu
Skype User Name: megan.landwehr
Semester: Spring 2011
Portuguese Instructor: Lenita Harper
E-mail: lenitaharper@gmail.com
Class Wiki: http://brazilstudentteachingabroad.wikispaces.com/
Course Objectives:
A. To provide an international component to the training of North Carolina’s future teachers through
the College of Education. NC State students will complete part of the required student teaching
semester in Brazil. This will allow them to learn global perspectives and methods of teaching so
they may apply these methods in their own North Carolina classrooms.
B. Student teachers in Brazil will also be able to share their own cultures with the students and faculty
at Brazilian schools and universities to create further international understanding.
Course Assignments:
Readings: Articles will be posted on the Wiki on a regular basis. Please read each article prior to the due
date listed on the Wiki and prepare to discuss it in class.
Experiential Journal: Students will keep a running log of their thoughts, experiences, feelings, and
reactions to student-teaching in a North Carolina classroom, travel, culture, and education system of
Brazil. Students should allow time to journal weekly in North Carolina and more frequently in Brazil.
Method: Be creative! Write in a traditional journal, use an on-line blog, video diary, etc.
Sample Writing Topics:
 Reflect on the weekly readings.
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Evaluate your experience student teaching. What works in your classroom, and what needs
improvement? How is your relationship with the Cooperating Teacher/University
Supervisor/students?
Language learning reflection. What methods and strategies allow you to learn Portuguese best?
What hinders your learning? What is the importance of learning a language? Can you adjust any
of the language activities for use in your own classroom?
Traveling to and within Brazil. What are the first things you notice about the
country/people/food/etc? How do you feel upon first arrival? Are there any major cultural
differences that stand out? Any similarities?
Self-Awareness. How do you view yourself the same or different from before you arrived in
Brazil? What have you learned about culture in the United States after traveling? How have you
changed as a result of this experience?
Cumulative Reaction Paper: In Brazil, students will write a 5 page paper with their Brazilian partner
comparing the education system among Brazil and the United States. Upon returning to North Carolina,
students will turn in this paper with a 3-page reflection containing key points from their experiential
journals and how they have been affected by this experience personally, professionally, and culturally.
Action Plan Project: Students will submit an action plan at the end of the semester outlining how they
plan to use their experience in Brazil as teachers in North Carolina. Action plans can be submitted in the
format of your choosing. The action plan must include the following materials, at a minimum:
 A list of at least 10 specific strategies for utilizing global teaching methods throughout your career.
 One sample lesson plan within your content area pertaining to what you learned in Brazil.
 Strategic plan for sharing what you learned with the school community or community outside of
the school.
Grade Distribution:
Attendance and Participation 25%
Experiential Journal 25%
Cumulative Reaction Paper 25%
Action Plan Project 25%
Calendar:
Date
January 4
January 11
January 18
January 25
February 1
February 8
February 15
February 22
March 1
March 8
March 15
March 22
March 28-May 6
May TBD
Topic
6:30-7:30 Portuguese
7:30-9:30 Culture/Pre-Departure Prep
6:30-7:30 Culture/Pre-Departure Prep
7:30-9:30 Portuguese
*No Portuguese Lesson
6:30-9:30 Culture/Pre-Departure Prep
*No Portuguese Lesson
6:30-9:30 Culture/Pre-Departure Prep
*No Portuguese Lesson
6:30-9:30 Culture/Pre-Departure Prep
6:30-7:30 TBD
7:30-8:30 Portuguese
6:30-7:30 TBD
7:30-8:30 Portuguese
6:30-7:30 Culture/Pre-Departure Prep
7:30-8:30 Portuguese
8:30-9:30 Pre-Departure Cont.
6:30-7:30 Culture/Pre-Departure Prep
7:30-8:30 Portuguese
8:30-9:30 Pre-Departure Cont.
6:30-7:30 Culture/Pre-Departure Prep
7:30-8:30 Portuguese
8:30-9:30 Pre-Departure Cont.
6:30-7:30 Culture/Pre-Departure Prep
7:30-8:30 Portuguese
8:30-9:30 Pre-Departure Cont.
6:30-7:30 Culture/Pre-Departure Prep
7:30-8:30 Portuguese
8:30-9:30 Pre-Departure Cont.
CURITIBA, BRAZIL!!!!!
Re-entry Meeting and Presentations
Brazil Student Teaching Abroad
Six-Week Field Experience
North Carolina State University @ Universidade Federal do Parana
**NOTE: Field experience is subject to change and will be determined by UFPR.
Summary:
North Carolina State University MAT/NC TEACH students will visit Curitiba, Brazil from March 28 through May 6.
They will be paired with UFPR students participating in their own semester of student teaching. Students will have
the opportunity to visit four different K-12 schools in four weeks. They will also be taking Portuguese courses at
the university simultaneously. At the conclusion of the six-week experience, UFPR and NCSU students will work
together to do a presentation for the UFPR community on the topic of comparing education systems in Brazil and
the United States. Further, NCSU students will have an opportunity to collaborate on a current RPG (Role Playing
Games) teaching materials project. NCSU students can offer their feedback and translate the materials to be
utilized in North Carolina classrooms. Finally, during their visit to Brazil’s primary/secondary schools, NCSU
students will be able to Skype with their NC classrooms from a Brazilian classroom in order for the young students
to connect with each other across borders. Upon returning to the United States, students at the partnering
institutions should continue their relationships and professional collaborations throughout their careers.
Details:
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NCSU students will be paired with UFPR students Students will visit four schools in four weeks together.
The school visits will take part of the day and students will spend their days taking Portuguese courses at
the university as well.
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Skype between classrooms – students will set up a video call from a classroom in Brazil to their home
classrooms back in North Carolina. Students will have the opportunity to ask questions to each other and
learn about their cultures and education system.
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RPG Project – University students will collaborate with each other on UFPR’s on-going teaching materials
project. NCSU students should change the activities to use in their own classrooms once they are back in
NC. Follow-up concerning effectiveness of the use of these classroom materials will be conducted. NCSU
students should utilize activities into their own classrooms and report back to UFPR on how they were
used and successes or failures of these activities.
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Final Presentation – Students will be required to do a presentation during the final week in Brazil. The
presentation will include the following:
 Comparison of school systems in Brazil and U.S. including structure of K-12 schools, university
pedagogy, the teaching profession, and any observations of similarities/differences within the
schools of the two countries.
 Personal reflections of how the experience in Brazil has affected their personal and/or professional
growth.
 How lessons learned will be carried out in the future, including ways that NCSU teachers will use
what they learned as teachers in the U.S. and in their own personal lives.