Real World Externships for Teachers

Real World Externships For Teachers

• What is a Real World Externship
• What are the expectations?
• Will I get paid?
• What types of jobs are available?
• What experience do I need?
• What do other Teacher Externs say about the experience?
• Who Do I contact?
• Extern Blogs
• Sample Real World Experiences

What is a Real World Externship?

The Real World Externships for Teachers of Mathematics, Science and Technology is a core program of the Iowa Mathematics and Science Education Partnership (IMSEP) aimed at providing educators an experience that will allow them to inform students about mathematics, science and technology-related fields by working side-by-side with knowledgeable and skilled employees at the local business level.

Created from the requests of Iowa students wanting to know, When am I ever going to use this in the real-world?, the Externship program provides educators with the exposure to answer this question and improve the educational experience of Iowa's students.

This unique school and business alliance launched in the summer of 2009 aims to:

• Create lasting partnerships between businesses/industries and your school.
• Connect your Extern experience directly to content and 21st Century Skills identified in the Iowa Core.
• Give your students real-world career information about businesses and agencies right here in Iowa.
• Provide you with an income booster while taking advantage of the opportunity to see and use the latest real-world applications of your discipline in a business or industry in your community.

Check out IMSEP's Real World Externship Video

Back to top

What are the expectations?

Externships are full-time, six-week temporary positions. Two hours of graduate credit is may be earned through the University of Northern Iowa's Continuing Education program. Time Commitment: The Externship runs approximately from mid-June through July. A standard 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., 40-hour work week for six weeks over the summer is expected. However, a more flexible work schedule may be negotiated between the host and the Extern depending on work load and schedules. Expectations: 1) An online reflection log documenting Externship hours, activities and thoughts; 2) Identification of specific content, inquiry, 21st Century Skills observed and to how students will see the real-world application of those skills in the classroom; 3) Creation of a project-based lesson that will transfer the experience into your classroom; 4) Participation in pre- and post interviews, observations and surveys to help evaluate the Externships program; 5) A terrific work experience!

Back to top

Will I get paid?

As a Teacher Extern, you will earn an income boost through a daily stipend during the experience, utilize and implement the latest real-world applications of your discipline. You will have the opportunity to gain business/industry experience close to home without having to travel far.

Back to top

What types of jobs are available?

IMSEP will match you to interested host sites in your region on a case-by-case basis. Matches are based on teacher interests and business needs. From gaining chemistry experience in a lab at a local bioscience company, to canoeing the streams of Iowa taking water quality samples, to analyzing process mapping data for a large Fortune 500 company, each extern experience is as unique with the goal of taking real-world examples back to your classrooms.

Back to top

What experience do I need?

You do not need to have previous business/industry experience to participate. On-the-job training will quickly prepare you for the tasks and assignments you will be given.

Back to top

What do other Teachers Externs say about the experience?

“It’s kind of amazing how differently you look at the world when you get new information like this.”
  – Robin Hammann, Pella High School, 2009 Extern – Pella Corporation (Pella)

“In only one week here I already have a number of different ideas and concepts that  I can bring to the classroom for my students. This is going to be a really great experience for me to grow as a professional and it will really allow me to bring some new and exciting teaching practices to the table next year.”
 – Jason Dayton, Dowling High School, 2010 Extern – Kemin Industries (Des Moines)

“The experience I've had here will definitely change how I approach certain topics because I've seen the kinds of skills that the people who work here at different levels need to have. I will be able to give my students an idea of the kind of future employment they can expect to have if they only aspire to certain levels of education and training.”
 – Doug Darland, Muscatine High School, 2011 Extern – Monsanto (Muscatine)

“This [experience] translates over into my classroom as a realization that many of the students I teach won't be going into a career related to science, but a strong foundation in science basics could easily impact their capacity to do their job or opportunities available to them someday. I also understand that the students who see themselves as scientist while I know them, may end up doing something entirely different in their career. This works for those students who have no vision of themselves being involved in a science related field. It's important for them to gain a strong background in science from a competent citizen perspective, but also because of the possibilities of uncertain twists, turns and flips that seem to be part of most career paths."
– Aaron Hahn- Carlisle High School, 2011 Extern - Principal Financial Group (Des Moines)

“When addressing the 21st Century Skills needed, the two that would be essential for someone working in my position at Clipper Wind are "Employability" and "Technology Literacy". To be successful here it is essential to have the ability to work productively in teams, communicate effectively, think innovatively and solve problems creatively. My favorite moments here so far are when a few people in my department gather at the whiteboard to brainstorm a problem one of us is working on. They recognize the importance of bouncing ideas off other people and collaboration.”
– Jennifer Miller, Mount Vernon High School, 2011 Extern - Clipper Wind Power (Cedar Rapids)

“At Sioux Center, I know each grade level has a business partner. The specifics of those relationships depend on the business and the class, but one of my goals (especially after my externship) will be to maximize those relationships. The incentives of effectively implementing these relationships can benefit all parties: the business are not only able to support the local school districts, but can begin to influence the young peers to develop the particular skills necessary to positively contribute as a potential employee; students are able to see a perspective not offered in their regular classroom of the ins and outs of business; and teachers are able to facilitate the ongoing visions of students contemplating how they will fit in the future place of employment while simultaneously learning what the businesses are wanting and expecting from their workforce.”
 – Grant Willits, South O’Brien High School (Paullina), 2011 Extern - Diamond Vogel Paints (Orange City)

Back to top

Who do I contact?

To learn more about the Real World Externships for Teachers of Mathematics, Science and Technology, contact Kari Jastorff at 319.273.2959 or send an email to IMSEP@uni.edu.

Back to top

• Grant Willits – 2011 Real World Extern, Diamond Vogel Paints
• Lynnette Cummings – 2011 Real World Extern, Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
• Ashley Bowden – 2011Real World Extern, Allen Memorial Hospital
• Chris Lansink – 2011 Real World Extern, Pella Corporation
• James Enzler – 2011 Real World Extern, Hy-Vee Corporation
• Kathy Geers - 2011 Real World Extern, CIVCO Medical Solutions
• Aaron Hahn – 2011 Real World Extern, Principal Financial

Sample Real World Experiences

At Ellison Technologies, located in Council Bluffs, IA, Mike was given the task of gathering and analyzing multiple years of financial data with direct labor costs, indirect labor costs and cost of materials to complete a burden adsorption analysis. His completed project provides improved monthly financial planning for Ellison Technologies. - Mike Brown, 2010 Extern, Missouri Valley High School, Missouri Valley, Iowa

Aaron worked on determining the production of a specific enzyme from a genetically engineered organism through protein quantity and enzyme activity assays using various biochemical methods and a microplate spectrophotometer at Kemin Industries, located in Des Moines, IA. – Aaron Hahn, 2010 Extern, Carlisle High School, Carlisle, Iowa

As a summer Extern with Wells Dairy, Nanette performed microbiological and chemical analyses on finished products, raw materials, processing and environmental samples from manufacturing plants and dairies. - Nanette Fladung, 2010 Extern, Heelan High School, Sioux City, Iowa

Back to top