Overview: Experiential Education and Inclusive BK Internship
Experiential education is a signature pedagogy within the Masters for Experienced Teachers (MEdX) program at UNC. Experiential education as practiced within the program provides opportunities in which:
Learners are engaged intellectually, emotionally, socially, politically, spiritually, and physically in an uncertain environment where the learner may experience success, failure, adventure and risk taking. The learning…challenges the learner to explore issues of values, relationship, diversity, inclusion, and community…The results of the learning form the basis of future experience and learning (Itin, 1999, p.93).
Rather than stand on the fringe, experiential education begins in MEdX students’ initial summer coursework and is embedded into coursework and assignments throughout their time in the program.
ECIFS students additionally participate in an inclusive summer internship (variable credit hours) where students are placed in inclusive early childhood settings and learn to use and apply the Inclusive Classroom Profile (Soukakou, 2016) to promote high-quality inclusive practices. In this internship, students additionally learn from university supervisors and mentor teachers about using and applying evidence-based practices as a critical element in their teaching practices.