Learning Through Internships

THE LTI

Learning Through Internship is the center of the curriculum. High school students go out on internships at businesses and organizations throughout the greater Hartford area.  At the worksites, students take on real world tasks.

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES

 - Contribute real work to the internship site
 - Take on a special project for the internship site
 - Research an investigative question connected to their work or project
 - Meet regularly with the mentor to report on progress and to receive feedback
 - Reflect on work and learning in a journal

MENTOR RESPONSIBILITIES

 - Call the school if the student is absent
 - Schedule regular times to meet with the student to give him/her feedback
 - Meet once a month with an advisor from the school to discuss the student’s work; email or call more frequently as needed/desired
 - Try to attend the student’s exhibition of his/her work

FEATURES OF THE LTI

Before starting an internship, students do a good deal of interest exploration.  This exploration begins with reflection on their strengths and weaknesses and their goals.  Students then identify several interests to research by reading periodicals, books and doing internet searchers.

After the students have a background in an area, they begin to take part in informational interviews through which students strive to gain a deeper understanding of the profession, the road to that profession, and the nuances of the daily work environment.

After interviewing at several worksites, the students identify a few sites where they would like to spend a day shadowing the professional to learn more about the daily flow of the job.  It is also an opportunity for potential mentors and interns to meet and to know each other. 

A successful Shadow Day may lead to an LTI.  When a student is interested in a mentor and workplace, he/she asks the advisor to help set up an LTI.  Together, the advisor, the student and the potential mentor decide the days, hours and parameters for the LTI.

INTERNSHIP SCHEDULE

The students are at their internships two days a week (usually Tuesday and Thursday) for 6 -12 hours per week (usually 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.).  The internships are set up in three-month renewable increments.