Summer Training Institute

Before they start teaching, each new corps member attends an intensive five-week summer training institute in one of nine locations.

During institute, the most important thing corps members do is teach summer school for four of five weeks and help their students master critical content for the fall. To that end, coursework is designed to help corps members learn essential teaching frameworks, curricula and lesson planning skills. Corps members work with experienced teachers who observe and coach them to improve their skills quickly throughout the summer. By the end of institute, corps members have developed the knowledge, skills, and mindsets needed to be effective beginning teachers, made an immediate impact on students, and built relationships that will support them throughout their corps experience.

Teach For America provides room and board for corps members in local university housing during institute. Special accommodations are available for corps members with partners and families. While institute is a rigorous and intensive experience, corps members have free time during weekends and typically take advantage of opportunities to socialize and explore their institute city.

Components of Summer Training Institute

Teaching
Corps members teach summer school students for an average two hours each day and are observed by experienced teachers. For one of the two hours, they lead an entire class to master academic content, and build their own skills in delivering lessons and managing a classroom. For the other hour, most corps members work with four to five students to build skills in math and reading and gain experience in leading group work.

Observations and Feedback
Teach For America instructional coaches observe each corps member several times a week. They provide written feedback and discuss areas for development, working with corps members to create concrete plans to increase student learning and develop teaching knowledge and skills. Veteran district teachers partner with each classroom to provide regular feedback throughout the summer.

Rehearsals and Reflections
Corps members meet in small groups that provide a supportive yet challenging space to practice teaching new lessons, react to classroom management dilemmas, discuss feedback they’ve received, and analyze student progress. Corps members leave these small group sessions with clear direction they can use to improve their teaching.

Lesson Planning Clinics
Corps members receive extensive lesson planning instruction from Teach For America instructional coaches. They internalize student learning objectives for the coming week, create assessments to evaluate student progress, select the right teaching methods to meet their objectives, and develop their plans in great detail.

Curriculum Sessions
Corps members study the fundamentals of teaching and practice teaching techniques to prepare them for all elements of classroom instruction. Sessions focus on each coursework element below.

Elements of Institute Coursework

Teaching As Leadership
The central philosophy of our approach to teaching and cornerstone of our training and support program. Introduces corps members to the principles and specific actions that successful teachers take to lead their students to success.

Instructional Planning and Delivery
Presents a goal-oriented, standards-based approach to teaching and teaches corps members to diagnose and assess students, plan lessons, and deliver lessons effectively.

Classroom Management and Culture
Teaches corps members how to create and maintain a culture of achievement in the classroom.

Diversity, Community, and Achievement
Develops the mindsets and skills needed for corps members to build relationships and work effectively with the diverse students, families, educators and others in the communities where they teach.

Literacy Development
Explores how to teach literacy skills to students at all performance levels and across grade levels and content areas.