Shiksha Samvad

Abstract

The School Internship Programme is a key part of the B.Ed. curriculum that helps trainee teachers practice teaching in real classrooms. It connects theory learned at college with practical teaching skills. Guidelines from the National Council for Teacher Education and the National Education Policy emphasize that internship should be structured, reflective, and focused on improving teaching skills.

This study explores how the internship programme helps improve teaching skills of B.Ed. trainees. A descriptive survey method was used. The sample included 100 trainees and 20 mentor teachers chosen randomly. Data was collected using a Teaching Competency Scale, a Mentoring Support Questionnaire, and classroom observations.

Results showed a significant improvement in teaching skills after the internship (t(99)=29.35, p<.05). Mentoring support was also found to play an important role in improving skills (t(98)=5.78, p<.05). Some challenges like lack of mentoring time, limited feedback, and resource issues were also identified.

The study suggests that structured guidance, reflection, and collaboration between colleges and schools are necessary to make internships more effective.

Keywords: School Internship, Teaching Skills, B.Ed., Mentoring, Reflection