Community Leadership Experience placement in Costa Rica
In your second/sixth year, use the knowledge and skills you’ve acquired, in a 60-hour community leadership experience. You may choose to participate in an international or domestic practicum arranged by Nipissing University or focus your interests closer to home within Ontario. Previous international and domestic locations have included Costa Rica, Kenya, France, and Trois Pistoles, Quebec. Experiences within Ontario have included placements in organizations such as museums, outdoor education centres, correction centres, etc. Whether teaching internationally or working with a local organization, you will get to explore the teaching and learning opportunities that exist outside of traditional classrooms.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to COVID-19, international/domestic trips may not be offered during the 2022-2023 academic year. The safety of our students remains our top priority.
What is the difference between a CLE placement and a volunteer position?
| A CLE placement | A volunteer position |
|---|---|
| A CLE placement must include an ongoing teaching and learning component. It is a purpose driven placement with specific expectations, goals, and outcomes. You are required to complete a log summarizing your daily responsibilities, which must be signed by your placement supervisor at the end of each shift. Your placement supervisor is also responsible for completing a report at the end of the placement. | A volunteer position could be filled by any community member who has an interest in offering their time to an organization and meets the selection criteria appropriate to the position. In this case, the organization is not usually required to follow specific program requirements (e.g., report, log). A volunteer usually chooses the times they are available to assist the organization and might continue to volunteer over a number of months or years. Volunteer positions may include clerical work, data entry, cleaning, inventory, front desk duties, etc., which are not appropriate for a CLE placement. |
Placement requirements:
- A minimum of 60 hours of service completed in year two of the BEd program
- Must have a connection to human development and service to the community.
- Must include a teaching/learning component where teaching skills can be applied.
- Must be unpaid.
- Cannot be completed within Nipissing University.
- Must not be completed within an organization where the teacher candidate has previously worked or volunteered.
- The placement supervisor cannot be an immediate family member of the teacher candidate.
- Placement hours must be arranged according to the needs of the organization and/or the site supervisor.
- Cannot be completed within Nipissing University.
During the placement teacher candidates will:
- demonstrate professionalism in all aspects of the community experience according to the OCT Standards of Practice;
- apply course-based knowledge and skills in a non-traditional setting;
- engage in reflection as a means of improving teaching practice;
- interact appropriately with clients and co-workers;
- demonstrate commitment to professional growth through collaboration with site supervisor(s) and acceptance of varied responsibilities in a non-traditional teaching environment.