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This September, CASLS welcomes soon-to-be teachers to Eugene and Springfield in a biannual session of the Oregon International Internship Program, OIIP. In this program, students form universities in China, Japan, and Taiwan gain valuable classroom experience by coming to the Eugene-Springfield area and shadowing a mentor elementary school teacher for four days a week. Not only does this provide students with practical teaching experience in an international context, but it also benefits the area schools. Interns bring with them a passion for education along with a vast knowledge of Chinese, Japanese, or Taiwanese culture and language; over the four to five month program this can translate into meaningful connections between the intern, students, and teachers. Interns are available at no cost and work closely with their partner schools, who each provide a teacher who is willing to integrate the intern into their classroom.

Newly Arrived OIIP Interns

 Each Friday, students attend class at the University of Oregon where they learn pedagogy that they can then implement in the classroom. Additionally, students also learn about culture in the United States by living in a homestay for the duration of their internship. These families gain the opportunity to learn about the intern’s culture while sharing their own. Overall, OIIP provides interns with invaluable classroom experience, university credit, and the opportunity for meaningful connections. At the same time, OIIP enriches Eugene and Springfield area homes and schools with language and culture. Renée Petit Marshall, OIIP Coordinator, says: “The Oregon International Internship Program can be a transformative experience for these international interns. For many of them this is their first time not only in the U.S., but outside their home country. They learn valuable pedagogy from their mentor teachers here as well as make lasting connections with their homestay families and members of the community."

For more information about OIIP, how to become a homestay family, or how an OIIP intern can join your classroom, please visit: https://casls.uoregon.edu/pages/studentprograms/oiip.php