Our campus is full of opportunities to gain hands-on experience that is meaningful and relevant for future teachers. Many of these opportunities are also paid student employment or fellowships. Below, students can find a curated list and some tips for what to do to get involved.
CalTeach Learning Lab
Undergraduate teaching interns and fellows at UC Merced’s CalTeach Learning Lab, the UC system's only teaching lab of its kind, develop and deliver hands-on STEAM lessons for area K-12 students during the academic year and over summer as part of Bobcat Summer STEM Academy. This is an opportunity for future teachers to get meaningful experience teaching local students and to develop their pedagogical skills. Learning Lab also helps support internship placements with Merced City School District in a variety of student support programs.
Follow the CalTeach Learning Lab on Instagram to keep up to date with student opportunities and events!
Child and Family Development Group Labs
Undergraduate research assistants in the Child and Family Development Group’s research labs gain hands-on research experience collecting and preparing data for experiments focused on how children learn and grow. This is great experience for future teachers to develop their knowledge about how learning happens and the behavioral, social, and emotional development of their students.
If you are interested in gaining this kind of experience, consider enrolling in a course with the faculty member who runs the lab you’re interested in and go to their office hours to ask about student opportunities!
Early Childhood Education Center
Undergraduate teacher aides at UC Merced’s Early Childhood Education Center gain hands-on experience with teaching the youngest children during a rapid and critical developmental period, from infancy through preschool. This is ideal experience for future teachers interested in PK-3 pathways and will be a practicum opportunity in the forthcoming Child Development minor, too.
Reach out to ECEC Director Danielle Waite at ecec@ucmerced.edu and ask if you can take a tour of the center and learn more about student opportunities!
Students Assessing Teaching and Learning (SATAL) Program 
Undergraduate researchers in SATAL, a nationally recognized program in our Center for Engaged Teaching and Learning, are trained to gather, analyze, and report data related to classroom instruction (for instance, use of instructional time, classroom engagement, learning activities). This is a unique opportunity for future teachers to learn research methods for evaluating and improving teaching.
If you want to learn more about SATAL, there’s lots of videos and testimonials on their website to get a sense of the research students are doing. If it looks interesting to you, reach out to SATAL Coordinator Adriana Signorini at asignorini@ucmerced.edu and ask her about opportunities!
University Writing Center
Undergraduate writing consultants in the University Writing Center provide 1:1 support and workshops for UC Merced students in all majors looking to develop their understanding of the writing process and improve their writing. This is a great opportunity for future teachers to learn effective writing pedagogy (for instance, approaches to feedback) that can serve writers of all ages.
Drop by the UWC on the second floor of Kolligian Library (KL 296)—check out the space and ask consultants about their experiences! If you’re interested in becoming a consultant, write to writingcenter@ucmerced.edu for information about the application process and deadlines.
