Mieko A. Ozeki interned at McClure Productions, an alternative education company, to learn about experiential and arts integration education. During her internship, she researched educational policies and standards, observed classroom lessons, and wrote curriculum. She developed adventure education programs incorporating character education. She also wrote lesson plans for McClure's music programs, incorporating academic standards. The internship helped her gain hands-on experience in experiential education and clarify her career goals in the field.

1. Description ofEducation Internship
McClure Prod!-Jctions, Inc.
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Mieko A. Ozeki worked at McClure Productions, Inc. in Geneseo, NY as a curriculum
development intern. McClure Productions, Inc. is an alternative education company that designs
experiential music progi:ams and curriculum for }?festern New York sch_ool�. Glenn McClure The
objective of this internship was to learn mor�. about the field; of alternative/experiential education,
especially the peld ofarts integratidn, and curriculum writing. . ,.
During the, ,Fall 2000 se�ester,. Ms. Ozeki researched educatiol)al policjes; New Y,ork State
learning standards ¥ well as pedagogy. In the. Spring 2001 semester, she continued as a curriculum
. writer for McClure Productions, Additionally, I observed and assisted Mr. McClure iil facilitating lessons
at his art residency sites. ·
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' Foll�wing is a docllflentatipn ofthe ski)�s and.experiences gained at McClure Prpductions, Inc..
FALL2000 i
September ' ' I " ' ' • ' • '
On September 15th� I �ttfvded the Young Audiences �how at Nazareth College with Glenn
McClure and Ted Canning. I watched and listened to the performances of various artists who do art
·residencies in public sch9ols. I talked with teachers who were interested in incorporating these programs
into their cl.as�rooms and observedjthe artists who entertained as well as taught academic subjects through
their performances. . ,
Afterwards, I researched the Project SAVE education law which was passed in July 2000 and
focused on character education. I was assigned to write an adventure education curriculum, incorporating
character education into the program. The purpose of this assignment was to learn about curriculum
writing by creating a program that fit my comfort zone.
October
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On October 2nd, I went to Mt. Morris Central School with Glenn. I observed two science classes
and participated in the arts activities which took place in the classroom. The lesson taught that day was
the physics ofsound. I noticed how the students were more attentive to the lesson when they got to play
the steel drums in class. They were excited about learning as they drew connections between playing the
instrument and the physics ofsound.
I rewrote my adventure curriculum after reviewing the prototype program with Glenn. An
addendum was added which detailed activities that would be used for the program. Two sample lesson
plans (math and science) were added to practice lesson plan writing and incorporating New York State
learning standards with adventure education activities.
On October I0th, I attended a "town meeting" with Glenn, Paula, and Francesca McClure and
Ted Canning for the western New York chapter ofYoung Audiences. The objective ofthe meeting was to
brainstorm ideas to help in organizing the chapter.
At the end of the month, I wrote a curriculum which incorporated state education learning
standards with activities from the Arts Integration Tool Box. Also, developed ideas for extending
activities which could be used for the "Tools oflnquiry: Music" activity.
November
I attended the Association for Experiential Education International Conference in Tucson,
Arizona from November 2-5. I gathered a lot ofinformation on various adventure programming, such as
corporate training, adjudicated youth programs and adventure therapy, and learned more about this field
of experiential education. I attended a few workshops in these areas and learned some techniques of
teaching academics as well as character development in the outdoor environment.

2. The final assignment for the semester was to write four lesson plans which were oriented to life
sciences, incorporating state standards with act1vities in the "Great Garbage Concert" activity book and
tape. This was a fun assignment because I developed skills in lesson plan and curriculum writing. I
enjoyed listening to the music that is used in these activities.
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SPRING2001
During the Spring 2001 semester, I continued the work and observations I had done for McClure
Productions in Fall 2000. The objective for this semester was to complete lesson plans for Mr. McClure's
"Great Garbage Concert" activities book. The other project I was working on was a lesson plan packet
for a project that Mr. McClure wasproposing to do on a pyramid in Mexico called Teotihuacan.
Mr. McClure was working on a· grant to compose a piece ofmusic that would take advantage of
the acoustical structure of the Teotihuacan ·pyramid (also called the Pyramid of the Moon). The'·sound
that is produced from this ancient Mesoamerican structure is a unique and multi-layered sound: The
purpose of the lesson plans that I wrote for this project was to support the academic aspect of this
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Finally, I had the opportunity to observe Mr. McClure teach a middle school class on music !n
America. Based on my observations, I developed a lesson plan on social science research methods and
learned how to write rubricsfor'teachers to use as a guideline for a histdry project. :
This semester allowed me the opportunity to develop my skiJls in curriculum and lesson plan
writing. It was an excellent opportunity to create a professional portfolio for job or foternship
opportunities at Eagle Rock School and Shackleton School. The advantage of this portfolio was the
professional edge I had in the alternative edu�tion field.
Closing Thoughts
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I appreciated working for McClure Productions because it helped me gain more hands on
experience in this field of education. It helped me clarify my· career goals in experiential education,
especially in adventure education. The internship has been a wonderful opportunity to learn about
curriculum design, which I have incorporated into my teaching experiences.
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