Being An Internship Supervisor: The Hidden Curriculum

Being an Internship Supervisor – Graphic looks like a hanging sign. The top of the graphic includes the website URL, “www.musictherapyworks.com” followed by the title, “Being an Internship Supervisor.” and the word, “explained,” on the part of the sign that dangles below.
Have you ever heard of "the hidden curriculum?" This concept (resources that I found helpful are listed below) is that there are many things that are included in education that are not part of the formal learning objectives. Students have to learn how to function within the educational culture in order to succeed. Those who conform to the expectations that are in addition to the educational material presented are more successful than those who do not conform. The "hidden" part comes from the situation that these expectations are often not taught or demonstrated - they just exist in the mind of the educators.

I'm not exactly sure why this particular phrase popped into my head this morning - I haven't been thinking about what I will write this morning - but it seems like a good time to write about all of this.

As you know, I sometimes struggle with situations that arise from being in an internship setting. One of those things is getting interns to complete tasks on time - well, just recently, that has become an issue. So, I have been seeking some perspective, and this concept can help me with this round of problem-solving.

What is the "hidden curriculum" in my internship program? Here are some things that I don't want to have to teach my interns - things that I want them to already know and to just do...

  • complete assignments by the deadline
  • talk to clients with respect and age-appropriate interactions
  • manage their own time without guidance from me
  • use professional language when completing assignments
I know that there are many more, and I am going to work on this view as I go over every little part of my internship.

So, why is this an important thing to consider?

Oh, boy. I am guilty of not instructing my interns on how to be a music therapist in my facility. I never really think about sitting them down and telling them what to do. I assume that they will pick it up during their 1020 hours at the facility. Assumption does not work. I do not explicitly teach these things. I do not think that I could teach everything that comes with being the music therapist at my facility. I don't have enough time or enough self-awareness to know everything that is part of the hidden curriculum of my program. All I can do is do better than I am doing now.

This topic deserves more research and more thinking than I have given it at this point. I also want to look at this curricular concept through a DEI perspective to see what things I can do to make this a bit less hidden and a bit more understood by me so I can do better for my interns.

I wonder if some of this is at the heart of our current discussions about diversity, equity, and inclusion. Please note that I do not speak about the experiences of others - I can only offer my own opinions and thoughts that are based in my experiences, biases, and perceptions of the world. If your opinions are different from my own, I encourage you to interact with me directly. I want to know what others think because this is how we all can work towards understanding and being better.

Here are the things that I am going to do to start off with this exploration and quest for understanding:

  • print off and then read the articles that I find about "hidden curricula"
  • figure out criteria about what is part of any "hidden curriculum"
  • make a list of things that are part of my clinical training program that fit specific criteria based on my research
  • do better
That's it for today - I have the next steps on my quest to do better for my interns, and it is time for my shower and commute. See you tomorrow?? Who knows?




(Sorry that these aren't in APA format - I try to make it more official, but I don't have time this morning...)

https://www.edglossary.org/hidden-curriculum/

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1083566.pdf

https://www.bu.edu/teaching-writing/resources/teaching-the-hidden-curriculum/ 

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