My Internship with Picture News!
Hi everyone, my name is Nur, and as I’m writing this, it’s my final day interning at Picture News – a moment that brings mixed emotions. As my manager, Katie, aptly said after my graduation, “One door closes, another opens,” and I find myself truly understanding this now. I’m eagerly anticipating what lies ahead, but before I look too far into the future, let me take you through my six-week journey at Picture News.
My role for the internship with Picture News is as a Researcher and Content Writer. During my internship, my primary role involved researching to support the development of the new Picture News Talk resource. This entailed exploring the needs of EAL (English as an Additional Language) teachers and how best to address them through our packs. I delved into how we can make our content more accessible and relevant to both students and educators in diverse contexts. My work aimed to enhance the relevance and effectiveness of Picture News Talk’s resources for EAL contexts. By providing valuable insights and developing a tailored mock resource, I contributed to improving how Picture News addresses the needs of EAL teachers. This, in turn, supports their efforts in teaching English and enriches the learning experience for students.
Throughout my internship, I undertook several key tasks. During the first two weeks of my internship, I started by researching the specific needs and challenges faced by EAL teachers. This involved gathering data on current practices and identifying gaps in available resources from past research papers, and also from my own lived experience as I had experience in teaching English, therefore I focused on Malaysia for a significant part of my research. I also conducted a survey to gather insights from ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers and EAL support assistants. Analysing this data provided a clearer picture of how our resources could be adapted to better serve these educators. Based on my findings, I created a mock resource for Picture News Talk. This task was particularly exciting as it allowed me to apply my research directly to developing practical educational materials. It also brings back memories of when I did my lesson plans for my practicum days, haaa how I missed those days.
One of the main challenges I faced was translating research data into practical and engaging resources. Ensuring that the mock resource was not only informative, but also accessible and enjoyable for both teachers and students required careful consideration and creativity. Balancing these elements, while adhering to deadlines, was a valuable learning experience. I received so much support from my colleagues when I was working on both the research, survey, and also the mock resource. Because of the support received, I was able to do my tasks ‘superbly’ (need to double check with Katie first, she might have different opinions, haha!).
This internship has been a significant growth period for me. I developed several key skills when I joined Picture News. The first one is conducting in-depth research and analysing data to derive meaningful insights. I also had the opportunity to design and develop educational materials that are both engaging and educational for ELL students, using my TESL experience and also from the surveys I did. I also developed time management skills and managed resources effectively to meet project deadlines and objectives. Each week I have been given tasks to complete and I managed to do a presentation on all of my work on the very last day. I’m quite proud of myself to be honest! I also ‘perfected’ my professional communication skills as I worked quite closely with my colleagues, especially with Katie.
One of the highlights of my internship was working on the mock resource for Picture News Talk. It was incredibly fulfilling to see my research come to life in a tangible product. The process reminded me of my lesson planning days during my TESL studies back home, and I found great joy in experimenting with different content ideas and formats. If given another chance, I would aim to start the development of the mock resource earlier in the internship. This would allow more time for iterative feedback and refinement, ultimately leading to an even better end product. Nevertheless, the experience has been immensely rewarding, and I have learned a great deal.
To close off, I want to express my heartfelt thanks to my amazing colleagues – Chloe, Nika, Jo, Lisa, and Ruth – for their support and camaraderie. A special thank you to my wonderful manager, Katie, for keeping up with my countless questions throughout my time hihi. And huge thanks to Katie and Rob Harrison for providing me with this invaluable opportunity. I hope to stay in touch and look forward to crossing paths again in the future!
Thanks,
Nur