“It Gave Me Confidence”: How Field Experience and Service

Learning Impact Pre-service Teacher Learning Regarding Diversity and

Multiculturalism in an Urban Middle School

Sue F. Foo, Ed.D, Erin Desmarais, Thomas Farrington, Matthew Cadigan, Jessica Xavier &

Elizabeth Marc-Aurele

Overview

• A qualitative study on partnership between a teacher preparation program and an urban middle school.

• Readiness of pre-service teachers to work with students from diverse backgrounds.

• Impact of field experience and service learning on pre-service teachers.

Course and Service Learning/Field Experience

Partnership: two years with a core group of teachers

Course: Diversity and Multicultural Education

Guided Field Experience: 20 hours; teach lessons; focus group with middle school students; work with small groups of students; and complete reflective journals

Reflective Journals Questions

• What are some of your perceptions or beliefs about the population you are serving?

• What did you observe and learn? What have you gained from this experience?

• What fears or concerns, if any, do you have about working with the students or an individual student?

• What have you learned about yourself?• What values, opinions, beliefs have changed? What

have not? Why?• How have you been challenged?

Focus of the study:1. to assess the partnership between the

Education Department of a university in the Northeast and an urban professional development school (PDS);

2. to investigate the perspectives of pre-service teachers on multicultural education and diversity in a teacher preparation program;

3. to investigate the impact of service learning/field experience on pre-service teachers’ learning.

Literature Review

• The increasing heterogeneous classroom requires teachers to teach students with different cultures, language, abilities and other characteristics (Gollnick & Chinn 2002).

• Integrated field work helps inform and engage pre-service teachers. (Kraft, 2002; Coffey, 2010; Sleeter, 2008)

Literature Review

• The service learning pedagogy in diversity education promotes student reflection and awareness of political, social and economic intolerance in order to foster a deeper respect and appreciation for diversity (Holland, 2006)

Literature Review

• Incorporating a service learning component into a multicultural course in higher education can result in positive learning, personal and social outcomes. (Eyler and Giles, 2001)

Definition Service Learning: a learning experience that facilitates student acquisition of awareness, knowledge, and skills while promoting a commitment to personal, social, civic, and professional responsibility. (Burnett, Long, and Horne, 2005)

Field Experience: provides opportunities within actual teaching settings, facilitates authentic learning, allows students to practice and implement the knowledge and skills ……and promotes a high degree of emotional involvement ……. increased professional growth. (Casey & Howson, 1993; Dawson, 2006)

Methodology

Participants:• 17 pre-service teachers (m= 9; f=8)• 4 in-service teachers (m=2; f=2)Data Collection:• 3 focus groups with pre-service teachers• 3 interviews with in-service teachers• 17 pre-service teachers completed field

reflective journals

Results: Partnership between university and urban middle school

• provided an authentic experience for pre-service teachers about learners and teachers.• revealed the importance of communication, and

further improvement is needed.• provided opportunities for in-service and

pre-service teachers to assume different roles. • expanded the experiences of the in-service

teachers to include mentoring.

Results: Perspectives of pre-service teachers on multicultural education and field work

• Able to improve communication and instructional skills.

• Able to make ‘actual connections rather than hearing about multiculturalism and diversity.’

• Able to identify different issues and perspectives pertaining to diversity.

Results: Impact of service learning/field experience on pre-service teachers.

• Attitudinal Change of Pre-service Teachers • Pre-service Teachers’ Self Discovery Journey• Pre-service Teachers’ Cross Cultural

Competence Skills• Pre-Service Teachers’ Construction of New

Knowledge

Results: Impact of service learning/field experience on pre-service teachers.

• Potential for Service Learning

Discussion

• Authentic experience allows direct application of readings, observations and doing - leads to construction of new knowledge.

• Partnership requires trust and mutual respect – needs time to establish.

• Partnership among people and not only between institutions.

• Learning experience is on-going process and time is needed to facilitate the process.

Discussion

Caution: • Service learning should not perpetuate

negativity and oppressive beliefs, careful not to uphold “White privilege”

• Empowerment and not charitable element of service

Reflections of Pre-service teachers

“…. I have been looking at children as troublesome but now I look at them as young children who are only trying to discover themselves.” ~ Joseph (Spring 2012)

Reflections of Pre-service teachers

“ In this course, I have learned that topics of culture, identity and diversity must be handled with sensitivity, understanding and kindness.” ~ Stephanie (Spring 2012)

Reference Coffey, H. (2010). “They taught me”: The benefits of early community-based field experience in teacher education. Teacher and Teacher Education, 26. 335-342.

Gollnick, D.M. & Chinn, P.C. (2002). Multicultural education in a pluralistic society (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.

Holland, L. (2006). Teaching and learning in diversity classes: The significance of classroom climate and teacher credibility. Journal of Political Science Education, 2, 187-203

Kraft, N. P. (2002). Teacher Research as a Way to Engage in Critical Reflection: a Case Study: Reflective Practice, 3(2). 175-189.

Sleeter, C. (2008). Equity, democracy, and neoliberal assaults on teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24(8). 1947-1957.

Thank you