scholarly journals Teachers as Students in the (Literal) Field: A Service-learning Internship within a Developing Nation

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 64-81
Author(s):  
Daniel Bruce Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Professional Growth ◽  
Global Education ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Field Experiences ◽  
Comfort Zone ◽  
Safe Learning Environment ◽  
Letting Go ◽  
The Impact

This paper provides an account of a recent research study that investigated an international field experience—labelled as a service-learning internship—for in-service teachers. Relying upon what we know to be the advantages and benefits of similar international field experiences for pre-service teachers to frame our investigation, we explored the impact upon in-service teachers, particularly as they relate to both professional and personal growth. Analysis of questionnaire responses revealed several prominent themes. Stories and accounts of professional growth were related to: 1) creating an engaging and safe learning environment, 2) (over)planning for the unexpected, and 3) teaching with (and in front of) others. Stories and accounts of personal growth were related to: 1) letting go of control, 2) facing fears and confronting anxieties outside of one’s comfort zone, and 3) recognizing privilege and the excess of possessions. Results from this study might be of interest to those who similarly share an interest in international field experiences, service-learning, in-service teacher education, and international or global education.

scholarly journals Mollenhauer’s Representation: The Role of Preservice Teachers in the Practices of Upbringing

in education ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 3-24
Author(s):  
Andrew Foran ◽  
Daniel B. Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Beginning Teachers ◽  
Program Analysis ◽  
Professional Growth ◽  
Field Experience ◽  
Field Experiences ◽  
The Impact ◽  
International Field Experience

Our recent research study investigated an international field experience for preservice teachers, labelled as a service-learning internship, a term often used to refer to a student teacher in a Bachelor of Education (BEd) program. Relying on what we know to be advantages and benefits of similar international field experiences for preservice teachers to frame our investigation, we explored the impact of a service-learning internship upon beginning teachers, particularly as it related to their professional growth as teachers. To gain insight into teacher education, we drew on the work of Mollenhauer (2014) to critically examine the foundations of how we prepare teachers in our BEd program. Analysis of questionnaire responses, tracked by a digital discussion forum via Moodle™, revealed two dominant themes: (a) gaining a deeper understanding of children, and (b) learning to be flexible regardless of curricular constraints. Results from this study might be of interest to those who share a similar interest in international field experiences, teacher education, and pedagogy.            Keywords: pedagogy, Bildung; teacher education; international; field experience; service learning; global teaching

AN INDIGENOUS PSYCHO-EDUCATIONAL GROUP FOR CHINESE BEREAVED FAMILY MEMBERS

1998 ◽  
Vol 32 (01) ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
CECILIA L. W. CHAN ◽  
AMY Y. M. CHOW
Keyword(s):  
Personal Growth ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Growth Strategies ◽  
Chinese People ◽  
Practice Model ◽  
Educational Group ◽  
Letting Go ◽  
Bereaved Family ◽  
Anxiety Depression ◽  
The Impact

Detrimental effects of bereavement on physical, mental, social and psychological aspects of individuals can be found among bereaved Chinese. The authors have developed an indigenous practice model to work with bereaved family members among Chinese people in Hong Kong. The concept of bereavement was re-cast to include the idea that bereavement is a challenge that can aid in personal growth. Strategies were created to deal with the feelings of loss and separation positively. Programs in a "growth-oriented" psychosocial-educational group using multiple cognitive, behavioral and spiritual strategies were introduced. Throughout the sessions, messages of "Letting Go", "Self-Love", "Forgiveness" and "Transformation" were embedded in the programs by culturally relevant terms and concepts. A pre-group and post-group questionnaire as well as long interviews were used to evaluate the impact of the group on the participants. Participants of the bereavement groups showed significant improvements in somatic symptoms, anxiety, depression, mood, self-acceptance, letting-go and transformation.丧亲会损害家人的身、心、情绪健康。笔者们共同设计了一套本地化「善别」概念为香港华人服务。「善别」的建立是基于「去者能善终、留者能善别」的信念，希望丧亲家人能「妥善处理别离的经验」，明白「死亡」是生命的蜕变，而善别、是成长的挑战」，以积极的态度去面对丧亲所引致的别离，以个人成长及独立训练作为回报亲人的关顾。「善别」辅导小组以身、心、灵全面介入，推介「舍得」、「惜自己」、「宽恕」、和「升华」等传统观念。透过小组前、后对比及访问方式搜集善别小组成效的证据。组员在参加小组之后均于身心、情绪、自我接纳、「舍得」及「升华」方面有正面的改善。

scholarly journals CAREER GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT: ROLE OF CONTINUING EDUCATION AMONG TEACHERS

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Priyanka Bhaskar ◽  
Padmalosani Dayalan
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Continuing Education ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Professional Growth ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Career Growth ◽  
The Impact

This paper aims to highlight the role of continuing education among the teachers of India. The study identifies factors which influence teachers in Higher education institutions (HEI) for continuing education. The paper also explores the impact of continuing education on career growth and development. A systematic survey was conducted among the teachers in Higher education institutions of Uttarakhand, India. Factor analysis is used to identify the important factors that influence teachers to enrol for continuing education. SPSS and AMOS are used to analyse the data. The findings of the study indicate that factors like time, financial support, job opportunities, knowledge, skills, and abilities play a detrimental role among teachers for continuing education. This study also reveals that continuing education has a positive impact on career growth and development of teachers. Continuing education helps the teachers to explore better career opportunities, provides job security, salary increment, and promotion which contributes to their professional growth and personality development. Continuing education in teachers demonstrates a significant role in the development of interpersonal skills, technical skills and inculcates self-confidence that contributes to their personal growth. The importance of paper increases amidst the COVID19 pandemic and the launch of the National Education Policy in India, as the paper will provide support to the Higher education institutes and Government to frame policies and strategies to imbibe continuing education as an integral part of the education system. The paper by enumerating its benefits, motivates the teachers to enhance their qualifications and enhance their future prospects.

scholarly journals Aha Malawi! Envisioning Field Experiences that Nurture Cultural Competencies for Preservice Teachers

2011 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia A Talbot
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Critical Pedagogy ◽  
Transformational Learning ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Classroom Practice ◽  
Field Experiences ◽  
Cultural Competencies ◽  
Transformational Learning Theory ◽  
Diverse Field

This theoretical study uses the context of the writer’s personal encounters in Malawi, Africa, to propose a conceptual model for creating diverse field experiences based on best practices in critical pedagogy, service learning, and the underpinnings of transformational learning theory, for the purpose of increasing the probability of meaningful and sustainable personal growth that impacts classroom practice over time. The visual framework proposed illustrates the overlap and the unique qualities of these three often-used perspectives for building cultural competencies for teachers and makes the case for incorporating all three when designing experiential learning opportunities with recommendations for how to do so.

scholarly journals Increasing Student Awareness and Understanding of Food Security by Integrating a Service-learning Project into an Undergraduate Hydroponic Food Production Course

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 543-547
Author(s):  
Christopher J. Currey ◽  
Ann Marie VanDerZanden ◽  
Joshua J. Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
The United States ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Community Benefits ◽  
Food Quantity ◽  
The Impact

Food security is a growing global concern. To meet the needs of an ever-growing population, food production practices will need to evolve to maximize food quantity and quality. Controlled-environment food production has increased significantly in the United States over the past 5 years, and a component of that production includes hydroponic food crops. In an effort to better prepare a workforce with knowledge of hydroponic crop production, a new course was added to an existing greenhouse curriculum. A service-learning project was integrated in the course that allowed students to experience both growing crops hydroponically and volunteering at a local food bank with a free meal program. Self-assessment showed a significant increase in student confidence in understanding food security by the end of the course. There was also a significant knowledge gained in defining terminology, factors, and the impact of food security in a community. The three guided reflections students completed during the course identified four common themes relative to the course content and service-learning project including the following: community benefits, value of volunteering, local and global effects of food insecurity, and personal growth.

scholarly journals Service-Learning in an Undergraduate Abnormal Psychology Course: What Do Students Learn?

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 125
Author(s):  
Christina Michaelson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Racial Differences ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Psychological Disorders ◽  
Abnormal Psychology ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Personal Strengths ◽  
Psychology Course ◽  
The Impact

In my Abnormal Psychology course students reported that their service-learning work at mental health related organizations in the community helped them connect course content to life experiences, increase their understanding of the impact of mental illness on people’s lives, and examine their attitudes about people with psychological disorders. They also developed increased empathy, greater understandings of cultural and racial differences, and more awareness of their personal strengths. They felt useful to others, that their service made a difference, and that they were more likely to volunteer in the future. These results are consistent with previous research that service-learners increase their understanding of course content and experience personal growth. The present study provides a more focused perspective on how Abnormal Psychology students are affected specifically by their experiential understanding of psychological disorders and reflection on their attitudes about mental illness.

scholarly journals Between privilege and poverty: The affordances of mobility among aid worker children

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 489-506
Author(s):  
Anne-Meike Fechter
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
International Mobility ◽  
Life Chances ◽  
Local Elite ◽  
Parents And Children ◽  
The Impact

Contemporary research on children affected by migration in Southeast Asia has examined the impact of mobility on their life chances, choices and overall welfare. Extending this concern, this article seeks to address these questions in the context of privileged migration. Specifically, it asks how the mobility of children whose parents work for aid agencies in low-income countries shapes the way they understand and negotiate experiences of privilege, as well as their everyday encounters with poverty. Based on ethnographic research with young people and their families in Cambodia, the findings suggest that parents and children may envisage their international mobility as a chance for personal growth, specifically as manifest in the form of ‘open-mindedness.’ Such positive discourses are complicated, however, by a simultaneously engendered sense of superiority toward those who are less mobile. They are also intertwined with practices of ‘bracketing’ possible frictions arising from their interactions with children of local elite members. While the young people’s proximity to poverty provides opportunities for locally-based service-learning activities, connections with their parents’ work can remain abstract. The article therefore suggests that this form of international mobility may not, in itself, enable a critical engagement with poverty or with their own and others’ privilege.

scholarly journals Evaluating a service-learning assignment in a doctor of chiropractic program public health course

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krista L. Ward ◽  
Donna H. Odierna ◽  
Monica Smith
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Nonprofit Organizations ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Health Knowledge ◽  
Ecological Model ◽  
Qualitative Thematic Analysis ◽  
Health Course ◽  
Health Knowledge And Attitudes ◽  
The Impact

Objective Despite the use of service learning in other health care education programs, little is published about its use in doctor of chiropractic programs. Since 2017, the public health course at our institution has included a service-learning assignment in which students volunteer for nonprofit organizations and write an essay about their experience. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of the assignment on students' self-reported public health knowledge and attitudes. Methods Between April 2017 and June 2018, 56 essays were collected from students who volunteered at a nonprofit organization focused on 3 categories: youth, the environment, or poverty. Each essay was deidentified and assigned random 4-digit-number file names. Ten files were randomly selected from each of the 3 categories for qualitative thematic analysis using deductive and inductive coding. Results Student essays demonstrated competency in public health concepts, including organizational systems, levels of prevention, and the social ecological model. In addition, a majority of the students went beyond discussing knowledge gained from this assignment and described the impact of their experience on their personal growth. Conclusion This study demonstrates that students respond favorably to a service-learning assignment that addresses public health competencies and may foster personal and professional development.

scholarly journals Faculty survey of service-learning and its impact on nursing students

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 78
Author(s):  
Catherine Y. Read ◽  
Ronna E. Krozy ◽  
Lauren K. Yarkony
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Students ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Student Development ◽  
Nursing Faculty ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Host Community ◽  
Community Healthcare ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Impact

Objective: Service-learning experiences (SLEs) help instill cultural competence and prepare nurses for practice with diverse populations in varied settings. This study describes SLE activities implemented by supervising nursing faculty, explores faculty opinions about the importance of those activities to uncover disparities between practice and values, and solicits faculty opinions about the impact of service learning on the students.Methods: An online, quantitative survey collected data from faculty who lead SLEs in US nursing programs. Results: A total of 77 US nursing faculty from 32 states reported on SLEs, 23% of which were located outside of the US.  Pre-experiential, experiential, and post-experiential SLE discussion topics most often included the host community healthcare system, health and economic disparities, cultural norms, and benefits of the SLE. Religious beliefs, poverty tourism, racism, and privilege were discussed less often. Students participated in a variety of nursing-related activities onsite and nearly all faculty required follow up activities. Most faculty agreed that meeting the immediate needs of the host community, building sustainable partnerships with host community, addressing personal growth of the students, and discussing inequities are important aspects of an SLE, although actual implementation of those activities varied. Students feel “changed” after the SLE and become more likely to advocate for the vulnerable and underserved, but can also feel overwhelmed and harbor guilt about inequities.Conclusions: Faculty report a wide range of discussion-based and hands-on activities in the pre-experiential, experiential, and post-experiential phases of the SLE. Overall, faculty believe that service learning positively impacts student development, but feelings of guilt and being overwhelmed can also persist after students return home.

The Impact of TimeSlips on Undergraduate Students in Service Learning With Older Adults

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Sabine Heuer
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Attitude Scale ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Attitudes Toward Older Adults ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
Attitude Shift ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Journal Entries

Purpose Future speech-language pathologists are often unprepared in their academic training to serve the communicative and cognitive needs of older adults with dementia. While negative attitudes toward older adults are prevalent among undergraduate students, service learning has been shown to positively affect students' attitudes toward older adults. TimeSlips is an evidence-based approach that has been shown to improve health care students' attitudes toward older adults. The purpose of this study is to explore the change in attitudes in speech-language pathology students toward older adults using TimeSlips in service learning. Method Fifty-one students participated in TimeSlips service learning with older adults and completed the Dementia Attitude Scale (DAS) before and after service learning. In addition, students completed a reflection journal. The DAS data were analyzed using nonparametric statistics, and journal entries were analyzed using a qualitative analysis approach. Results The service learners exhibited a significant increase in positive attitude as indexed on the DAS. The reflective journal entries supported the positive change in attitudes. Conclusions A noticeable attitude shift was indexed in reflective journals and on the DAS. TimeSlips is an evidence-based, patient-centered approach well suited to address challenges in the preparation of Communication Sciences and Disorders students to work with the growing population of older adults.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document