Challenging Deficit Thinking in Our Schools

Deficit thinking by educators is a barrier to student success. To effectively meet the needs of all students, future teachers need to be able to identify and challenge deficit thinking when they encounter it. Educator preparation programs are well positioned to assist with the rejection of deficit thinking in favor of strengths-based approaches in the classroom through intentionally designed courses and required field experiences. This chapter explores deficit thinking in special education, highlights components of teacher training that have been demonstrated to address issues of equity and combat deficit thinking, and shares one education department's efforts to ensure deficit thinking is adequately addressed in their coursework and fieldwork. Other educator preparation programs may benefit from the exploration of inclusive and equity-focused program components, as well as the auditing process conducted by this education department.

Managing Study Abroad During a Global Pandemic

Described in this chapter is an innovative online course that was created to support Spanish language students whose study abroad program was cancelled during the summer of 2020 due to the pandemic. While many students were able to enroll quickly in summer online language course offerings at their home campus to substitute for their study abroad coursework, students who were scheduled to complete field experiences in Spain as part of their certificate in Spanish for Professionals were unable to do so. In response to this problem, the author created an online professional practicum course to substitute for students' service-learning course in Spain. The design, development, and delivery of the online course, which featured a virtual language exchange between students in the U.S. and Spain, is the focus of the present chapter. Also described in this chapter is the conceptual framework that underpins sound instructional design for online communicative language teaching.

El Flamenco como herramienta de innovación educativa

This article is part of the result of a doctoral research, the objective of which is to verify the applicability and effectiveness of flamenco as a tool for socio-educational intervention. The text shows the research work carried out on the application of flamenco in the educational field. Experiences that have taken place in different formal and non-formal educational spaces in Andalusia are detailed. The results obtained shed light on the multiple possibilities of flamenco as a tool applied to a successful educational innovation. El presente artículo es parte del resultado de una investigación doctoral, cuyo objetivo es comprobar la aplicabilidad y efectividad del flamenco como herramienta de intervención socioeducativa. En el texto se muestra el trabajo de investigación realizado sobre la aplicación del flamenco en el ámbito educativo. Se detallan experiencias que han tenido lugar en diferentes espacios educativos formales y no formales de Andalucía. Los resultados obtenidos, arrojan luz sobre las múltiples posibilidades del flamenco como herramienta aplicada a una innovación educativa de éxito.

The Mid Atlantic Appalachian Orogen Traverse: a comparison of virtual and on-location field-based capstone experiences

The Stratigraphy, Structure, Tectonics (SST) course at James Madison University incorporates a capstone project that traverses the Mid Atlantic region of the Appalachian Orogen and includes several all-day field trips. In the Fall 2020 semester, the SST field trips transitioned to a virtual format, due to restrictions from the COVID pandemic. The virtual field trip projects were developed in web-based Google Earth and incorporated other supplemental PowerPoint and PDF files. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the virtual field experiences in comparison with traditional on-location field trips, an online survey was sent to SST students that took the course virtually in Fall 2020 and to students that took the course in person in previous years. Instructors and students alike recognized that some aspects of on-location field learning, especially those with a tactile component, were not possible or effective in virtual field experiences. However, students recognized the value of virtual field experiences for reviewing and revisiting outcrops as well as noting the improved access to virtual outcrops for students with disabilities and the generally more inclusive experience of virtual field trips. Students highlighted the potential benefits for hybrid field experiences that incorporate both on-location outcrop investigations and virtual field trips, which is the preferred model for SST field experiences in Fall 2021 and into the future.

The First Field Experience: Perceptions of ESOL Pre-Service Teachers

Researchers have recognized pre-service teachers’ field experiences as a pivotal element for enhancing teaching practices. Research indicates pre-service teachers usually are optimistic about teaching. However, when pre-service teachers encounter complexities in classrooms, their optimism fades. There is little research about ESOL pre-service teachers’ perceptions of field experiences. In this inquiry, we focused on pre-service teachers’ perceptions of their first field experience with ESOL students in a southeastern United States public school. We selected a multiple case study to conduct this qualitative research. We collected the data through student interviews, field experience reports, and the participants’ journals before and after the field experience. Our discoveries through constant comparative analysis centered on ESOL pre-service teachers’ perceptions of field experience, teaching strategies and pedagogical competence, and development stages of teachers. The findings of the present study indicated that field experience serves as a catalyst to facilitate the learning process for ESOL pre-service teachers. Teacher educators can adopt field experiences to challenge preservice teachers. Field experiences can be helpful tools in the developmental stages of teachers. These experiences can help preservice teachers gain insight into the culturally sensitive strategies required for ESOL courses. The findings of this study proved Khoshnevisan’s (2017) developmental stages of teachers.

Multi-scale virtual field experience: sedimentology and stratigraphy of Grand Ledge, Michigan, USA

Field experiences are a critical component of undergraduate geoscience education; however, traditional onsite field experiences are not always practical due to accessibility, and the popularity of alternative modes of learning in higher education is increasing. One way to support student access to field experiences is through virtual field trips, implemented either independently or in conjunction with in-person field trips. We created a virtual field trip (VFT) to Grand Ledge, a regionally important suite of sedimentary outcrops in central lower Michigan, USA. This VFT undertakes all stages of a field project, from question development and detailed observation through data collection to interpretation. The VFT was implemented in undergraduate sedimentation and stratigraphy courses at two different liberal arts institutions, with one version of the VFT conducted in-person and the other online. The VFT was presented from a locally hosted website and distributed through an online learning platform. Students completed a series of activities using field data in the form of outcrop photos, virtual 3D models of outcrops and hand samples, and photos of thin sections. Student products included annotated field notes, a stratigraphic column, a collaborative stratigraphic correlation, and a final written reflection. VFT assessment demonstrated that students successfully achieved the inquiry-oriented student learning outcomes, and student reflection responses provide anecdotal evidence that the field experience was comparable to field geology onsite. This VFT is an example of successful student learning in an upper-level sedimentation and stratigraphy course via virtual field experience with an emphasis on local geology.

How Will COVID-19 Change Forestry Education? A Study of US Forest Operations Instructors

The COVID-19 (COVID) pandemic affected nearly every aspect of higher education. It has been particularly disruptive to forest operations courses that rely heavily on field experiences. Dodson and Blinn (2021) surveyed US forest operations instructors at four-year institutions granting SAF-accredited forestry degrees to understand how they rapidly modified courses during spring 2020 to accommodate a move to fully remote instruction. Through an online survey and interviews, a follow-up study was conducted to understand how courses were modified when instructors had time to prepare and what, if any, of those modifications are likely to be retained upon a return to in-person instruction. Two main themes emerged from the survey and interviews: instructors will expand the range of tools and methods used to convey course content, and they have a renewed respect for the importance of field experience and personal interactions. Study Implications COVID-19 has affected academic instruction and workforce readiness. A broadening of instructors’ digital skill sets and resources, pedagogical modifications, and a renewed appreciation of field experiences and interactions with students will have a positive influence on instruction in the future. The professional preparation of graduates suffered during the pandemic because of a marked decrease in field time and personal interaction between and among faculty and students. Employers need to anticipate that additional training in field methods and application of forestry concepts to real-world situations may be necessary for new employees who were educated during the pandemic.

The Mid Atlantic Appalachian Orogen Traverse: A Comparison of Virtual and On-Location Field-Based Capstone Experiences

The Stratigraphy, Structure, Tectonics (SST) course at James Madison University incorporates a capstone project that traverses the Mid Atlantic region of the Appalachian Orogen and includes several all-day field trips. In the Fall 2020 semester, the SST field trips transitioned to a virtual format, due to restrictions from the COVID pandemic. The virtual field trip projects were developed in web-based Google Earth, along with other supplemental PowerPoint and PDF files. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the virtual field experiences in comparison with traditional on-location field trips, an online survey was sent to SST students that took the course virtually in Fall 2020 and to students that took the course in-person in previous years. Instructors and students alike recognized that some aspects of on-location field learning were not possible or effective with virtual field experiences. However, students recognized the value of virtual field experiences for reviewing and revisiting outcrops, as well as noting the improved access to virtual outcrops for students with disabilities, and the generally more inclusive experience of virtual field trips. Students highlighted the potential benefits for hybrid field experiences that incorporate both on-location outcrop investigations and virtual field trips, which is the preferred model for SST field experiences in Fall 2021 and into the future.