Teachers as Counselors

The changing demographics and necessary pedagogy of the 21st-century schools require teacher education programs to examine their connection to practice in the K to 12 education system. This chapter focuses on the need for teachers to understand the place of guidance and career education in their curriculum and in the lives of all their students. There are nine Guidance and Curriculum courses offered in all Ontario secondary schools, yet, little is done to provide professional development for teachers to build efficacy for these courses. Faculties of Education spend little time looking at the curriculum expectations in these courses as they are not considered methodology or foundation courses. A comprehensive course developed at the Faculty of Education, University of Windsor, provides teacher candidates with the knowledge and skills to explore these courses and engage in an integrated guidance and career program.

LEADing in a Different Way

This chapter documents teaching philosophies and practices from the perspective of agency schoolteachers working with in-risk students. Highlighted is the philosophy of holistic education, which emphasizes the whole growth of the learner, rather than only specific parts of student experience and capability. Students become more balanced in their outlook on life when they can value themselves and recognize their abilities concerning the world around them. This chapter draws on interview data that was collected from current agency schoolteachers in Southwestern Ontario. Holistic education is detailed, and this philosophy models a teaching approach that is ideal within all classrooms, especially those working with in-risk students.

LEAD Legacy Projects

The L.E.A.D. Program implements two Legacy Projects, annually: Power of Potential Youth Conference and Challenge Cup. Both events are planned, organized, and facilitated by teacher candidates with the goal of engaging in-risk youth in various capacities. Taking place in the fall, the Power of Potential Youth Conference allows local high school students to explore some of their options for life after secondary school through a series of presentations and workshops focusing on Financial Literacy, Healthy Active Living, and Career Exploration. Taking place each spring, Challenge Cup is an outdoor event that fosters leadership, character development, and self-confidence in local secondary students. Students participate in a series of physical activities throughout the day which focus on building team-work, community, and leadership skills. This chapter explores how both L.E.A.D. Legacy Project events support secondary students outside of the classroom. The planning and organization of both events will be explained.

The Theoretical Framework of LEAD

The L.E.A.D. Program provides many learning opportunities for teacher candidates in supporting in-risk youth in elementary and secondary schools. Within the course, there are theories and perspectives explicitly taught through presentations, workshops, and activities, which include: risk and resiliency, strengths perspective, and teaching personal and social responsibility (T.P.S.R.). There are also the theoretical underpinnings that make up the pedagogical strategies employed by the course as well as the structure of the field placement component. This chapter brief explains these important theories as well as an explanation of their importance in the L.E.A.D. Program.

Conceptualizing LEAD

At a critical point in education, teachers are the agents that can positively affect the outcomes of all learners. Preparing teachers to understand youth and the challenges they face through globalization, economic uncertainties, and social inequities must begin in Teacher Education programs. L.E.A.D. (Leadership Experience for Academic Directions) is a service-learning program designed from a need to reach marginalized and vulnerable youth, to aid in closing the achievement gap, and advocating for social justice and inclusion. This chapter highlights the conceptualization of L.E.A.D. based on research, theory, and practice.

Designing Effective International Community Service-Learning Experiences

International community service-learning has become increasingly accepted as an effective approach to promoting global education and intercultural knowledge among post-secondary students. Professional schools have been at the forefront of this trend, pioneered perhaps by medical schools. Today, university faculties of education and teacher education programs more generally, are now leaders in advancing ICSL pedagogies. There is now overwhelming evidence that ICSL experiences that are well planned and implemented can be transformative on personal and professional levels. This chapter discusses how effective ICSL experiences can be effected. Drawing on qualitative research from an ICSL for pre-service teachers, the author offers some suggestions for increasing the impacts of such programs.

LEAD Testimonials

Through service-learning courses, the University of Windsor's Faculty of Education seeks to provide meaningful learning opportunities in different areas of education for teacher candidates. This chapter includes a summary of a Master's thesis research study that, in part, explored the impact of the experiences secondary teacher candidates had in the L.E.A.D. Program, and how their experience impacted their efficacy with diverse student populations. The important themes that emerged from their reported experiences were practical experience, empathy and understanding, social learning, and life-long learning. This chapter also includes a compilation of testimonials from both elementary and secondary teacher candidates that were collected at various points after their graduation.

What Sparks Critical Learning?

This chapter explores the critical learning experiences of 12 L.E.A.D. students pursuing a Bachelor of Education. Among all 10 of the Bachelor of Education courses taken by this group of students, the L.E.A.D. course was consistently cited as being one of the most valuable critical learning spaces. The analysis revealed that two main pedagogical approaches were perceived as instrumental to the critical learning experiences taking place in the L.E.A.D. course: 1)Agency opportunities, and 2) the enactment of a legitimate power on behalf of the L.E.A.D. professors. Various aspects of each of these two pedagogical phenomena are discussed in detail. While not a panacea for overcoming the neoliberal policies and practices of higher education, the philosophy and curriculum of L.E.A.D. coalesced with these two pedagogical phenomena and created a space for critical reflection, active listening for understanding, and mutual respect between teacher candidates and critically minded their professors.

International Students At-Risk

International student recruitment has grown in schools across Canada and has extended into the elementary and secondary school panels. These students have specific needs and challenges, which put them at greater risk in comparison to the general school population. International students, especially at first, may struggle with risk factors such as culture shock, homesickness, loneliness, and depression. It is important to understand these challenges to ensure the mental well-being of these students.

Transformational Learning Theory and Service-Learning Projects

This chapter investigates the University of Windsor's service-learning program Leadership Experience for Academic Direction's (L.E.A.D.) impact on teacher candidates' perceptions of teaching in-risk students. The L.E.A.D. program focuses on introducing teacher candidates to the Ministry of Ontario's Student Success initiatives and reflective teaching practices, and places teacher candidates with Student Success Teachers, allowing teacher candidates to learn from in-risk youth. This study adopted a qualitative approach using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to examine the lived experience of graduates of the L.E.A.D. program. Five graduates of the L.E.A.D. program who are currently practicing secondary teachers in southwestern Ontario were interviewed in one focus group and one individual interview. The responses indicated themes of the importance of relationship building with students, the value of school support systems, the positive impact of L.E.A.D. coursework, and altered efficacy and perceptions of teaching in-risk youth.