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

1. “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

2. 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.

3. 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

4. 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?

5. Focus of the study: • 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.  

6. 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)

7. 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)

8. 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)

9. 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)

10. 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

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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

14. Results: Impact of service learning/field experience on pre-service teachers. • Potential for Service Learning

15. 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.

16. Discussion Caution: • Service learning should not perpetuate negativity and oppressive beliefs, careful not to uphold “White privilege” • Empowerment and not charitable element of service

17. 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)

18. 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)

19. 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.

20. Thank you