Engaging in Deep Cultural Learning through the Intersection of Multiple Contexts

Australian Journal of Teacher Education, Sep 2014

The type of learning that takes place in teacher education courses typically results in pre-service teachers developing a mixture of knowledge, skills and values that enable them to become effective teachers in schools in the future. During their journey to become qualified teachers, pre-service teachers typically engage in coursework and experiential-based learning. By engaging in coursework experiences, an overseas practicum and an overseas study tour, students experienced a range of reflection-promoting activities and contexts during which they broadened and deepened their understanding of cultures other than their own. Using a cross-case analysis approach, the data gathered in these three cases were evaluated using an experiential learning theoretical framework. This article reports on findings from three separate but related studies in which students’ learning about cultures other than their own was analysed and used to provide a set of practical recommendations for teacher education courses and programs.

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Engaging in Deep Cultural Learning through the Intersection of Multiple Contexts

Vol Australian Journal of Teacher Education 0 1 0 1 0 1 Phil Fitzsimmons 0 1 Childhood 0 1 Kindergarten Teacher Education Commons 0 1 0 Avondale College of Higher Education 1 Part of the Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, and the Pre-Elementary , Early Engaging in Deep Cultural Learning through the Intersection of Multiple Contexts Maria Northcote Peter Kilgour Daniel Reynaud Phil Fitzsimmons Avondale College of Higher Education Introduction Who cares about information. I can Google that any time I want. All I care about is the experience. (Student 2, Overseas Tour diary comment) This article reports on the nexus of three case studies that, as a research triptych, sought to understand students' emerging understanding of cultural awareness across a preservice teaching program at one tertiary education institution. The nexus of these three case studies was analysed using a cross-case analysis research approach (Stake, 2005a) to establish commonalities between the positive and negative outcomes of the three cases. As such, the nature of the nexus was exploratory, comparative and diagnostic. What began as a post-accreditation debriefing lead to a formalised inquiry into what was happening in our courses as a whole, and what could happen as an optimal learning experience. In many ways this investigation became an amalgam of responsive evaluation (Stake & Abma, 2005) and a reflective process of possibility thinking. As such, the overall focus of the investigation cut across the on-campus and off-campus learning experiences of 210 students enrolled in early childhood, primary and secondary teacher education programs. Students' experiences of cultures other than their own were tracked throughout three different case studies. The Quality of Learning in Teacher Education In the past three decades, graduates from university teaching programs in developed countries have become increasingly global in their personal outlook and increasingly mobile in their personal and professional lives (Proctor, Rentz, & Jackson, 2001) . Despite this shift in new and young teachers' world views, their post graduation teaching practice and the ‘world traveller’ profile of the more recent teacher generations (Mills, 1997) , it has become increasingly apparent that the curricula at the tertiary level is not providing students with a teaching perspective that is flexible enough to be transferable from the Australian perspective to a more global outlook (Rivzi, 2007) . This situation has become increasingly scrutinised and pressurised with recent reforms in teacher education calling for rapid change and reform (House of Representatives’ Standing Committee on Education and Vocational Training, 2007; Hudson & Hudson, 2011; Ramsey, 2000) . It would appear that teacher training institutions need to institute more innovative classroom experiences for pre-service teachers. This position has gathered increasing political and academic voice (Reynolds, 1995; Roehrig & Luft, 2006) , resulting in new ways of conceptualising the complexity of the work of teachers (Fives & Buehl, 2008). The authors contend that one of the ways to enhance both the quality and range of experiences for pre-service teachers involves a combination of local classroom experiences and those gained in overseas contexts. This approach is aimed at enabling teacher education students to gain a comprehensive understanding of their own culture and the cultures of others. This study intends to add to the research base dealing with cross-cultural and placement of pre-service teachers in schools, especially those who ultimately work in diverse populations incorporating varied cultures. Unless pre-service teachers' experiences are carefully guided, facilitated and mentored, there is a risk that they may develop negative cultural understandings, stereotypes and perspectives (Sleeter, 2008) . Thus, the processes that teacher education students in this particular institution engage in during their preparation for the teaching profession is characterised by both theoretical and practical learning experiences. Typically, students enrol in a range of coursework and professional experience subjects in which they develop knowledge, skills and values that enable them to operate as effective and reflective practitioners within educational institutions. In addition to the relevant pedagogical theories of learning, such as the principles associated with experiential, transformational and intercultural learning, designers of teacher education degrees are further guided by the newly developed Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), 2012) as well as the graduate attributes and learning outcomes outlined in the institution's course documentation that are currently accredited by the Tertiary Education Quality Standards Agency (TEQSA). Theoretical framework of the study T (...truncated)


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Maria Northcote, Peter Kilgour, Daniel Reynaud, Phil Fitzsimmons. Engaging in Deep Cultural Learning through the Intersection of Multiple Contexts, Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 2014, pp. 4, Volume 39, Issue 10,