The School of Education continued to
develop its distinctive approach to preparing educators in a global
era. Instead of sending students to traditional European study
abroad countries, the School is exposing them to locales from which
U.S. inner city school pupils are emigrating. Last year 18 graduate
students studied in the
Dominican
Republic for one month to gain greater familiarity with
Hispanic culture and traditions, to better understand the
challenges facing their students. The educational opportunity was
made possible by a Fulbright/Hays grant. Participants lived with
local families who primarily spoke Spanish, which our students had
to learn. Like their pupils, the St. John’s contingent experienced
the difficulties of learning a second language from native
speakers. Trips to cultural sites and local schools were included
to help them gain a fuller picture of their students’ cultural
profile. The School expects to expand this concept to Taiwan next
year, since Asians are the second-largest student immigrant group
in the U.S. The cities will be rotated annually.