Education students go overseas

Every year IU's School of Education sends 60 to 80 students to one of 10 countries in order to immerse them in a different culture as a teacher, as a student and as an active member of the community. The Cultural Immersion project works to broaden the perspectives of future teachers by adding cultural sensitivity to their credentials in life. \n"Many students in our program are from small towns around Indiana, and their cross-cultural experiences are typically limited," said Laura Stachowski, IU's Director of Cultural Immersion projects. "For individuals that will be influencing pupils at the primary and secondary level, their perspectives must be broadened." \nThis program is unique among other study abroad programs because students are immersed in a different culture, not solely as students or as tourists, but as teachers.\n"It gives people of different cultures a chance to meet a real, live American," Stachowski said. "Different teachers bring different methodologies, and the IU students are asked to teach on topics like American authors that they know more about first hand." \nNot only do the student participants become involved in learning about a different country through schooling and teaching, but they participate in activities outside of teaching curriculum.\n"Two IU students that were cheerleaders at home started a cheerleading program at their school in Australia," Stachowsk said. "Because kids had only seen American cheerleaders in movies, the girls were celebrities." \nThe School of Education Dean, Gerardo Gonzalez, has interacted with a number of students that have completed this program, and he says they all agree it is one of the most eye-opening, growth- inducing experiences they have had.\n"Being immersed in another culture broadens your horizons and it helps your ability to work with diverse people no matter where they are," Gonzalez said. "The change (the students) experience allows them to be more culturally sensitive to all students, not just students of different cultures." \nIn 2001, IU received an award from the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education for the Best Practice Award for Global and International Teacher Education. IU was also one of the six colleges selected for a report on campus internationalization for the U.S. State Department.\nThe program began in the mid 1970s with the goal to build community values in diverse settings. The ten countries individuals have to choose from are: England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, India, Kenya, Taiwan and Costa Rica. Students prepare for about a year and complete eight weeks of student teaching before beginning the program. \nWhile abroad, in addition to full-time teaching, students must also fulfill a community service requirement, which they report back to IU on regularly. \n"Community participation is a big part of the program," Stachowski said. "This gives the students a chance to do something outside of the school. It helps them to learn about the community's values and how the people function as a community." \nBloomington resident Kristin Wetterholt taught in Auckland, New Zealand, where she plans to return to teach full-time. "In New Zealand I learned to critically analyze my own thinking and realize that my way is not the only effective way to do things," Wetterholt said in a statement.\nStudents can also receive credit for their work, which can be used later for electives in a Masters program. \nTo learn more visit www.indiana.edu/~cultural/index.html