Volunteering and learning: Irish student teachers on placement in Africa
Anne Ryan (Marino Institute of Education), Eamonn McCauley (Church of Ireland College of Education, Rathmines)
Abstract
In a global context of accelerating change, increasing interdependence and yet growing inequality, the question of how best to prepare teachers for their role as development educators should be of central concern. To this end, the well-established dilemma in teacher education generally, of how to reconcile the theory / practice nexus, requires particular scrutiny. As a cross-curricular process, effective development education is premised upon teachers' fundamental beliefs, understandings, values and attitudes; powerful implicit 'knowledge' that ultimately shapes classroom practice. Thus, in preparing teachers who will speak and act with appropriate conviction on development issues, the practical opportunity to 'live with' such issues through immersive placement for a period of time, would seem to be a basic proviso. Accepting that some knowledge precedes, but to a greater extent is a central factor in human experience and action, then for the student teacher, surely much valuable 'theory' may emerge from such an experience; theory which may in turn serve to inform professional practice.
With a view therefore to ascertaining likely 'learning' and its potential for transfer to their future classrooms, the study examines questionnaire and interview data from Irish student teachers following their two-month voluntary work placement in African schools and communities. As the findings indicate, the experience of such placement has a potentially profound impact on participants' personal and professional development. The onus on teacher educators therefore, with appropriate support from the wider education sector, is to identify and facilitate many more student teachers who may be predisposed to benefiting from such 'educative' experience. Through processes of critical reflection, the important tacit knowledge at the core of such experience might then be harnessed, with the aim of significantly enhancing teacher practice and hence student learning in the context of development education in schools.
