UM Education Students Complete Student Teaching in Ireland

Duke leads a lesson with her students in Celbridge, Ireland.

This May, four University of Mississippi teacher candidates will complete their student teaching more than 4,000 miles from home as part of an ongoing study abroad partnership between UM and St. Patrick’s College in Maynooth, Ireland.

The students include elementary education majors: Hannah Duke of Brandon, Mallory Hunt of Ripley, Ellen Kerce of Jackson and Hillary Lindberg of Collierville, Tenn.

To complete EDCI 464: Student Teaching, the group has spent the spring semester teaching at elementary schools in Celbridge, Ireland – a community close to Mayooth. Each school was selected because of the diverse nature of the students within them and the goal of encouraging UM teacher candidates to develop a a multicultural perspective to teaching.

“Student teaching in Ireland has been an exciting adjustment,” explained Duke. “At least 80 percent of my classes are international students or have international parents. It’s the most diverse class I have ever experienced in terms of ethnicity, languages spoken, familial background and student needs.”

Although each UM student is placed in a primary classroom, each has the chance to visit their fellow student teachers’ schools during the semester.

Now in its second year, the UM partnership with St. Patrick’s, allows students the opportunity to combine hands-on professional experience abroad with online coursework led by UM faculty.

Duke and Hunt take time to appreciate the beauty of the Irish countryside.

“Student teaching in a study abroad environment provides students with an enhanced understanding of effective communication and teaching in diverse classrooms,” said Debby Chessin, professor of teacher education and instructor of the course. “Through this experience, they complete all the requirements of Student Teaching and develop intercultural competence as they are immersed in a different culture both in the classroom and in their everyday lives”

Online discussion boards have “internationalized” the online EDCI 419 course at UM by connecting the abroad teacher candidates with their classmates who are student teaching and attending class in Mississippi. This online forum allows multiple sections of the classroom management course to compare and contrast field experiences and internationalize discussions about classroom management and instruction as well as the cultural context of education.

“Studying in Ireland has meant opening my eyes to new ways of doing things,” said Lindberg. “I’ve learned that even though cultures can be different, teaching and caring for children is universally appreciated.”

The School of Education hopes to continues its study abroad partnership with St. Patrick’s in 2016 and explore other study abroad field experiences for UM education students.