New international sites for student teaching discussed

New international sites for student teaching discussed at annual meeting

Teacher candidates may have an opportunity to complete their student teaching requirements at three new international sites. Members of the Consortium for Overseas Student Teaching (COST) discussed adding new student teaching locations in Japan, Greece, and South Africa during the partnership's annual meeting in April. The University of Kentucky College of Education hosted the meeting, which welcomed education professors from universities across the southeast region of the United States and from several countries across the globe.

Approximately 23 members of COST participated in the weekend conference, which convened in a number of venues, such as the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning and the meeting facilities at Joseph-Beth Booksellers. COST is a partnership of colleges and universities providing prospective teachers a unique opportunity to fulfill their student teaching requirements in a foreign country.

COST participants at conference.

Since its inception in 1973, COST has sent more than 600 college seniors to places as varied as New Zealand, Greece, Mexico, the Bahamas, and Switzerland. To be a receiving site for students, participating schools are expected to provide professional training for student teachers and housing for the duration of the program. Stays vary from location to location.

The University of Kentucky has been working to encourage more of its students to participate in COST. Three practicing teachers, who recently participated in the program, joined the conference and commented on the unique directions their learning has taken because of COST.

According to Sharon Brennan, a professor in the curriculum and instruction department and director of the COST program at UK, the student teaching program instills a passion and appreciation for cultural diversity, a goal the college hopes all its student teachers embrace.

In addition to expanding student teaching program sites, meeting discussions also focused on the research value of COST experiences. There is already ongoing study concerning the impact the program has upon the student teacher. However, those attending the meeting discussed investigating the cultural impact of the student teachers upon the participating schools as well as other topics for research that COST engenders.

In general, the annual meeting addressed policy matters and explored new ideas for program improvements. In addition to members from universities and colleges attending from the United States, UK was host to professors from the Thomas Jefferson Institute in Mexico City; Autonomous University of Yucatan; Vista University in Port Elizabeth, South Africa; and Christchurch Polytechnic in New Zealand.