Abstracts
Abstract
Experience may influence beliefs and beliefs may influence practices. Following these premises, we investigated teacher candidates’ post experience reflections nine months after an international practicum where they taught for three weeks in rural Kenya. Teacher candidates were placed in non-governmental organization (NGO) sponsored schools on the Maasi Mara southwest of Nairobi. They taught in both elementary (Standard) and secondary (Form) classrooms. Eleven of these candidates responded to a questionnaire with open-ended prompts requiring reflective responses about the perceived impact of their experiences both personally and professionally. Responses were analyzed using qualitative methods to identify common themes and recurring ideas. Examining participants’ responses allowed us to consider how teacher candidates perceived their personal beliefs to impact their personal and professional practices. The significance of the international practica on personal and professional beliefs and practices was evident in responses. Concerns and advantages about the impact of the international experience are explored and directions for further research are identified.
Résumé
Des expériences peuvent exercer une influence sur les croyances et ces croyances peuvent à leur tour influer les pratiques. Partant de ces hypothèses, nous avons analysé les réflexions de futurs enseignants neuf mois après une expérience pratique internationale d’enseignement de trois semaines dans une région rurale du Kenya. Pour les fins de ce stage, les futurs maîtres enseignaient dans des écoles subventionnées primaires (Standard) et secondaires (Form) d’une organisation non gouvernementale (ONG) de la région Maasi Mara, située au sud-ouest de Nairobi. Onze de ces candidats ont répondu à un questionnaire composé de questions ouvertes les invitant à réfléchir sur leurs perceptions de cette expérience sur les plans personnels et professionnels. Les réponses ont été analysées qualitativement afin d’identifier les thèmes communs et les idées récurrentes. Cet examen des réponses fournies par les participants nous a permis d’analyser comment les futurs enseignants perçoivent l’impact de leurs croyances personnelles sur leurs pratiques personnelles et professionnelles. La portée d’une expérience internationale sur les croyances et les pratiques personnelles et professionnelles est clairement ressortie dans les réponses. Les préoccupations et les avantages relatifs à l’impact d’une expérience internationale sont examinés et des indications pour des recherches futures sont formulées.
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Appendices
Biographical notes
Nancy Maynes is an Associate Professor at Nipissing University Schulich School of Education in North Bay, Ontario. She is the author of three textbooks related to education through Pearson Canada. Research interests include teacher education and professional growth, modeling as an instructional approach, and service learning. Nancy Maynes can be reached at nancym@nipissingu.ca
John Allison is an Associate Professor in the Schulich School of Education at Nipissing University, North Bay, Canada. He teaches Educational Foundations and International Teaching to pre-service teacher candidates. He is a historian and has a doctorate in the History of Education from the University of Toronto and a Master of Science in International Relations from the University of Bristol. His research interests include the history of education, education diplomacy, global governance in education, and best practices in higher education teaching. John Allison can be reached at johna@nipissingu.ca
LYNN JULIEN-SCHULTZ is an Assistant Professor at Nipissing University Schulich School of Education in North Bay, Ontario. She is coauthor of several journal articles related to teacher education, modeling as an instructional strategy, and international practica. Lynn Julien-Shultz can be reached at lynnj@nipissingu.ca
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Appendices
Notes biographiques
NANCY MAYNES est professeur agrégée à la Schulich School of Education de l’Université Nipissing située à North Bay en Ontario, au Canada. Elle est l’auteure de trois manuels traitant d’éducation et publiés chez Pearson Canada. Ses intérêts de recherche portent sur la formation des enseignants et le développement professionnel, la modélisation comme approche d’enseignement et l’apprentissage en milieu de travail. nancym@nipissingu.ca
JOHN ALLISON est professeur agrégé à la Schulich School of Education de l’Université Nipissing située à North Bay en Ontario, au Canada. Il enseigne les cours Educational Foundations et International Teaching aux futurs maîtres poursuivant leur formation initiale en enseignement. Historien, il détient un diplôme de doctorat en histoire de l’éducation de l’Université de Toronto et une maîtrise en sciences des relations internationales de l’Université de Bristol. Ses intérêts de recherche comprennent l’histoire de l’éducation, la diplomatie en éducation, la gouvernance globale en éducation et les meilleures pratiques en enseignement supérieur de l’éducation. johna@nipissingu.ca
LYNN JULIEN-SCHULTZ est professeur agrégée à la Schulich School of Education de l’Université Nipissing, située à North Bay en Ontario, au Canada. Elle est co-auteure de plusieurs articles traitant de la formation des enseignants, de la modélisation comme stratégie d’enseignement et des stages internationaux. lynnj@nipissingu.ca