Doctoral students see educational innovation in Europe
Janice Ng and Janel Shoun-Smith |
The Chesterton school in London, with innovative outdoor learning areas, was one example of the schools doctoral students toured
Walking into a school surrounded by barbed wire and in one of the largest, high-density blocks of apartment flats in London, the 28 Lipscomb University education doctoral students weren’t sure what to expect. What they found inside was a thriving, exciting school they could use as an excellent model to enhance programs in the education systems in their home towns.
And that was the main point of the annual international trip that Lipscomb University Ed.D. students at Lipscomb took this past summer to England, Scotland and France.
Since the beginning of the College of Education’s Doctorate of Education program in 2010, it has included an international experience through Studies in International and Comparative Education, a required class offered either online or as a travel course.
“It’s important for these educational leaders to see other schooling systems in place and have the opportunity to explore what is going well, as well as what could be improved, and compare that to what’s going on in the United States,” said Deborah Boyd, associate dean and director of graduate studies for the College of Education.
Among the participants’ favorite spots on the trip was Chesterton, a London public school surrounded by a fence of barbed wire with all entrances and doorways well secured.
Click here to see more images from Chesterton.
However, the inside of the compound painted a different picture for the visiting students: classrooms full of bright colors and murals; bean bags set outside under trees for a relaxed reading environment; and a xylophone and marimbas decorating the walls of the music room. The unique school is laid out as a series of buildings and courtyards with an outdoor music room, reading room and garden, an indoor sandbox play area and a chicken coop.
“One of my students told me she will never look at a place with barbed wire fences the same way again. She was dreading what we might see inside when we saw that fence, but was blown away but what is inside,” Boyd said.
“I loved their willingness to explore nontraditional approaches to education; their willingness to utilize space and make connections for their students is amazing,” said Haley Richardson, a doctoral student from Nashville.
The trip is organized to introduce students to education issues and challenges at the global, national and local level, Boyd said. Participants were able to observe education in the works in both privileged and disadvantaged areas of the nations.
The group, which was composed of teachers, administrators, superintendents, directors of schools and also several individuals in higher education, was able to visit organizations focused on K-12 or higher education, depending on their interests.
Their first stop was Glasgow, Scotland. Here participants spoke with education faculty at the University of Glasgow about current situations and standards in Scottish schools. Later, while some students made their rounds at four K-12 schools, others interested in higher education interviewed administrators from the university.
In Paris, students visited the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, an international economic organization promoting economic development and world trade, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, a United Nations organization that promotes international collaboration through education, science and culture, learning about the mission, goals and activities of those organizations.
“The most valuable part of the trip was receiving a more global view of education,” said participant Trish Holliday, chief learning officer for the State of Tennessee. “More perspectives add value in crafting educational strategies over here.”
In London, participants visited the British Department for Education, an administrator for Imperial College of London, and K-12 schools including Chesterton.
While the school is located only three blocks from Chelsea Physic Garden, one of the oldest botanical gardens in London, Chesterton’s principal said that most of his students know nothing about the garden because their parents cannot take the time to take them, Boyd said. The principal has started a life-skills class series for parents of his students on topics such as hygiene, safety and good nutrition.
Scotland and England are particularly good countries for the doctoral students to visit as their nations face similar educational challenges as the U.S., Boyd said, and participants can directly interact with teacher and administrators due to the lack of a language barrier.
“Having the opportunity to look beyond our borders at the practices and methods used in other nations helped broaden my international perspective of schooling,” said Rick West, dean of the lower school at Franklin Road Academy. “We must know what schools in other countries are doing so that we can stay competitive and relevant in a changing and complex global society.”
Boyd said she wants students to bring back both an understanding of what goes on in the world and how they can always continue to learn.
“With these countries, we have an opportunity to really think about what they’re doing that’s working, what we’re doing that’s working, and how to make education better. It’s a good interchange,” she said.
“It created the opportunity for our cohort to build lifelong relationships,” Holliday said “This program has changed my life – Lipscomb walks its talk and I am extremely proud to be a part of a faith-based community of learning where I am growing as an educator and I can contribute my talents to the university.”