Enhancing Cultural Humility Through Critical Service-Learning in Teacher Preparation

• In Event: Roundtable Session 15
  In Roundtable Session: Fostering Meaningful Outcomes for Service-Learning in Teacher Education

Abstract

This study examines a critical service-learning experience that is included in a Reading in the Content Area course. The service experience requires pre-service teachers to provide academic support to adolescents (primarily ELLs) at community sites. This interpretive study explored the impact of these interactions on the pre-service teachers to determine whether these interactions supported an understanding of cultural humility. A key finding is that the critical service-learning experience enhanced pre-service teachers’ understanding of cultural humility. This finding is examined through four themes: 1) a bolstered understanding of the importance of personal stories, 2) a more vigilant awareness of relevance, 3) a greater respect for responsive practice, and 4) a refined awareness of the impact of school structures.

Authors

• Alan Scott Tinkler, The University of Vermont

• Barri E. Tinkler, The University of Vermont