The City as Classroom: Transforming Community College Teacher Education Fieldwork Experiences Through Partnerships With Museums

• In Event: Putting "Community" Back Into Urban Education: Lessons From Community College Service-Learning and Practicum Experiences

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore how participating in early childhood programs in local museums during their final semester fieldwork placement impacts the pedagogical understanding of community college students in a teacher education program. Museums are informal educational settings that invite learners to become actively engaged in sensory experiences and to construct meaning through exploration and inquiry (Andre, et al., 2017; Hubard, 2007; Piscitelli, 2001). Increasingly, museums are developing age-appropriate programs for young learners and expertise in engaging them with their collections. Such programs can provide models of best practices for early childhood educators (Amparkzaki et al, 2013). Furthermore, engaging in non-traditional community-based learning experiences deepens pre-service teachers’ understanding of when and where learning takes place (Coffey, 2010; Hamilton & Margot, 2019). A recent study found that community college students who completed their fieldwork in a local museum demonstrated increased ability to develop learning environments that foster creative thinking, as well as increased confidence in leadership roles (Adams & Lynch, 2015).

This case study uses as a guiding framework the transformational model of learning and development, which posits that observation, discovery and creation grow out of participation in authentic and meaningful collaborative experiences in which “we become who we are while changing the world” (Stetsenko, 2012, p.148). Over the course of three semesters, pre-service teachers completing their final fieldwork practicum were given the option of participating in early childhood programs at three local museums rather than traditional classroom settings: a children’s art museum, a natural history museum and a history museum. It was expected that participating in early childhood programs in local museums would provide opportunities for pre-service teachers to practice inquiry-based and experiential learning strategies to engage young children using authentic and meaningful content, and would also help them learn how to navigate museum spaces and develop competency in using museums as visitors and teachers.

The data comes from multiple sources. Students kept journals in which they unpacked and reflected upon their learning experiences in the field. Additionally, each student developed and implemented a learning activity with the children at their assigned field placement. The videotaped lessons were then shared in small groups in the classroom, with students from both traditional classroom and museum settings participating in each discussion group. Through class discussions, students dialogued and create narratives about the strengths and challenges of each setting and shared best practices honed from each type of placement.

This work is significant because it explores the opportunities and challenges of engaging community college students in early fieldwork experiences in non-traditional learning spaces. Furthermore, this study reimagines the scope of strategic partnerships that will strengthen the bonds between community college teacher education programs and the local communities they serve.

Author

• Mindi Reich-Shapiro, Borough of Manhattan Community College