Mentoring Teachers for Critical Global Consciousness: Infusing Solidarity in International Service Learning

Abstract

This study examines the little-studied phenomenon of teacher mentoring for global consciousness. It reviews the relationship between secondary school teachers participating in an international service-learning (ISL) project in Nicaragua and an NGO, Canadian Youth Abroad (CYA). CYA facilitates short, but intensive, ISL experiences. The teachers work for a publicly funded Catholic district school board in Ontario, Canada. Teachers who travel to Nicaragua with the students are mentored and accompanied by more experienced peers - "veteran" CYA/ISL teacher-participants. The mentoring process seeks to impart the CYA’s particular transformative values to the new teacher-participants and through them, to their students. These values challenge the dominant charitable "help the poor" model of North-South engagement. The teacher-mentors follow CYA's Freirian pedagogical model that stresses the value of solidarity between Canadian and Nicaraguan participants.

Chinese Preservice Teachers’ Perspectives of Mentoring Relationships in an International Learning Partnership

“…While this literature gestures to the overall trend of shifting away from traditional hierarchies and toward reciprocal relationships with opportunities for both mentors and mentees to learn, there has not been much literature of the role of mentoring in international exchanges for preservice teachers. An emerging body of research explores the intercultural and international axis of mentoring in teacher education ( Czop Assaf et al, 2019 ; O’Sullivan & Niemczyk, 2015 ; Schulleri, 2020 ). We hope this study can generate more discussion of the role of intercultural mentoring among teacher education scholars and contribute to this growing field of scholarship.…”

A

“…Indeed, the three main features of international service learning-community-centered service activity, cross-cultural engagement, and reflection-overlap significantly with the goals of community mapping (Bringle & Hatcher, 2011). ISL has typically been positioned as a means of helping students develop critical global consciousness (O'Sullivan & Niemczyk, 2015). Critical consciousness is an understanding of the world and one's own implications in larger global systems, what Freire (2005) referred to as conscientização or "a communal process of evolving social consciousness" (Darder, 2018, p. 112).…”

“…Some of the PST, including Vivian and Fae, for instance, were candid about how they were becoming aware of totally new literacy and language dynamics they had never been consciously aware of before. In developing a critical comparative perspective on the roles, powers, and positions of language and literacy, PST showed they were developing a critical global consciousness, which is increasingly important for teachers in a globalized world, where they are likely to teach in increasingly diverse settings (DeVillar & Jiang, 2012;O'Sullivan & Niemczyk, 2015).…”

Multi-stakeholder Partnership in Teacher Education and Development

“…More and more teacher preparation programs worldwide are creating and utilizing international teaching opportunities as a strategy for developing teachers' global competence. Previous studies have shown that international teaching opportunities enable teachers to broaden their global perspectives on education, enhance their critical global consciousness and open-mindedness, deepen their understanding of global inequality and social (in)justice issues, help them achieve personal and political transformation, and develop culturally responsive teaching pedagogy (Maynes, Allison, & Julien-Schultz, 2012;O'Sullivan & Niemczyk, 2015;Sharpe & Dear, 2013;Tiessen, 2008;Willard-Holt, 2001). There is also substantial literature on the rationale and models of enabling preservice teachers to learn in developing countries as part of the teacher preparation program (Hamza, 2010;Kabilan, 2013;Kambutu & Lydiah, 2008;Larsen, & Gough, 2013;Tiessen & Heron, 2012).…”

“…Third, international educators emphasize that it is critical and ethical to recognize the interdependent and mutually responsible relationship between the sending and receiving institutions or schools for international teaching practica (Dear & Howard, 2016;Kozak & Larsen, 2016;O'Sullivan, 2015;Tiessen & Heron, 2012). The ultimate objectives of international service learning are to bring changes to the individuals and communities involved in the process.…”