Idaho State University Students Participate in Teaching Practicum in the Dominican Republic

The purpose of the practicum was to help future teachers understand the complexities of teaching students from diverse backgrounds and to better understand differences between international and local Idaho school contexts.

The selected teacher candidates were part of the International ROARing Experience, which was a one-credit, short-term summer class. Thanks to a grant provided by the College of Education Dean’s Excellence Fund, participants were able to study abroad and gain intensive hands-on knowledge teaching and learning within the Carol Morgan School (CMS) in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; the oldest city in the Americas. Dr. Cory A. Bennett, Professor and Chair of the ISU TES Department, led and coordinated the trip alongside Dr. Wendy Ruchti, Associate TES Professor.

Many of the participants had never left the USA, or even Intermountain West, prior to this course, and had the unique opportunity to work alongside outstanding teachers and school leaders from CMS to get first-hand experience working within an international school. Participants were immersed in a new and diverse culture and were able to collaborate with teachers from all over the world and teach students from culturally and linguistically rich backgrounds. 

“I am reflecting on this once-in-a-lifetime experience, but also recognizing how much I still have to learn. I am eager to see how I continue to grow in understanding and appropriately incorporating culture and student choice into my classroom,” said another participant. 

To learn more about the ISU TES Department, please visit isu.edu/tes.