New Possibilities for Culturally Responsive Experiential Education in Teacher Education

Background: Understanding how students conceptualize culturally responsive service learning (CRSL) before and after an experiential education (EE) program has the potential to inform the instructional and theoretical designs and long-term possibilities of EE programs in teacher education. Purpose: To (a) explore students’ early-trip conceptions of CRSL in comparison with their end of trip conceptions while on a month-long EE program in rural Fiji and (b) examine which self-reported experiences facilitated the transformation of participant understandings of CRSL. Methodology/Approach: This study was situated in EE theory and critical pedagogy and utilized a narrative inquiry methodology. Findings/Conclusions: Students held traditional notions of service in their early-trip definitions. In their end of trip definitions, the participants’ definitions transformed to include new understandings. Implications: CRSL is a complex concept that requires cyclical reflexivity and self-interrogation. In teacher education, CRSL can serve as a springboard for meaningful culturally responsive fieldwork experiences. Further CRSL programming and research are needed to expand the field and open new possibilities in teacher education and beyond.

Responding to Irish ‘invisibility’: Anti-discriminatory social work practice and the placement of Irish children in Britain

Irish people are the largest ethnic minority in Britain, yet social work has failed to incorporate an Irish dimension into the discourse of anti-discriminatory social work practice. Paul Michael Garrett argues that, despite this ‘invisibility’, Irish children are likely to have specific needs which arise from their experience. After underlining the importance of understanding the historical context for Irish children in need of placements, he discusses how legislation and some guidance documentation provide a foundation for evolving a more culturally responsive service. Despite an inchoate backlash against a professional sensitivity to the ‘race’ and ethnicity of looked after children, he concludes that it is still possible to promote changes which might better meet the needs of Irish children.