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The College of Education has expanded its opportunities for student teachers to go abroad with formalized programs in Australia and Mexico, adding to the program it has in England and Wales.
The first cohort of nine Fredonians will student teach abroad through the University of Sunshine Coast (USC) in Australia in Spring 2011. Fredonia has also completed a new student teaching program with the University of Puebla (UPAEP) in Oaxaca, Mexico.
A unique, coastal region
The agreement with USC is for a nine-week program that includes four weeks taking two courses in the Australian education system, followed by 35 days of student teaching in Queensland schools, in a unique coastal and rural region. “The courses are designed to prepare the students for their experience in the Queensland schools,” College of Education Dean Christine Givner said.
Queensland’s higher education institutions have a popular reputation with international students. In recent years, approximately 48,000 foreign students were undertaking higher education study at Queensland universities each year. USC is an innovative Australian university with a reputation for quality.
Central to the Australian Government’s approach to education was the roll out of an Education Revolution in 2008. It focused on improving student outcomes, starting with the earliest years and moving to school and into the training system. The reforms called for more partnerships involving parents, children, students, employers and all levels of government.
Colonial region in Mexico
UPAEP is located in Puebla City, Mexico, about 75 miles south of Mexico City. Puebla is the fourth-largest city in Mexico and is considered one of the most important and beautiful colonial cities in the country. The university was founded in 1973 and offers 41 undergraduate programs.
Along with student teachers who will go into the local schools, students of all majors can study at UPAEP through SUNY Fredonia. Spanish language immersion is part of the experience at UPAEP, where studying and living locally promotes the constant practice of the language, and allows Fredonia students to understand the surrounding culture.
Long-Standing Program in Great Britain
Established at SUNY Fredonia in the 1980s, the International Student Teaching Practicum in England and Wales is offered in cooperation with Swansea Metropolitan University and the University of Plymouth. This long-standing program offers an opportunity for graduate students to live in Plymouth, England, or Swansea, Wales. Students participate in a five-week teaching exchange in an elementary school to gain a greater awareness of the British education system.
