September 26, 2024
Summer Study Away Experiences
Engaging with cultures outside of eastern North Carolina is important for the personal and professional growth of future teachers and education leaders
Spending their summers in different countries is nothing new to East Carolina University science education faculty Dr. Tammy Lee and Bonnie Glass.
The two have led study abroad trips to Costa Rica, Belize, Ireland and, more recently, Mallorca, Spain. This course focused on how human have connected with and impacted the ecosystems of Mallorca, one of Spain’s Balearic Islands of the Mediterranean. The seven-day trip was filled with experiential learning through the terrestrial ecosystems of Mallorca, including salty and humid zones, mountainous areas, gorges and cliffs.
“My favorite part of the last day was swimming in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, which is something I never though I would be able to do,” said Allison Schaefer, a graduate student in science education. “Jumping off the boat into the crystal-clear turquoise water and the beautiful backdrop is something I will never forget.”
A few highlights of the trip included visiting the Palma Aquarium and seeing injured/rehabbing sea turtles, exploring Cabrera Island, snorkeling in the blue cave, visiting the villages of S’Arraco and Valldermossa, hiking through the Serra De Tramuntana mountain range and visiting the Black Vulture Conservation Foundation.
“This was a great trip, especially for my first time leaving the country!” said Megan Campbell, a graduate student in science education and current teacher. “I learned a lot and had a lot of fun experiencing so many new things.”
Ten students joined Lee and Glass on the trip, including three undergraduate elementary education majors and four current teachers who are obtaining their master’s in science education. Of these, Schaefer has traveled with the duo before on a study abroad trips to Ireland and Belize.
“These trips have been absolutely amazing with Dr. Lee and Mrs. Glass,” she said. “They are so much fun to be around, and even when things may not go our way, such as when our flights got delayed from Belize which caused us to miss our connecting flight, they always make the best of the situation. On these trips, they are our biggest advocates. They make a huge effort to make the trip the best it can possibly be, keep our spirits high, and help us learn about nature. I think that the most interesting thing about these trips is that though they are faculty in the College of Education, there have been people from a variety of majors on these trips, and they really do find something for everyone to get out of it.”
Lizzie Phipps, a recent Honors College graduate with degrees in biology and neuroscience, is one of the non-education majors who has traveled several times with Lee and Glass. She participated in the Belize and Ireland trips.
“Studying abroad during college is definitely one of my top highlights of the past four years,” she said. “I was able to have life changing experiences, and bond with fellow students in unimageable ways. I am still good friends with my roommates from both trips, the bonds you make while navigating a new place and new people are so special! Not to mention, I have become very close with Dr. Lee and Mrs. Glass. They have seen me at my worst and best on these trips and have listed to me talk hours on end about all the nervousness and excitedness I have for the future. They have been a part of my life for half of my college experience and I truly rely on them for guidance and advice.”
Lee and Glass have first-hand experience with how valuable study abroad and place-based learning is for students in general, and especially future and current teachers.
“I traveled out of the country as a beginning teacher with the Museum of Natural Sciences and went to Belize and Canada and other place-based experiences, like in the mountains of North Carolina,” Lee said. “As a young educator, it was impactful for me and was impactful for me to bring back to my students. At that point in my career, I always said if I had the opportunity to take students places and allow them to be immersed into a place, that was what I was going to do.”
Phipps and Schaefer both agreed that studying abroad helped them become comfortable with being uncomfortable and become better at being adaptable to changing circumstances, a skill that can serve teachers well.
Lee and Glass note that having the chance to experience other cultures is beneficial for educators. Their study abroad trips have a running theme centering on the effects of climate change.
“We’re also trying to build in our students to be advocates, to be scientifically literate and literate about the issues that are approaching us as a society so they can make informed decisions when they’re in their next job or place and they can understand that they need to look at things from all perspectives,” Lee said. “There’s not one answer or solution to everything, and we want to give them a wider perspective.”
They have found the impacts of the trips are far-reaching. Students have remained connected to nature and continue to participate in activities such as kayaking or hiking that they may have first experienced during their study abroad experience. Educators can also bring these experiences and the valuable lessons learned during their trips to the classroom.
“As future educators or educators in the field, being able to bring back these types of experiences to the classroom is invaluable,” Lee said.
Glass agreed: “It changes you and how you see the world, so it will in turn change how your students see the world.”
European Living-Learning
Twelve East Carolina University education majors experienced a sampling of the culture that Europe has to offer during a summer study abroad trip this May.
During the 12-day trip, education living-learning community students visited England, France and Italy.
Throughout the journey, they had tour guides leading them on bus and walking tours to see sights such as the Eiffel Tower, the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, Pompeii, and several palaces, churches and museums.
“This trip was one I will never forget,” said Annie Greene, a history education major. “As a kid growing up with a single parent on a teacher’s salary, these places were places that only existed in movies or in textbooks to me. I never thought I would ever get the opportunity to travel abroad, much less with some of my best friends.”
Students also had the chance to visit a public school in Florence, Italy, where they spoke to a fourth-grade class and learned some of the major differences between American and Italian schooling.
“We were able to ask questions,” said Taylor Buck, an elementary education major. “This allowed me, as a future educator, to learn how to incorporate multicultural education into my future classroom and showed me some things that I would love to bring in my classroom, such as the teaching of multiple languages.”
For elementary education major Aspen Hardin, visiting the local elementary school was one of the highlights of her trip.
“I got to hear about the many different projects they do, languages they learn and all about the school’s process,” she said. “I have always had a passion for learning about other countries and their culture, so adding education and teaching to it was that much more fulfilling.”
For many of the students, this trip brought new and exciting experiences.
Several students had never flown internationally before or traveled without their families, like education major Kaitlin Cook. She noted that while she was nervous at first, it was an amazing experience.
“The places that we went to that I enjoyed the most were Pompeii, Sorrento and Capri in Italy,” Cook said. “As an education major, it is important that I embrace different cultures so that I can embrace my future students’ cultures.”
Students embraced every moment of their trip and took time to explore the areas they were in during free time. One experience that several students cherished was the opportunity to get last-minute tickets to see Taylor Swift perform in Paris.
“I can speak for all of us when I say that none of us thought we would ever be able to see her perform, let alone in Paris!” Greene said.
“That was just one of the many once-in-a-lifetime experiences this trip gave us.”
As they reflected on the trip, students began planning ways to incorporate their experiences into their learning and future classrooms.
“I am able to use this experience to bring back ideas to my own classroom, such as focusing time on projects to build the classroom community and developing relationships with the extending community around the school,” said Leah Carr, an elementary education major.
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