Call for Book Chapters: Developing Effective International Education Experiences: Preparing Pre-Service Teachers for the Classroom

Vernon Press invites chapter proposals on Developing Effective International Education Experiences: Preparing Pre-Service Teachers for the Classroom. The volume will be edited by Sara Tours and Jeremy Lynch, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. 

Globally, and within the United States, we continue to progress towards a more diverse and included culture.  This fact is perhaps reflected nowhere better than in the public-school system in the United States where, by 2029 (NCES, 2020), non-white students will outnumber white students in classrooms.  The challenges that the current system of education confronts in ensuring equitable access and opportunity, and equal achievement are also well documented (Darling-Hammond, 2015).  A key component in the re-shaping and development of a more equitable and inclusive system are the pre-service teachers enrolled in our college and university teacher preparation programs across the country.  As we prepare for the diverse classrooms of the future, we need to prepare the teachers of the future to not only be able to teach all students, but to also have the cultural competencies to ensure the same access and opportunities are provided to all students.

It has been well documented (Cunningham, 2015; England, 2016; González-Carriedo, López de Nava, Salas Martínez, 2019; Lupi & Turner, 2013) that international education experiences, or international field experiences, have a positive effect on both the professional development and cultural competencies of pre-service teachers.  Across a wide range of performance outcomes, pre-service teachers with international field experiences are better equipped to enter the field (Byker & Xu, 2019) and may even persist longer in the profession (Lupi & Turner, 2013).  However, not all international experiences provide the same positive outcomes.  In this book, we will explore the topic of cultural competencies in the classroom, the research that supports the benefits of international education experiences, and how to develop effective international education experiences that will prepare pre-service teachers for the classrooms of 2029 and beyond. 

This chapter collection seeks to contribute to the importance and benefits of international experiences for pre-service teachers, or similar topics.

Topics may include (but are not limited to):

• Connecting the topics of diversity and equity in the United States education system to cultural competencies for pre-service teachers
• Benefits of international education experiences for pre-service teachers,
• Developing effective international education experiences that promote cultural competency in the classroom
• Creating meaningful outcomes for international education experiences
• The need for reflection on equitable opportunity and access to public education and different ways to incorporate reflection in international education experiences

Deadline for submissions: December 15, 2020

How to submit your proposal

Abstracts should be roughly 300 words long and written in English. Please include the title of the proposed submission, name(s) of the author(s) and contact information (institutional affiliation, mailing address, and email address), as well as a short 100-word biography. Please submit your proposal sara.tours@sru.edu or jeremy.lynch@sru.edu. Feel free to ask questions.