2019 News Stories
College of Education students develop into culturally responsive teachers in Study Abroad trip to Costa Rica
by Chelsea Grosbeck
Amidst a forested canyon in San Pedro, Costa Rica, a classroom of fourth-graders eagerly
sit at their desks to learn English at the Colegio Monterrey School.
Graciela Cervantes, an incoming senior majoring in Elementary Education, keeps her
students engaged as she began the day’s lesson with a game of hangman.
Graciela Cervantes, an incoming senior majoring in Elementary Education, instructs fourth-graders during their English lessons.
Cervantes said she didn’t understand the purpose of the game being in the lesson plan
for English until she saw how much it gained the students’ attention.
“They were identifying English words, understanding the alphabet and the process of
elimination,” Cervantes said.
Cervantes said being an English teaching assistant for students whose first language
was Spanish didn’t come without its challenges. Even though she is fluent in both
languages, she had no prior experience teaching English. As she continued leading
the class, Cervantes found being flexible in challenging situations is where her adaptability
mattered most.
“It really expands what you know‒being able to practice something you’re not aware you can do,” Cervantes said. “I could be that extra resource for them because I can speak English and Spanish. It gave me practice in the classroom and makes me happier I’m a bilingual teacher.”
USF students get the opportunity to interact with Costa Rican students directly in one-on-one English lessons.
For two weeks, Cervantes and 10 other USF College of Education students became global
educators as they stepped into K-12 classrooms in Costa Rica as part of a USF Education
Abroad program that focuses on teaching and studying in the country.
USF Associate Professor Jennifer Jacobs, PhD, accompanied the students on the trip
this year. Dr. Jacobs transitioned students into two different teaching environments,
the Colegio Monterrey School and the Roosevelt Elementary School, and she said the
benefits of expanding students’ comfort zones abroad makes for a greater learning
experience.
“Taking on teaching responsibilities within a different culture adds another layer
in learning to teach,” Jacobs said. “It helps students develop as culturally responsive
teachers.”
In addition to accompanying students on the trip to Costa Rica, Dr. Jacobs also engages
in research about how taking part in a study abroad experience influences students’
development as critically conscious, culturally responsive teachers. Last year she
partnered with graduate student Steve Haberlin to understand the students’ learning
while on the trip and to understand the trip’s influence on the students’ teaching
after returning to their internships.
“Going abroad always expands my thinking about my research focused on teacher learning
for equity,” Jacobs said. “It prompts my reflection about the expanded function of
my role as teacher educator when taking students abroad. It is more than helping them
learn to teach, but also navigating a new context.”
Cervantes recalls one of the most surprising aspects about the experience was noticing the positive change in the student’s focus and learning retention. Costa Rican teachers found their students perform best with curriculum emphasis on “brain breaks.” Following every 20-minute lesson, students would either play outside, or get up out of their seats to dance and move around.
Throughout the experience, students became more receptive to the learning styles and classroom management techniques. Jacobs explains the Costa Rican student-teacher relationship is largely built on trust and giving students the ability to exercise their independence.
“When our students experience the difference, it often pushes them to reflect on their beliefs about classroom management and particularly the intersection between classroom management and culture,” Jacobs said. “Our students may rethink the amount of control given to students and finding ways to give students more freedom.”
USF students take a break from teaching to discover the volcanic beaches of Costa Rica.
For the USF students’ own breaks outside of the classroom, they participated in culturally
immersive experiences like hiking to the Poas Volcano, visiting the La Paz waterfall
garden and completing a homestay with a local family.
Cervantes said living with a homestay family helped her recognize similar family-oriented values
her culture and Costa Rican culture share. Cooking, eating dinner and spending time
with her host family and other USF students was a comfortable familiarity. On her
trip, she was also excited to explore the differences.
“Personally, this trip helped me realize that there is so much of the world to see,”
Cervantes said. “I was scared to leave the country on my own, especially to a country
that I had never visited before. This study abroad trip has made me curious to see
what else there is... I was able to see how a different country views education and
their students. As a teacher, I saw how important it is to put the students first
and allow them to have a say in what occurs in the classroom. I was able to see how
having less behavioral expectations for the students allows them to think about their
actions in the classroom. Overall, I learned about the importance of a student-centered
classroom, which is how I want to structure my classroom in the future.”
For more information about the USF Studying and Teaching Abroad in Costa Rica program, visit the USF Education Abroad website.