THE POWER OF THE COMMUNITY IN TEACHING AND LEARNING

Abstract

The purpose of this research project is to expand our knowledge about the connection between education and the community where the students live. The Project School in Indianapolis and the Elementary Teacher Education program established a partnership, which aims to attain valuable results for students and teachers. One of the goals for this project is to provide students enrolled in M320: Diversity and Learning the opportunity to develop a broad and constant interaction with one local school. We want students and faculty at IUPUI to have a better understanding about the community and the school where we teach and learn. As a result of this research project, faculty and the Project School staff should enhance their comprehension of student diversity, teachers’ efficiency, and student achievement. Part of the plan is to interview members of the community who live close to the Project School. The answers obtained from these semistructured interviews will show the type of relationship that exists between the school and community centers, relatives, and businesses. After initial interviews, student interns will also conduct a community assessment. Through this research project, students will be knowledgeable on education issues, such as culture, equality, and family, but they will also learn from what students do outside of class. This project is in its early stages, but we hope to conduct interviews before the fall semester and integrate preliminary data within the Teacher Education curriculum.