Proposing a Broadened View of Citizenship: North American Teachers” Service in Rural Costa Rican Schools

Abstract

This article proposes that the balance of experiential learning and serious interaction in an international arena is an ideal condition for teachers to develop perspective consciousness about the world. It documents the interpretations of teachers in a university service project in rural Costa Rican schools. Findings suggest that the service provided valuable opportunities to teach and learn with children in rural classrooms that led to diverse experiences for participants to assume responsibilities as researchers, teachers, and learners. The contrasting beliefs in the systems of Costa Rica and the United States provided a situation to develop innovation in teaching in reaction to a contrasting educational setting. Whether participants embraced the new system was secondary to their strengthened ability to think reflectively, discover insights, and develop perspective consciousness. This came about because participants struggled with new ways to frame problems and experimented with alternative strategies for their work as teachers.

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