The University and the Small Rural School: Partners in In-Service

Authors

William Dreier, University of Northern Iowa
Robert D. Eastman, University of Northern Iowa

Comments

ERIC Document - ED176924 found in the ERIC Database

Document Type

Report

Keywords

Education Majors; Educational Experiments; Experiential Learning; Extension Education; Field Experience Programs; Graduate Students; Higher Education; Inservice Teacher Education; Models; Preservice Teacher Education; Professors; Rural Education; Rural Schools; School Community Relationship; Secondary Education; Small Schools; Staff Development; Teacher Education; Undergraduate Students; Iowa

Abstract

A two-day exchange between staff of the University of Northern Iowa at Cedar Falls and the Burt Community School proved successful for all participants. The university team (professors; graduate students; and senior students who had completed student teaching) became responsible for the education of the Burt students while the Burt teachers and administrators met with other university professors for an intensive inservice program concerned with transactional analysis and other people-oriented teaching methods. Twenty-seven Burt families hosted 31 university participants who filled the places of 21 local teachers and 2 administrators. Among the anticipated benefits were the opportunity for Burt students to experience new teachers and teaching techniques; for Burt faculty to improve their human relations skills as teachers; for the Burt community to host a unique educational project; and for the university to put teaching theory into practice and experience first hand the strengths and weaknesses of a small; rural K-12 school. The anticipated benefits of the program were met and exceeded; a survey of Burt students showed 94.5% in favor of another exchange and narrative evaluations by staff were similarly positive. Other groups may want to consider adapting the concepts of the UNI-Burt exchange for use in their own situations. (JH)

Department

Department of Educational Psychology and Foundations

Original Publication Date

1979

Object Description

1 PDF file (15 pages)

Repository

UNI ScholarWorks, Rod Library, University of Northern Iowa

Copyright

©1979 William Dreier and Robert D. Eastman

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

Recommended Citation

Dreier, William and Eastman, Robert D., "The University and the Small Rural School: Partners in In-Service" (1979). Faculty Publications. 5698.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/facpub/5698