A Teacher Training Experience Based on Work with Communities in California

this article describes the results of a teacher training model that involves contact with local communities and action-research practices. the study included students enrolled in the education program at a university in southern california during the 2007-08 school year. they were interviewed during the course of their 16-week projects in which they analyzed the global culture of students and parents from various ethnic groups as subsequent input for classroom work and, ultimately, the design of lessons and the development of educational plans pursuant to the requirements of the california commission on teacher credentialing (cctc). among other conclusions, it was found that transforming teachers acquire a variety of useful skills for their work as educators in the global village by learning about the community from the inside out.