George Washington University
IN-3: Innovation 3

Faculty in the George Washington University’s Graduate School of Education and Human Development’s (GSEHD) Secondary Education Program have launched a unique program focused on preparing secondary teachers to become community-engaged educators whose teaching prepares students for reflective and engaged citizenship. It is called the Community Engaged Teaching (CET) program. The focal point of the curriculum is sustainability in partnership with the community organization Groundwork Anacostia River DC. CET takes a different, innovative approach to service learning in teacher education by providing the opportunity to engage in service learning as a fundamental and integrated dimension of the university-based teacher preparation experience. In addition to participating in a service project for fifty to sixty hours working with Groundwork Anacostia River DC during their first summer in the CET program, the program’s teaching interns translate this service learning experience into a curriculum development project, and the themes of field-based community experience run throughout multiple core courses. CET’s unique approach helps the teaching interns to learn from the community they are serving by working as part of that community.

Faculty in The George Washington University’s Graduate School of Education and Human Development’s (GSEHD) Secondary Education Program have launched a unique program focused on preparing secondary teachers to become community-engaged educators whose teaching prepares students for reflective and engaged citizenship. It is called the Community Engaged Teaching (CET) program. The focal point of the curriculum is sustainability in partnership with the community organization Groundwork Anacostia River DC. While pursuing licensure and the master’s degree in secondary education, CET students learn the craft of teaching by participating in school and community-based field experiences. CET takes a different, innovative approach to service learning in teacher education by providing the opportunity to engage in service learning as a fundamental and integrated dimension of the university-based teacher preparation experience. In addition to participating in a service project for fifty to sixty hours working with Groundwork Anacostia River DC during their first summer in the CET program, the program’s teaching interns translate this service learning experience into a curriculum development project, and the themes of field-based community experience run throughout multiple core courses. CET’s unique approach helps the teaching interns to learn from the community they are serving by working as part of that community. Project content relates to healthy rivers (including the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers, watersheds, the built environment, and ecology), healthy people (including food, health, equity), healthy economy (such as clean energy, green technologies, landscape design and tourism), and healthy planet (focused on climate change and conservation). The teachers work with GWARDC on a summer service learning project, alongside DC area youth to meet community-identified needs. Subsequently, the program’s teaching interns translate this service learning experience into a curriculum development project, and the themes of field-based community experience run throughout multiple core courses.