EDCI 588 Educating Refugee & Immigrant Students
Dates: June 11 - August 3, 2018
Meets: TBA
Credits: 3
Please note that 588 courses are intended as professional development for practicing teachers and cannot be applied toward credit requirements for graduate degree programs at Montana State University.
This course will explore refugee and immigrant students' various assets and limitations and will prepare educators for success in serving all students. We will discuss refugee backgrounds and the immigration process, intercultural communication in the classroom, trauma, tips for using evidence-based, content area literacy and language acquisition techniques in any class, and refugee family engagement. A field project will complement readings and discussions to give teachers an opportunity to examine refugee and immigrant issues through the lens of asset discourse in their own classrooms. All projects and readings are designed to support classroom teachers and other professional educators in their mission to help all students succeed, and especially to help refugee and immigrant students work against the limiting factors to become fully engaged in their life and work in the US.
This course consists of six units designed to provide you with the necessary skills and background knowledge to help you and your newcomer students succeed. Through active participation and learning in this course, it is expected that you will be able to:
- Understand the resettlement process, identify resources available to refugees in resettlement, and access important information regarding your refugee student's background and story.
- Empathize with your refugee and immigrant students' perspectives and experiences and incorporate their assets into classroom learning modules and activities
- Assess your own cultural awareness and develop intercultural competence and communication skills
- Use evidence-based techniques for content instruction, utilize multilingualism, and develop your own teaching and classroom strategies.
- Understand your refugee and immigrant student's unique needs and develop methods for dealing with trauma.
- Engage with your refugee and immigrant students' families and work with (and without) interpreters.
The units are divided into lessons comprising material in several formats, from readings to videos to podcasts to stories. At several key topics, reflections are required to help guide the learning and applying processes. There is a list of additional resources at the end of each lesson. Each unit concludes with a post-quiz to measure learning.
A $75 technology fee will be assessed by the online refugee center. This will be paid directly to the center when you register with them. You will receive the link to register in your confirmation email.
For More Information on course please contact Sarah Gaither at sarah@therefugeecenter.org
Non-Credit Information:
You may take this course as non-credit option. For more information visit the educator page at The Refugee Center.
Fee: $155.00
Sarah Gaither
Sarah has lead the development of RCO's Educating Refugee & Immigrant Students teacher-training course since its inception by the RCO Board in 2014. Sarah has worked with refugee students relocated to the US as well as in the DR Congo and on the Thai-Burma boarder. Sarah is especially fascinated with multicultural education, in particular the strengths and assets that the refugee experience can bring to students in the US classroom. Sarah received her M.A. from Portland State University in Educational Leadership & Policy, focusing her work around international education for sustainability.Bachelor's degree
