EDUC/CEP 300 – Childhood Education: Teaching & Multicultural Competence (Community Engagement Practicum)
Discipline(s): Education, Sociology
Credits: 3
Available: fall semester 2025, spring semester 2026
Instructor: Francesca Passeri, Ph.D.
Course Type: Seminar & Practicums
Taught in: English
Course Fee: -
Formerly CEP 301 – Practicum Education – Teaching the Other: Study Abroad Teaching & Multicultural Competence
Practicum Description
Field Experience/Practicum – 4 hours/week; 40 hours of practical experience in addition to the seminar. The aim of this practicum is to make it possible for students to participate in a real and significant teaching environment in Italy, and to introduce them to the challenges posed to the traditional school system by a diverse, multicultural society. Students will have the possibility of collaborating in teaching English in a school in Prato or in Florence. In either case, students will be exposed to a diverse pupil population. Readings and activities in the seminar will guide students through the issues involved in teaching a multi-cultural classroom, as well as to the peculiar features of the local Italian culture and identity.
Students will teach English as a second language gaining hands-on teaching experience in two different ways:
- Classroom Teaching: Students will be assigned to a local elementary, middle, or high school, where they will do more than just shadow a teacher. They will assist with lesson planning, propose activities, and lead class discussions in collaboration with local educators.
- One-on-One Online Tutoring: Students will teach English to an Italian elementary or middle school student in a virtual setting, tailoring lessons to the child’s needs and learning goals.
This dual experience provides both structured classroom collaboration—where students contribute to an existing curriculum as teaching assistants—and independent tutoring, allowing them to develop their teaching strategies and adapt lessons based on individual student progress.
IMPORTANT: This is a hands-on, pre-professional experience, meaning students will actively participate rather than just observe.
- Location: Some field sites may require travel by bus, tram, or train.
Seminar Description
Weekly Seminar – 1 and a half hours/week; 18 hours total taught by an ISI faculty. The seminar meets once a week and is based on students’ reports about their work, readings and discussions. The seminar will focus specifically on the issue of social and cultural diversity. Students will be introduced to the historic linguistic and cultural diversity of Italy as well as to the “new diversities” due to immigration. The challenges posed by old and new diversities to teachers and traditional teaching methods will also be discussed.
Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes
By the end of the practicum, the successful student is expected to
- have a solid experience teaching to children from different cultures within a different school system
- be aware of the issues involved, and the skills required, to teach a multicultural class
- understand how the challenges posed by globalization and immigration are dealt with in different national school systems, such as the Italian and American ones
Course descriptions may be subject to occasional minor modifications at the discretion of the instructor.