The first J-Term at Drake University is wrapping up and the School of Education had much to offer. While some education students used Drake’s new January Term to catch up on credits, others enrolled in overseas courses that are brand new to the Drake Curriculum. Within the School of Education, students could pursue course offerings on campus in Counseling, Educational Technology and Classroom Management.
Professor of Education Tom Westbrook’s J-Term class, “Leadership at Sea,” involved students applying the leadership skills they study in the classroom to learning to sail, working in teams and experiencing life at sea. As part of the newly created leadership concentration, this course took place both in Des Moines and in the Bahamas, onboard the tall mast schooner Liberty Clipper. The trip offered students experience in small craft sailing, kayaking, snorkeling and a service project.
Associate Professor of Education Jill Caton-Johnson offered students the opportunity to study education in Ghana. Drake students experienced both cultural and educational differences between the Des Moines metro area and associated schools and the culture and education system in a small village outside the capital of Ghana. The course focused on the challenges people in this village encounter. Students were directed towards analyzing the instructional paradigms used in the village schools, training teachers, understanding the expectations of students attending and the differences between male and female students, and experiencing the overall “condition” of the educational experience afforded to these young children.