The impact of the partnerships within the Center for School-University Partnerships (CSUP) Professional Development School (PDS) has been evident since its adoption of the formal PDS model in 2001. In addition to the nine PDS sites and 37 other districts in southern and central Minnesota, partnerships have also been established in south Texas, Australia, Costa Rica and the United Arab Emirates, as well as a long-standing partnership with North-eastern State University in Magadan in Russia’s Far East region.
International partnerships give teacher candidates the opportunity to teach in and become completely immersed in a culture very different from their own. They live with host families, experience teaching strategies that may be very unfamiliar to them and have the opportunity to partake in cultural festivities, rituals and traditions. For the students who travelled to Minnesota State University, Mankato from Magadan this semester; the experience was filled with new experiences and learning.
North-eastern State University in Magadan sent six teacher candidates, a professor and two school administrators to Minnesota State Mankato from April 6 through April 30, 2013. These students and faculty members had many rewarding and challenging experiences during their time here. Students’ field experiences in Mankato were at Jefferson Elementary School (Kindergarten classrooms) and at Roosevelt Elementary School (grades 1 and 2). They made presentations at the Minnesota State Mankato Undergraduate Research Conference and at the MnSCU Undergraduate Research Conference. Dr. Elizabeth Sandell, Associate Professor, also coordinated numerous activities throughout their visit to enrich their cultural experience. Their activities includedshopping trips, a visit to the Museum of Russian Art and the Mall of America, the International Festival at Minnesota State Mankato, and a weekend in Winona, MN for a wedding. Dr. Sandell gathered the group together on April 25th, 2013 to discuss some of their favorite memories. One of the teacher candidates, Andrew Kalugin, graciously translated many of the responses. Here is the text of the NESU Interview. Here are the photographs.