A New Path for Teacher Preparation at Clemson University

This fall, the Clemson University College of Education debuted the first of four courses in a new Place-Based Education (PBE) bundle, led by both Assistant Professor of Science Education Dr. Steph Dean and seven less-likely course-designers: undergraduate, pre-service teachers. The first of those courses, Pedagogies of Outdoor Learning, is currently concluding, after being offered in two formats. One is for undergraduate pre-service teachers at Clemson, and the other as a masters-level professional development course for teachers from the nearby School District of Pickens County (SC).

The inspiration for Dr. Dean in creating the course bundle has always been present, as she is a former outdoor educator and is passionate about helping future and present teachers incorporate Place-Based Education into their curriculum. The impetus, however, came from both above and below her. First, Dr. Dean reflects that Dr. Kristin Gehsmann, Dean of the Clemson University College of Education, encouraged professors to come up with new classes that reflected and served the school’s service area of rural South Carolina. “She challenged us to look at what we offer…and to innovate by proposing some new courses,” described Dr. Dean.

Dr. Dean put her ideas into action by utilizing a unique program at Clemson called Creative Inquiry. Through Creative Inquiry, undergraduate students can receive 1-3 credits to launch an investigation or exploration that goes beyond regular coursework, working in small groups and leading much of the research effort. In science majors this will frequently happen in a lab setting, but takes a bit more creativity to design a student-led investigation fit for education. Dr. Dean recalls that to practice Creative Inquiry “in education it’s a little trickier, because we're not doing empirical research on students. I proposed a Creative Inquiry on PBE and outdoor learning, with the idea that students could explore this pedagogical approach" and help create the course bundle.

Seven students signed up to participate, all eager to learn more about Place-Based Education and excited to be given the opportunity to help design curriculum. Dr. Dean notes that “I had a rough conceptual outline, and then the students collaboratively read through the conceptual outlines,” offering feedback, ideas, and suggestions to make the course better suited to pre-service educators. For the masters level version of the course, Dr. Dean engaged with local districts for similar co-design: “I also got some input from a local rural district… about what the needs are of the teachers, and so these courses were developed not just with an undergraduate version, but with a masters version, to meet the needs of the local community.”

For the students who partook in the process, they found it both valuable to their careers as educators, and a useful model for future course development. Liza Crawley, one of the undergraduate students who helped produce the course, reflects on her experience: “It was really cool because it was so, so focused on Place-Based Education. Because part of how we met was we went and did Place-Based Education activities. It wasn't just like ‘this is what we take kids on.’ We participated in all of the activities; every meeting we had, we also participated, which was awesome, as future educators, to see how to do it.”

Liza further describes that she sees the legacy of the Creative Inquiry process as already shaping her as a soon-to-be classroom teacher. “Now going into my first year soon, I can just see such value in Place-Based Education. Like, it [may] seem like such a hassle to go outside in schools, but it truly is so simple when it comes to something that you are passionate about and you make a routine in your class. And more so, there's so much value. You can connect almost any standard to being outdoors and it makes it so much more impactful and meaningful.”

Dr. Dean notes that several elements of her initial plan were re-done or changed because of critical insights from the students, producing an overall better class than if she had designed it alone. She describes that “it was humbling to hear from 20, 21 year olds to realize that I had completely forgotten different aspects” of the course, such as integrating specific school policies into a unit around risk management. Dr. Dean also describes that students pushed for more variable mediums to showcase their learning: “They also gave a lot of ideas as far as offering choice. So instead of saying ‘here is what you do’ for your nature reflection, it can be choose-you-own-media… They were all for giving choice to future students for the assignments.”

Overall the course has been a resounding success in its debut semester, and offers pre-service educators an engaging gateway into understanding how to implement Place-Based Education into their teaching. Each 2.5 hour class features two stints outside, there are often guest speakers from local districts, and offers students the opportunity to put what they have learned into practice. In addition to leading lessons to each other, students also work toward their grade by volunteering at an outdoor learning program in partnership with a local foundation, growing their confidence and ability to practice PBE.

For Dr. Dean, it all comes down to showing students how achievable it is to integrate Place-Based Education and outdoor learning pedagogies into standards-based instruction, particularly in rural contexts. “I’m a big proponent of integrating the standards. Pedagogies of Outdoor Learning is all about how we leverage the local environment in K-12 settings as a way to teach the state standards. The first half of the course is more nuts-and-bolts, and the second half is a deep dive into what I call the continuum of integration. On one side is to drag and drop your lesson outside–bring the whiteboard out, teach the same lesson– and on the other side, is ‘nature as teacher,’ and integrating phenomena such as the aftermath of Hurricane Helene into the curriculum.”

The graduate-level version of the course has also been successful, providing teachers in the School District of Pickens County with meaningful professional development around Place-Based Education. The course follows a hybrid model, and differs from the undergraduate level in its depth and rigor, requiring more foundational research, citing and justifying your thinking, and aligning assignments to participants who are presently teaching in the classroom. Dr. Dean notes that in particular the long-standing strong relationship between Clemson and the School District of Pickens County has formed trust, mutually beneficial partnerships, and a positive feedback loop of support. “I try to carry that ethos into the work I do as a partner with the district.”

In reflecting on the journey that took this course bundle from an idea to a rewarding first semester, Dr. Dean considers an ecosystem of trust as central to realizing the vision. “I think it comes down to trust. [Clemson] leadership trusting the professors; me trusting the undergrads to help me design this course; the pre-service teachers I’m teaching now trusting me to guide them into good learning; and the district trusting me too, to teach a masters’ level cohort as they invest money into making it happen.”

The PBE bundle will continue with another class in the spring semester, and two more the following year, before settling into a regular two year cadence. Currently the bundle will serve as a concentration for students in the College of Education, with hopes for it one day to become a minor. The masters level courses will be taught as districts request them, and have funding available. Liza sees this as a model that other universities should consider: “I would just say I think there could be such a great opportunity for more undergrad programs to offer these kinds of initiatives for students… I think it's so impactful for pre-service teachers to see how curriculums are made, even if they're higher education, but then also to be involved and to be able to have opportunities to really delve into what you're passionate about.”

Rural Schools Collaborative would like to thank Dr. Steph Dean for sharing the story of this course with us. We would also like to thank Dr. Kristen Cuthrell, chair of the Department of Education and Human Development in the Clemson University College of Education, for her continued support and advocacy of Rural Schools Collaborative.