SUNY students hit the Sunshine Coast
4 August, 2005
Fourteen pre-service teachers from the State University of New
York (SUNY) Cortland campus are on the Sunshine Coast for 15 weeks
as part of an international partnership between SUNY Cortland and
the University of the Sunshine Coast.
The students have spent the past six weeks enrolled in USC's
Intensive Study Abroad Program before heading out into Sunshine
Coast schools for a nine-week classroom student teacher
practicum.
The State University of New York has around 450,000 students in
64 campuses throughout New York State.
SUNY Cortland has one of the biggest Schools of Education in the
United States and according to USC Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor
Robert Elliot, it is the Cortland campus in particular that USC has
developed strong links with.
"SUNY Cortland is one of our strongest international
partnerships," Professor Elliot said.
"USC currently has 23 Study Abroad Students from Cortland and
other SUNY partners."
"The Sunshine Coast is only the second overseas pre-service
teaching post selected by SUNY, the other being London," he
said.
Colin Balfour, Project Manager International Relations USC and
Yvana Jones, Executive Director (Schools) Sunshine Coast North
District, Education Queensland visited Cortland in April 2003 to
discuss the proposal to offer an innovative study abroad program
for pre-service teachers.
As part of their USC study, students completed An Experiential
Introduction to Australian Education, an orientation course to
their school practicums, and then chose a second course from
History of Popular Australian Culture, Introduction to
Environmental Studies, Sports Coaching or Transnational
Management.
The students also spent one week of their intensive
study program at USC's Dilli Village Education Facility on
Fraser Island.
The New York student teacher practicum schools include
Chancellor State College, Mountain Creek State High School,
Mountain Creek State Primary School, Buddina State Primary School,
Kawana Waters State High School, and Maroochydore State High
School, covering education from early childhood to senior high
school.
"The SUNY Cortland student teacher program is an exemplar of
intersectoral co-operation locally between Mooloolaba District
Schools, Education Queensland and the University of the Sunshine
Coast, and internationally with SUNY Cortland," Professor Elliot
said.