Cross-cultural analysis of schooling often yields important insights, helping students reflect on their own culture and educational experiences. England’s unique cultural landscape, with its colonial history and increasing diversity, offers an ideal opportunity to consider questions related to equity and equal access to educational resources. 

This course will leverage students’ knowledge of both American and British classrooms and guide them in inquiry about schooling in the two countries, helping identify exemplary practices in each context. Students will learn to apply the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and to develop instructional strategies that meet the needs of all learners, while adopting an asset-based approach to thinking about students, their families, and the communities they live in. 

Assigned materials (scholarly articles, documentaries, works of fiction, podcasts) and discussion-based seminars will give students tools to both sharpen and deepen their understanding. Course assignments will provide opportunities for inquiry about how various classroom structures and instructional practices can support students who represent a diversity of languages, abilities, genders, and races/ethnicities.

A placement in a local school will anchor the seminar course, providing regular opportunities to reflect on educational theory and practice. The placement will be supplemented by a community-engaged learning project, designed to give students personal insight into the experiences of the diverse communities in the region. 

Education Summer School includes an overnight study trip to London, to experience and reflect on the strategies for educational inclusivity employed by some of the capital’s most fascinating Museums - including the Museum of London Docklands and the Young V&A. 

Professor: Diana Baker, Associate Professor of Educational Studies, Hobart & William Smith Colleges, baker@hws.edu