Host Community Voices and Community Experiences: Tanzanian Perspectives on a Teacher Education International Service-Learning Project

Abstract

Teacher education programs are increasing integrating aspects of international service learning (ISL) into student experience. While studies have about teacher-candidate experiences are published, less is known about the affect of these ISL initiatives on the host communities. There is a need to hear from and integrate host community voices into all dimensions of the ISL experiences. We honor the voices of ISL host participants by turning our attention to those involved in an ongoing ISL project in Tanzania. Our analysis is grounded in our experiences as ISL practitioners and teacher educators. We utilize Freire and Dewey’s concepts to provide an understanding of ISL in teacher education that emphasizes how dialogue with host participants increases understanding of local contexts and promotes reciprocity as a form of learning from one another.  This study concludes with the implications, both negative and positive, associated with integrating ISL into teacher education programs.