Since 1905, when Missouri State was founded as the Fourth District Normal School, teacher training has been part of the university’s heritage. Missouri State currently graduates 400–500 teachers each year, making us the largest producer of teachers in Missouri.

This expertise continues to be critical to Missouri’s future as our state contends with a sustained teacher shortage.

In the College of Education (COE), offering comprehensive and fulfilling educational opportunities means continually looking for ways to innovate and broaden the learning experience. Dr. Barri Tinkler, dean of the College of Education, shared two COE initiatives that are doing this.

Focus on Global Education

On November 13, COE opened the Global Education Lab (GEL). It’s designed as a collaborative place for learning about the world and its people.

“Our faculty and students are engaged with partners and learners from around the world — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Libya, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Nigeria, Tanzania, Vietnam and beyond,” says Tinkler.

Dr. Jennice McCafferty-Wright, assistant professor in the School of Teaching, Learning and Developmental Sciences and dean’s fellow for global education, agrees. “Students in the COE have long benefitted from their professors’ global engagement,” she says, noting that the GEL offers “a vibrant place for supporting the global engagement of our students.”

Programs Housed in the GEL

As a space that’s dedicated to global understanding, collaboration and partnership, the GEL is home to several grant-funded programs. These include:

• The Global Teacher Education Exchange, where new and future K–12 educators from Missouri State and the Middle East/North Africa region learn with and from each other through weekly online, face-to-face workshops with international experts.
• Removing Barriers, a collaborative program with the English Language Institute, where future educators learn how to teach English lessons to adult multilingual learners.
• Global Teacher Talks, which give Missouri State faculty and their international colleagues opportunities to collaborate in the production of webinars and workshops about teaching and learning with international scholars, leaders and education innovators.
• The World Teacher Makerspace, offering supplies for teacher candidates who are creating lessons about the world and its people, including materials from public diplomacy programs, international organizations and community members.

Funding for GEL Programs

Tinkler says these programs are supported by various funding agencies, with critical support provided by faculty that includes McCafferty-Wright along with Dr. Minor Baker, Dr. Denise Cunningham and Dr. Amber Howard.

A total of $368,850 has been awarded to GEL programs. Funding agencies include:

• Stevens Initiative Seeding Grant, U.S. Department of State administered by the Aspen Institute
• Stevens Initiative Coronavirus Response Fund, U.S. Department of State administered by the Aspen Institute
• Community Foundation of the Ozarks Community Partnership Grant
• Dollar General Literacy Foundation
• Ball Foundation Grant

The following entities support the World Teacher Makerspace:

• Embassy of Australia
• Embassy of the Czech Republic
• Embassy of the Democratic Republic of Congo
• Embassy of Greece
• Embassy of Ireland
• The Chicago Korean Education Center
• Embassy of Mali
• Missouri State University Office of China Programs
• Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia
• Embassy of Sweden
• The Royal Thai Embassy

Around Campus…

Several COE faculty members have been working on competency-based learning.

Dr. Amber Howard, assistant professor in the School of Teaching, Learning and Developmental Sciences, says this style of teaching and learning “places students at the center of learning. It humanizes education in ways traditional systems fail to do.” 

Through COE, Missouri State was the first university to participate in the Success Ready Student Network’s (SRSN) Collaborative Network Zone, an initiative that helps educators across Missouri implement elements of competency-based learning.

One of these elements is Real World Learning, which uses immersive experiences (like internships) with leading businesses to help orient students toward their professional aspirations. It’s all part of making sure that students are focusing on the real-world outcomes of their educational experiences — such as the skills that will serve them in their careers — and not just working for a grade.

As Howard recently put it: “We’re equipping students for a future we can’t fully understand right now.”