About ARI: Porta Mosana
ARI stands for Applied Research Internship and is an active learning course offered by the University College Maastricht for the duration of one semester. Two college interns assisted the teacher/client in his instruction of the Global Perspectives Cambridge A course for the Tweetalig (bilingual) program at Porta Mosana. The student teachers / interns combined in-class experience with literate research to enrich the teaching and learning experience for teacher and student alike.
Along with weekly instruction days at Porta Mosana, the student teachers also attended plenaries and workshops at UCM to supplement the ARI experience. These sessions included: competency reflections, interview workshops, peer-feedback sessions, practice presentations and shared goals and concerns for upcoming internship objectives.
Our goal ...
Initially...
When we first started our Applied Research Internship at Porta Monsana, we viewed our goal in the classroom was to assist our client, the teacher, with his teaching efficacy. We sourced our interpretation of our role through a mix of three sources: conversations with the teacher, the case overview (below) and our own observations of the school itself. Our first conversations with the teacher were served as a wealth if information. He shared with us his wish that we would serve as a bridge between himself and his pupils. Upon giving us a tour of Porta Mosana, he shared with us his insight on the student body regarding the student profile and demographic of the student body. He provided us with the rather rigid and difficult Cambridge A curriculum for the course. He gave us a tour of the school. We began ARI with nerves, excitement, and curiosity, but without full conceptualization of the significance of our presence in the classroom.
A few weeks in...
After just a few bike rides across the bridge, lunches in the teacher's lounge and plenary lectures provided, we began to gain confidence in our position in the class and motivation for our impact. We saw ourselves in the students, we recognized the stress, confusion, apathy, and drive - and we empathized. We compared our own experiences in high school and relished what might have been had we also taken the GP course to better prepare for university. We realized that we had the potential to act, to do, to incite change... and what more valuable change is there than education. While our goal maintained to be a bridge between students and teacher and to assist the teacher in his efficacy, another goal grew: a goal to incite curiosity and confidence in the students. Our desire to aid their learning was not just so they would perform well on their exams, it was in hopes it would improve their day - to - day experiences under Covid-19 and to recognize their agency as they looked to life beyond Porta Monsana.
Client's Case Overview:
Mission Articulation as stated in the Case Analysis:
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We recognize that Casper’s Global Perspectives course is one of the most valuable courses for young academics to take in preparation for university. While many, if not most other courses at Porta Mosana are very content driven, GP provides the foundation for transferable skills. Casper recognizes the gravity and importance of the GP curriculum, however it can be a challenge for the students to share this perception. Casper has shared with us that students do not usually recognize the benefits of the course until completion and commencement of university studies. This delayed gratification is not uncommon in the journey of a scholar, however it does erect a large obstacle in the contrast between motivation and performance. If students do not fully realize the necessity of the lessons of the course, then there will inevitably be less drive to put energy and focus behind their work.
Our Intent:
In terms of the stakeholder analysis, the mission is clear: increased engagement and performance of students in the GP class, not only measured by their eventual Cambridge A scores but in the skills they develop and can practice into the future
