Refugees, migrants focus of COE PDLC

Two faculty members in the University of North Georgia (UNG) College of Education created a professional development learning community (PDLC) focused on the needs of refugee and migrant students.

The purpose of this PDLC is to inform UNG faculty and students of the increasing refugee and migrant resettlement in north Georgia. The PDLC will provide strategies and resources for faculty and pre-service teachers to meet the needs of refugee and migrant students in the classroom. Students and faculty will meet three times this semester and three in the spring for purposes of review. 

"We felt that our pre-service teachers who serve the growing refugees and migrant population require certain strategies that aren't necessarily provided in the program currently," Dr. Annmarie Jackson, associate professor, said. "We are finding ways to provide strategies for them so that they can better serve this community."

Dr. Sarah Williams, associate professor of teacher education, is working with Jackson.

Pre-service education students noticed more refugee students in north Georgia elementary schools, including those from Ukraine and Afghanistan. Williams said they saw a lack of resources and resettlement programs, and students were uninformed about refugee resettlement, so she and Jackson wanted to educate the future educators about the refugees.

"We started brainstorming and brainstorming, and then we said it's going to get off the ground. Then we got the grant. We put the steps for the dream in place and said we going to watch it happen," Jackson said.

Funding of $5,000 provided through a Liberal Education and America's Promise (LEAP) into Action grant allowed the duo to purchase materials.

"We've ordered picture books that have to do with refugees and migrants. We'll be teaching reading and writing methods that they can use with those books in elementary classrooms," Williams said. "We'll let the pre-service teachers take the books and use them in their placement, and then we'll reconvene and talk about their experiences with using those strategies and the picture books."

Senior Madelyn Snyder is a PDLC participant who shared her appreciation for the opportunity to learn more about how to support refugees and migrant students.

"I really enjoyed this because these students have often already seen so much in their lives and deserve the best support from us as future teachers," Snyder said. "I think sometimes navigating the instruction with these students may be difficult for both the teacher and the student, and may look a little different, so I loved getting to learn about how I can provide quality instruction, as well as create a comforting environment for these students. I am really looking forward to continuing with this program throughout the year."

Snyder, a native of Glendale, Arizona, is pursuing a degree in elementary and special education.

The PDLC will also include a panel discussion including representatives from Friends of Refugees, Global Village Project, International Community School, and R Peace. 

"UNG has had such a positive impact on my life, and it helped me get onto the trajectory that I am on now. Learning about major current events around the world while I was a student was a key part in me taking steps toward refugee work in the nonprofit sector," Joe Nowland, '14, Friends of Refugees partner relationship manager, said. "I have been working with refugees for the last eight or nine years, and it has been such an honor. I was also eager to share with the panel about the great work that my current organization is doing alongside one of my coworkers from Afghanistan."

Williams sees multiple layers of value in the PDLC.

"I tell my students that even though we're learning strategies to use with or about refugees and migrants, these can be used with all types of students who come from trauma backgrounds because these are trauma-informed strategies," Williams said.

As students begin to heal from their trauma, they are eager to learn.

"Once they get over their trauma, they are eager to learn. They have big dreams and big goals that they want to accomplish in America or wherever they're placed. They just need support. They are resilient," Williams said. "We will support them to get their dreams accomplished."