School for International Training

School for International Training, or SIT, is an accredited college in Brattleboro, Vermont. The president is Carol Bellamy.

History

SIT Graduate Institute, formerly known as the School for International Training, is the accredited educational branch of World Learning, which had its origins in the Experiment for International Living (EIL). The campus consisted of a small collection of dorms around a Carriage House on a scenic farm on the north end of Brattleboro. Early Peace Corps volunteers took lessons in "exotic" languages, materials and teachers from the language training for Experiment trips (1934-present). When language and culture training began to shift to "in-country", SIT filled a need of returned Peace Corps Volunteers by offering a graduate degree in International Development. By 1968 the small but increasing number of RPCVs were requesting a degree in Teaching English as a Second Language, a new speciality. In 1969, two graduate programs were developed-- ICT: International Career Training; and MAT: Masters in Teaching Languages (French, Spanish and ESL).

The first MAT class consisted of three students, the second of ten students, and the third of 38; in the fourth year the class size reached 50 students and stayed there for many years. ICTs spent part of their program on campus and part in internships around the world. MATs originally went to Mexico or Quebec for student teaching but by 1972, students began to develop other sites around the world. Eventually, the ICT program changed to PIM: Programs in Intercultural Management and developed specializations in NGS's and Civil Society, Peace and Conflict Transformation, Social Justice, Socially Responsible Management, Sustainable Development,International Education, Language and Culture, Teacher Preparation. Jody Williams, an MAT graduate, won the Nobel Prize for her work on banning land mines. Wangari Maathai, a board member, won the Nobel Peace Prize for her work on sustainable development and democracy in Kenya. The International Leadership Project brings community activists, legislators and regional leaders to campus to study the means of bringing peace to such war-torn places as Rwanda, Ireland, Bosnia or Israel/Palestine.

In the 1980s and 1990s there was an undergraduate program called the World Issues Program. Initially it was a two-year program for transfer juniors and seniors. Inspired by a speech by United Nations leader U Thant, the program provided classes in Peace Studies, Alternative Energy Sources, Population Studies and Environmental Studies. After one year students had year-long internships in different sites around the world. The final semester consisted of research into one of these areas on a topic of the student's choice. Eventually nearby Marlboro College adopted this program and offered it on their campus.

In the mid-eighties the MAT program created the Summer MAT program for teachers who study over two summers and are supervised in their existing jobs in the intervening year.

In the late 1990s the MAT department created the Teacher Knowledge Project as a way for teachers to work together using the reflective cycle, to inquire into their practice. This project resulted in research in schools in New England focusing on reflective teaching, mentoring and structured language immersion. Other offshoots of the MAT program include a four-week TESOL certification program that offers basic preparation for teaching English as a Foreign Language and the ACCESS program that helps content teachers develop skills for working with English Language Learners in their classes.

Since 2002 the School for International Training has hosted the Nord-Amerika Somera Kursaro (NASK), North America's leading college-level program in Esperanto.

SIT Study Abroad offers undergraduate programs overseas in more than 60 countries.

The Masters degree programs offered at SIT currently are as follows: a Masters of Arts in Conflict Transformation, Masters of Arts in Social Justice in Intercultural Relations, Masters of Arts in Sustainable Development, Masters of Science in Management, and one of the largest and best known, the Masters of Arts in International Education. The Masters in International Education is designed to "prepare graduates to be effective educational policy advocates and skilled program administrators with a thorough understanding of the historical and current realities of worldwide educational systems. Students examine the effects on international programs of globalism, internationalization efforts, changing technology, immigration law, and educational policy as they master skills and strategies in program develoment and support." (SIT Graduate Degrees & Professional Programs; International and Intercultural Studies 2005-2006. School for International Training Promotional Material. Also on www.sit.edu)

In International Education (I.E.), there are optional concentrations available in International Education Advising and Educational Exchange Management. Graduates pursue professional positions as directors of study abroad or international student services, international student advisors, program designers, or international student recruiters in organizations that seek to increase understanding though community education, citizen exchange, and educational travel. Students in International Education at SIT take some of the following courses: Theory and Practice of International Education, International Education Design and Delivery, Assessment and Evaluation Electives, International Education Design concepts and evaluations as well as other electives in International Education that relate to other fields such as Cross-Cultural Counseling, Conflict Transformation, Social Change, Budgeting for Programs Departments, and language requirements for proficiency levels.

The culmination of the IE Masters degree is the final thesis, or capstone paper and seminar. After their field research, or practicum, either abroad or within the US, students demonstrate their field based competencies and reassess theoretical knowledge in light of professional application. Integrating theory and practice in written and oral presentations, these capstone papers are bound in book form, placed on research web sites and documented as they are often contributions to the intercultural field.

Notable alumni

*Jody Williams, an MAT alumnus - 1997 Nobel Peace Prize recipient.

See also

* List of colleges and universities in the United States
** List of colleges and universities in Vermont
* [http://www.edukenya.com List of Colleges and universities in Kenya]

External links

* [http://www.sit.edu SIT]
* [http://www.sit.edu/extension/index.html SIT Program Info]
* [http://www.usexperiment.org/ Experiment in International Living]
* [http://www.sit.edu/tkp/ Teacher Knowledge Project]
* [http://www.sit.edu/tesolcert/index.html SIT TESOL Certificate Program]
* [http://www.sit.edu/access/index.html ACCESS]