Photo: College of Technology faculty member, Tony McCutchen guides students through the “AI for Equitable Teaching” segment of the workshop

Davenport University’s College of Urban Education (CUE) recently hosted 70 high school students at the W.A. Lettinga Grand Rapids Campus for a day focused on preparing the next generation of educators. 

The “Engage with Education” event sparked ideas, built connections and excited the aspiring teachers about life in the classroom. 

The program provided attendees with a glimpse into Davenport’s Urban Education program and covered timely topics, including equity in teaching and the ever-evolving world of artificial intelligence (AI).

Through interactive, hands-on workshops led by Davenport faculty and current Urban Education students, participants explored what it would be like to pursue a degree in education at Davenport and how they can one day make a meaningful impact in the classroom.

The students, who hailed from Muskegon Career Tech Center, GR Teacher Prep Academy and Hope Academy of West MI, heard from Davenport’s Admissions team, went on a campus tour, participated in a fun game show, and rotated through two engaging workshops.

Organizers had a wide range of topics to choose from when selecting workshops for the event, but ultimately two stood out: AI and equity in the classroom.

Meaghan Polega, Davenport’s College of Urban Education department chair, said the decision to cover AI was a no-brainer. “We know AI is a hot topic in every field right now, and schools are grappling with how to manage that,” she said. “I wanted to be able to show students how they, as future teachers, can use AI as a time saver, but also in a way that is ethical.”

Regarding equity in the classroom, Polega said it is the root of everything Davenport’s CUE stands for. “Students often see things in terms of fair and unfair, regardless of their age, but we need to emphasize that it’s not about fairness, it’s about students getting what they need to be successful,” she said.  

Polega led the “Equity Investment Challenge” workshop, in which students first learned the difference between equity and equality. Equality, she explained, is the practice of treating everyone the same and providing identical opportunities, assuming everyone starts at the same place. In sharp contrast, equity recognizes that individuals have different circumstances and provides the specific resources, assistance, or opportunities needed to achieve a similar outcome.

Participants were asked to apply this knowledge to a scenario involving three fictional third-grade students struggling in school. They were asked to review the fictional students’ profiles, which highlighted significant equity barriers to accessing a quality education, and “purchase” items that would best support the students. They could purchase things like noise-canceling headphones, text-to-speech licenses and standing desks. What made this process challenging was that participants were given a limited budget to purchase the necessary items, some of which were in short supply.

“Our participants had to figure out how to prioritize in order to get their struggling students what they needed to be successful,” said Polega. “What I hope our participants learned from this exercise is not only a better understanding of equity but also an understanding that every student comes to the classroom with their own unique challenges and barriers, and as teachers, it is our job to make sure we are working to meet the needs of all of those students,” she said. 

Hailey Whisman, a junior in the elementary Urban Education program, was excited to assist Polega with the Equity Investment Challenge workshop and to work directly with the students.

“I wanted to be involved in this event to help promote Davenport’s Urban Education program, which has grown a lot in the last few years, and I’m grateful to be part of it,” she said. “I think it is important for future educators to experience what Davenport has to offer and meet students, like me, who are enrolled in the program.”

Whisman said she has had a positive experience at Davenport, from her professors to her fieldwork placements, and wanted to share that experience with those considering a major in education. “I think it is crucial that these students follow their heart and pursue a degree and career in teaching if that is what they are passionate about,” she said.

The second workshop, AI for Equitable teaching, was led by Tony McCutchen, Davenport College of Technology faculty member. Its focus was to harness AI to ensure their fictional students had what they needed to succeed in the classroom. To accomplish this, McCutchen helped participants create and refine prompts in Gemini based on a number of different scenarios involving an advanced learner and a student struggling to succeed.

The “Who Wants to Be an Educationnaire” game show was developed by Polega and led by Yvette McCutchen, Davenport’s African American student retention coordinator. The game was modeled after the classic game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” and asked contestants a series of general-education trivia questions, mostly centered on equity.

McCutchen said the game show was a success, and she was pleased with the event overall. “Engage with Education was beneficial for these high school students because it gave them an ‘up front’ view of Davenport, which excels in preparing tomorrow’s teachers by demonstrating up-to-date learning strategies,” she said.  

Alex Misiak, Davenport’s recruiting program manager, said events like Engage with Education are a great way to expose prospective students to Davenport and its approach to educating tomorrow’s teachers. “It’s wonderful to see how excited and enthusiastic these students are at the thought of becoming teachers,” said Misiak. “We hope Davenport’s Urban Education program resonates with them and that they fall in love with our beautiful campus and ultimately enroll,” he said.

Click here to learn more about Davenport’s College of Urban Education.