Dr. Alan Tinkler has been a professor of education at the University of Vermont for the past eight years. His focus is varied but includes teacher professional development, school remodeling, community engagement, service learning, and empowering student voices. Prior to joining UVM’s faculty, Tinkler familiarized himself with issues facing refugees through service learning engagement involving teacher preparation, but after joining UVM, he began working with refugees by serving community-based organizations like the O’Brien Community Center, King Street Center, and the Winooski Community Center.
Dr. Tinkler believes the role of education in refugee research is to expand the boundaries of service learning through teacher preparation and act as a continuation of the research education has done on integration within a classroom setting. The meaningful impacts and outcomes facilitated by teachers can affect the education of any student, refugee or not. However, Tinkler also notes the importance of approaching research through a multi-disciplinary approach because he believes, within the context of complex systems, cross discipline collaboration is crucial.
Currently Dr. Tinkler’s research is focused on student engagement and relationships with community partners in the context of service learning, particularly on the outcomes of student learning experiences. One particular outcome Tinkler has examined is cultural humility in service learning at community site placements, with the goal to advance community partner voices. He is also researching how school remodeling amplifies student voices, which falls in line with the recently passed Act 77 that ensures “flexible pathways” to graduation in Vermont. He sees the importance of personal learning and development plans that take into account socio-economic standing, in order to ensure equitable access to education opportunities. In the future, Tinkler plans to research the effects of Act 77 on expanding learning opportunities and success outside of school.
Though Tinkler hopes education will continue to address the refugee crisis going forward, he acknowledges the difficulties of conducting this kind of research. Firstly, it is difficult to receive IRB approval with access to families due to the challenges of working across language barriers. However, TInkler notes this challenge is lessened when working with a community partner because these organizations are already grounded in the community and have a pre-existing collaborative capacity. He also shares similar worries with students wishing to work with refugees, stressing the importance of ongoing interaction with oneself and others. He urges students to be aware of cultural competency issues and to approach their research with a sense of humility.
Tinkler, A., Tinkler, B., Gerstl-Pepin, C., & Mugisha, V. (2014). The promise of a community-based, participatory approach to service-learning in teacher education. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 18(3), 209-232.
Tinkler, A., Tinkler, B., Hausman, E., & Tufo-Strouse, G. (2014). Key elements of effective service-learning partnerships from the perspective of community partners. Partnerships: A Journal of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement, 5(2), 137-152.
Tinkler, B., Hannah, C. l., Tinkler, A., & Miller, E. (2014). Analyzing a service-learning experience using a social justice lens. Teaching Education, 25(1), 82-98. doi:10.1080/10476210.2012.744742