A publication of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, 2013 This publication is available on the NAFSA Web site at www.nafsa.org/epubs

Global Classrooms, Global Teachers

Building Cross-Cultural Competence through Experiences Abroad

By Charlotte West

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Global Classrooms, Global Teachers: Building Cross-Cultural Competence through Experiences Abroad

About the AuthorCharlotte West is a freelance writer and contributor to International Educator magazine. She lives in Seattle.

About NAFSANAFSA is an association of individuals advancing international education and exchange. NAFSA serves international educators and their institutions and organizations by establishing principles of good practice, providing professional learning and development opportunities, providing networking opportunities, and advocating for international education.

Notice of LiabilityThe information in these documents is distributed on an “as is” basis, without warranty. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of each document, neither the submitter(s) nor NAFSA shall have any liability to any persons nor entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in any of these documents. Please note that while NAFSA verified the website links included in this e-Publication, NAFSA cannot guarantee that every link will be current at the time of download.

Acceptable Use GuidelinesElectronic resources are provided for the benefit of the international education community. However, commercial use, systematic or excessive downloading, and electronic redistribution of these publications are all expressly prohibited.

Released 2013

© 2013 NAFSA: Association of International Educators. All rights reserved.

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Global Classrooms, Global Teachers: Building Cross-Cultural Competence through Experiences Abroad

Table of ContentsIntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Transformative experiences

through cultural immersion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Building overseas student teaching programs with international partners . . . . . . . . . .3

Benefits and outcomes of student

teacher exchange partnerships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Enhancing your professional tool kit

via study abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Internationalizing schools of education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Internationalizing teacher education curriculum in Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Host country providers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Three-way collaboration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Facilitating successful learning experiences before, during,

and after study abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Critical design elements of international experiential learning

programs for teacher education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Participant suggestions for creating international experiential

learning opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

End Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

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Global Classrooms, Global Teachers: Building Cross-Cultural Competence through Experiences Abroad

IntroductionWith growing demand for global competence and cross-cultural skills, there is increasing recognition that international experience is invaluable for teachers—and their students. However, program and licensing requirements often make it difficult for teacher candi-dates to fit study abroad into their course of study. There is consequently a great need for flexible and strategic international and cross-cultural experien-tial learning opportunities for both pre- and in-service teachers, as well as school of education faculty, which can include summer programs, international intern-ships, student teaching abroad, and fieldwork. Inter-national education experts identify four critical components for programs that facilitate learning experiences abroad: guided cross-cultural learning; connecting experiences abroad to the curriculum; developing partnerships; and managing administrative and operational issues.1

At the fifth annual Colloquium on International-izing Teacher Education at NAFSA’s 2013 Annual Conference & Expo in St. Louis, Missouri, deans, faculty members, and other international educa-tors gathered to deepen their understanding of the range of study abroad opportunities available for preservice teachers. Participants explored strate-gies, tools, materials, and on-campus resources to help them integrate experiential learning into their programs. The two-day event also addressed how to develop partnerships with foreign institutions, how to leverage expertise already existing in campus educa-tion abroad offices, and how to integrate reflective activities that help foster participants’ personal and professional growth before, after, and during time abroad. Presenters stressed the importance of prede-parture and reentry programs and finding ways to help students integrate their international experience into their professional practice upon return. Partici-pants also identified a variety of incentives and tools for helping faculty members increase their global awareness and expertise, and developed action plans for transformation of their programs.

According to Helen Marx, assistant professor at Southern Connecticut State University School of Education and colloquium moderator, the goal of

international experiential learning is not just to give preservice teachers an intercultural experience, but also to impact what they will do when they become teachers in the classroom.

Transformative experiences through cultural immersionLaura Stachowski from the Indiana University School of Education discussed various models of interna-tional student teaching experiences, and offered insights into the professional development and personal growth of teacher candidates who partic-ipated in carefully planned study and teach abroad programs. She is the director of Cultural Immersion Projects,2 a program initially founded in the 1970s. The Cultural Immersion Projects were designed to offer an alternative to conventional domestic student teaching programs and give students intercultural experiences while also fulfilling their degree require-ments for student teaching. Participants have the opportunity to serve as student teachers in culturally diverse settings that include urban neighborhoods in Chicago, Navajo reservations in Arizona, New Mexico or Utah, and 17 countries around the world, including Australia, China, Costa Rica, England, Russia and Norway.

Participation requires a two-year commitment, beginning with a preparatory phase that spans two to three semesters and includes monthly classes, readings, and a workshop, culminating in the full-semester student teaching experience. To fulfill Indiana licensing requirements and to ensure they have a solid handle on the classroom experience, student teachers do not go abroad until they have successfully completed at least 10 weeks of student teaching in Indiana.

“I feel it is critical for student teachers to work through all of those things that reflect ‘good teaching’ here first, in a sustained experience in a familiar context (for example, an Indiana school)—lesson planning, lesson delivery, classroom and behavior management, pacing and timing, parent relations, and colleague and supervisor relations. If they were doing all of their student teaching over-

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Global Classrooms, Global Teachers: Building Cross-Cultural Competence through Experiences Abroad

seas and were working on these multiple facets of good teaching, plus focusing on cultural immer-sion, service learning, and the various assignments connected to the cultural immersion program, it would simply be too much,” Stachowski says.

She adds that student teaching first in Indiana also makes the program affordable for their students and for the university. While in Indiana, student teachers work with a university super-visor who goes out every week or every two weeks to observe them and provide feedback. The paid supervision happens in Indiana, fulfilling licensing requirements. When a student teacher goes over-seas, they have a mentor classroom teacher, but IU doesn’t need to hire an external supervisor to go in and observe.

During their student teaching, cultural immer-sion participants are required to live in the commu-nity where they are teaching and complete a service-learning project that encourages them to get involved with local community members, thus learning more about the families served by their schools. Staff at IU work with a network of consul-tants in the host context who make the school place-ments, and offer on-the-ground, intimate knowledge

of local schools and communities. Student teachers complete structured assignments that help them process their school and community experiences. For instance, they might be asked to think about and identify an underlying value shared by members of the host culture, give a few examples of the ways in which they have seen it manifested in their schools, homestay, and/or communities, and describe specific applications related to their professional, personal and social actions.

Indiana University has also developed the Global Gateway for Teachers,3 which Stachowski also directs, that secures overseas school placements for student teachers from several universities around the United States. For practicing professionals, Indiana University offers an Overseas Practicum for Experi-enced Teachers,4 placing in-service teachers in their choice of several different countries, most often during the U.S. summer term.

Stachowski argued that intercultural student teaching, combined with required cultural immer-sion, community-based service learning, and struc-tured reflection fosters professional growth and personal development that is both meaningful and lasting.

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Global Classrooms, Global Teachers: Building Cross-Cultural Competence through Experiences Abroad

“When we place our students overseas, we need to get them to explore below the surface of the ‘cultural iceberg’ in thinking about and understanding their onsite experiences. Extended immersion experi-ences, when structured with deep cultural learning in mind, require that our students step outside of their comfort zones, look at the world through others’ lenses, and integrate what they have learned into their own thoughts and actions. This can create discomfort and confusion, but it is necessary to facili-tate a transformative process,” she said.

However, these things do not “just happen” because student teachers are in another country. Specific requirements and guided reflection must be an inte-gral part of the experience, so that once the school day is finished, student teachers continue to engage with local community members to learn more about their lives and their perspectives. Students should be writing about what they have learned, the insights they have gained, and the implications for their continued involvement in the school and community.

Stachowski recently conducted a survey exploring ways former cultural immersion participants have integrated aspects of their overseas experience into their perspectives and practice over time. “Does (the overseas experience) have a lasting impact? Does it still influence participants five, ten, fifteen years down the road? How have they integrated their over-seas experiences into their teaching practice and/or personal lives?” she asked.

The results were not surprising to anyone working in international education. The 157 respondents who participated in one of the overseas proj-ects anywhere from one to 20 or more years ago reported that their overseas experiences had enhanced their leadership, public speaking, problem-solving, and interpersonal and cross-cultural commu-nication skills. They also reported becoming more flexible, adaptable, and confidant, and gaining a stronger sense of community and one’s place in it. In addition, overseas student teaching improved their ability to serve pupils and families from other cultures, including differentiating instruction for English Language Learners (ELLs), and gave them enhanced knowledge of education systems, both in the United States and abroad. It also positively benefited their extracurricular involvement, relation-ships with teaching colleagues, relationships with pupils, classroom management ability, instructional approaches, and selection of curriculum content.

Furthermore, participants reported an increased awareness of their own culture.5

According to Stachowski, one of the goals of the Cultural Immersion Projects is to get away from the “more of the same” model in teacher education, where student teachers are placed in the same kinds of schools and communities as where they grew up. Instead, she believes teacher educators should seek to provide opportunities for teacher candidates to experience others’ ways of teaching, living, and perceiving the world.

“[Cultural immersion] helped [student teachers] be successful in a wide array of cultural settings and understand the culture of the children they are teaching. Overseas teaching continued to influence their personal growth as they moved through their career. I think it would be hard to see this kind of impact if they had just done their student teaching only in Bloomington, Indiana,” she said.

Building overseas student teaching programs with international partnersSharon Brennan, associate professor of education at the University of Kentucky (UK), serves as director of the Office of Field Experiences and School Collabo-ration as well as associate director for the Office for International Engagement in the university’s College of Education. During the colloquium, she discussed building overseas student teaching programs with international partners, using recent initiatives with China, Sweden, and Australia as examples.

With the goal of preparing globally minded teachers, UK has offered student teaching experiences abroad for more than 40 years as a founding member of the national Consortium for Overseas Student Teaching (COST). COST is an association of 15 U.S. universities and colleges that has established partnerships with educational institutions in other countries, allowing teacher candidates to fulfill student teaching require-ments abroad.6

In addition to its involvement with COST, UK has created two other program offerings: exchange programs with Linköping University (Sweden) and Charles Sturt University (Australia), and a faculty-in-residence program with the Gaoxin schools in Xi’an, China. The exchange programs allow UK to host student teachers from the partner institutions,

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Global Classrooms, Global Teachers: Building Cross-Cultural Competence through Experiences Abroad

while the faculty-in-residence program provides an opportunity for UK faculty to work directly with their Chinese teacher partners.

Teacher candidates wishing to student teach abroad are required to take a preparatory class entitled “Culture, Education and Teaching Abroad.” This three-credit course provides an introduction to the theory and practice of intercultural communication, cross-cultural experience, and teaching with a global perspective. Brennan indicated that the course “helps participants get globally grounded and learn to look at themselves and others with new eyes.”

Before beginning the course, students complete a survey that focuses on international experience and disposition toward global-mindedness. During the course, they take part in various structured activi-ties aimed at expanding their global view, including working with international students as “amigo part-ners” and completing research on the education systems in the country where they plan to complete their student teaching. While abroad, they submit two structured reflections at approximately four weeks and at 12 weeks. In those reflections, students respond to various questions related to how they are broadening their global perspective and their perspective about teaching. At the end of the expe-rience, the local cooperating teacher also completes a student teaching performance evaluation that includes a section on intercultural adaptation and communication. When students return to University of Kentucky, they participate in a debriefing session; additionally, they complete a survey one year after the program is complete.

Brennan said that some potential challenges in this arrangement include different school sched-ules (terms, classroom hours, etc.) and licensure requirements. In addition, there still remains some lingering skepticism among some faculty regarding student teaching abroad, and costs can be prohibi-tive for some students. Despite these challenges, the program has been successful so far because program coordinators have been able to: (1) show how program participants meet local and state curric-ular standards; (2) highlight the added value of expe-rience abroad; and (3) emphasize the benefits of having globally minded teachers in local classrooms. Brennan reported that while some teacher candi-dates have gone on to graduate school, all graduates of the student teaching abroad program who seek teaching positions have been able to secure them.

“Through our international program offerings, we’ve added something we think is important in preparing teachers for the demands of twenty-first century schools. Students reflect on how they are teaching others about the world,” Brennan said.7

Benefits and outcomes of student teacher exchange partnershipsFred Carter, director of the Office of Teacher Services and School Relations at Western Kentucky Univer-sity (WKU), explored reasons why student teacher exchange partnerships are valuable to individual teacher candidates, partnership institutions, and the future of American classrooms.8 He said that the reasons students study abroad include the joy of learning, broadened knowledge of educational systems in other countries, cultural experiences and preparation for the diversity of American classrooms, and improved employment prospects. WKU offers a 16-week student teaching program, with 12 weeks locally and four weeks at an international location. As is also required of participants in the Cultural Immer-sion Projects at Indiana University, teacher candi-dates must complete the first 12 weeks before they go abroad. WKU has sent its preservice teachers to do student teaching in Belize, Ecuador, England, Germany, Italy, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, and Sweden. Sweden is the first country that has partic-ipated in an exchange. Carter noted how the local community has been enriched by the presence of international student teachers.

At the institutional level, one of the major bene-fits has also been a gradual change in the univer-sity viewpoint concerning the value of international exchange programs. There has been increased funding for staff travel and increased grant oppor-tunities for students who want to travel abroad. Teacher candidates from the United States who have studied abroad also have been highly sought after in the job market. According to Carter, those who student taught abroad had a 100 percent employment rate. Around 25 percent of WKU’s average 400 education graduates per year now participate in an international student teaching experience.

According to Carter, international partnerships can come from many sources: faculty connections, inter-national education organizations, and graduate programs, among others. He said that one of the key

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Global Classrooms, Global Teachers: Building Cross-Cultural Competence through Experiences Abroad

lessons in creating strong exchange partnerships is networking and building on existing relationships: “The best advice for other institutions inter-ested in building partnerships is to become active with NAFSA in terms of attending conferences, networking, utilizing resources, [and so on]. Also, every university has international faculty members and a number of international students. One great way to build a partnership is to work through these individuals who will certainly have some contact people in their home country. Through these direct contacts, strong relationships can be built and these relationships can eventually result in partnerships. Building trust is crucial to the process.”

As with the University of Kentucky, one of WKU’s partner institutions is University of Linköping in Sweden. Carter met representatives of Linköping at the 2010 NAFSA colloquium on international-izing teacher education in Kansas City. Lena Örnes-trand, international relations manager at University of Linköping, said that her institution has one of the largest teacher education programs in Sweden. The school offers degrees in preschool through upper-secondary school, as well as graduate programs in special education and adult education. She said there has been a shift from sending just language teachers abroad to a more inclusive approach. In 2010, the Swedish government introduced a new bill aimed at internationalizing teacher education. In response, University of Linköping introduced “mobility windows” into every program, an initia-tive that gives every teacher candidate the chance to study abroad. “Those student teaching exchanges fit into our curriculum and meet national and local stan-dards,” Örnestrand said.

Since 2011-12, eight American students from WKU and UK have traveled to Linköping, and five inter-national students have traveled to WKU and UK. Kristina Tengelin, a Swedish student at University of Linköping who recently completed her student teaching at a local high school in Bowling Green through WKU, said the experience was invaluable for her professional development: “It gave me a sense of being part of an international community of teachers. An exchange like this gives you such a wide variety of strategies and methods, and a pool of strategies to gain inspiration from. Broadmindedness is a key word in terms of outcomes. It makes you appreciate your own system and discover other things that are better abroad. If you merge them, you end up with a pretty good basis to draw from.”

Enhancing a professional tool kit through study abroadDavid M. Moss, associate professor at the Univer-sity of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education, presented two different models of study abroad programs offered at his institution. One program is a semester-long internship program in London, and the other is a short-term study abroad program focused on teaching the history of World War II. The London internship program is for students in their final year of their integrated bachelor’s/master’s program. It’s a year-long program with required 3 credit prede-parture coursework in the summer prior to going abroad and 15 weeks of coursework and intern-ship in London, for a total of 12 credits. Students are expected to intern at their placement school for a minimum of 18 hours per week. Participants also conduct research in London schools to meet Univer-sity of Connecticut’s requirement of a master’s year inquiry project. Upon return to the United States, participants are required complete 6 credits of reentry coursework and a second internship.

The short-term program, “Teaching World War II: Multiple Perspectives on the War in Europe,” is focused toward students who have a concentration in social studies. The goal of the program is to prepare preservice teachers to meet the challenges posed by an ever-changing global community by encour-aging them to deeply consider issues of culture, history, learning, and teaching. Program participants travel to WWII-focused historical sites and museums in Great Britain, France, Holland, and Germany, where they learn about European perspectives of WWII, analyze how museums tell the story of WWII within the context of their own national narrative, and interact with museum staff and educators. The course includes several days of predeparture instruction and two weeks abroad during the summer. In the subse-quent fall, students are required to enroll in a three-credit course, which includes the viewing and analysis of numerous WWII films. The course is designed to enhance the globalization of curriculum and afford students the background necessary to leverage primary source materials that prepare them to teach in culturally responsive ways.

Both the short-term and semester-long program are fully integrated into UConn’s teacher educa-tion curriculum, and do not extend students’ grad-uation time. Moss said that the design of study abroad, whether long-term or short-term, should

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Global Classrooms, Global Teachers: Building Cross-Cultural Competence through Experiences Abroad

be determined by program goals rather than logis-tics. The desired outcomes of learning should dictate program design. He also stressed the importance of adequately preparing students before, during, and after their international experience. Predepar-ture information, for example, should not merely cover issues related to topics such as travel, health, and safety and security, and should be grounded in substantial issues of culturally responsive teaching. Moss said there is a fine balance between preparing students to go abroad safely and giving them too much information, as some things are better learned through experience.

“I want my students to experience dissonance and shock regarding school curriculum, communica-tions differences, and so on,” Moss said, “but not to the point where they are at risk…there are some elements of the experience I don’t necessarily want to pre-teach.”

During their time abroad, students should participate in structured reflection sessions and have a hand in designing a project that requires them to interact with the local culture. For example, they might be

asked to engage in “action research” on hot-button issues in education. After students return home, program organizers should find ways to encourage students to share what they’ve learned with the wider campus community. “You need to acknowl-edge that [students went abroad] and validate their experience, so they see it was valued by the univer-sity and their instructors,” Moss said.

Moss also emphasized the importance of assessment, both in terms of individual growth and also for the overall impact of the program. On an individual level, students should be encouraged to assess and iden-tify their own criteria for what would be a successful experience. Moss also pointed to tools such NAFSA’s My Cultural Awareness Profile (myCAP),9 the Global Competence Matrix,10 and the Intercultural Devel-opment Inventory.11 He noted it was important to measure students’ progress from where they start.

Moss also encouraged faculty who are planning to design a study abroad program to partner with campus resources such as the study abroad office, which already has expertise related to immigration, safety and security, and travel logistics. “You should

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Global Classrooms, Global Teachers: Building Cross-Cultural Competence through Experiences Abroad

Internationalizing teacher education curriculum in Canada

The Faculty of Education at York University in Toronto, Canada has developed a number of courses aimed at preparing teachers to teach internationally. They also offer summer interna-tional internships, exchange programs, and an international practicum placement opportunity.

“We have had faculty members [interested] in internationalizing the curriculum and offering international learning opportunities for a number of years. Then we did an undergraduate student survey in the Faculty of Education a few years ago, and of those who responded, 63.8 percent said that they were interested in teaching inter-nationally when they graduate,” said Laura Crane, international education coordinator.

As a result of the survey, York University’s Faculty of Education developed a number of courses aimed at teaching internationally:

8 “Preparing to Teach Internationally” is a professional development course for preservice teachers, practicing teachers, or university students who are interested in teaching in another country.13

8 “Internationalizing Your Curriculum” is another professional development course for educators who are planning to teach locally (or who are currently teaching locally), to help them think about how to bring the world into their classrooms.14

8 At the undergraduate level, “Teaching Internationally and Interculturally,” “Reflecting on and Interpreting the International Education Experience,” and “Teaching English in International Contexts” are offered.

York University is also one of the first insti-tutions in Canada to offer an international education specialization for their bachelor of education degree.15 In 2014, the Faculty of Education will also launch a new Certificate of Completion in Educational Studies, which is for practicing teachers outside Canada who have no higher than a high school education. The program is driven by faculty members who are doing research work in Dadaab, Kenya.16

not be buying plane tickets. There is someone else in your university who knows how to do it better than you,” he said.

Internationalizing schools of educationWhile several presenters at the NAFSA colloquium discussed individual international programs, Dean Bill McDiarmid at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (UNC) discussed the internationaliza-tion of UNC’s School of Education. He argued that internationalizing the curriculum requires identifying faculty members who already value global experi-ence and perspectives. To support faculty develop-ment for those not already engaged in international work, administrators should work to find opportu-nities for these faculty to visit or lecture abroad, recruit international graduate students, invite inter-national scholars to spend time on campus, and collaborate with students and faculty organizations devoted to international work. Globalization should be written into the School of Education’s mission and strategic directions.

He said that one of his first efforts at UNC’s School of Education—which lacked the tradition of international work that other schools had—was to find resources he could build on to give faculty opportunities for international experiences. He started with a partner-ship in Beijing, China, which has sent 15 faculty—out of 54—abroad so far. “You can feel a perceptible shift in the culture within the School of Education [after people] have had the experience of seeing another educational system,” McDiarmid said. He added that it is important to create opportunities for faculty to share with their colleagues what they are doing internationally.

McDiarmid argued that partnerships are key to devel-oping opportunities for faculty, student teaching, and research abroad. Schools of education need to find international partners who have common research interests, on-campus units that are active abroad, and allies in key policy positions such as the state’s department of education and state school board, and other higher education institutions. For example, UNC is collaborating with the Universidad San Fran-cisco de Quito (USFQ) in Ecuador to capitalize on the recently created joint Galapagos Science Research Center. Through the larger institutional partnership, the School of Education is working with faculty and students from USFQ. The UNC School of

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Global Classrooms, Global Teachers: Building Cross-Cultural Competence through Experiences Abroad

Education will be involved in helping to train teachers in effective science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) pedagogies. It will also provide virtual mentors for a group of gifted high school students in support of the development of their English proficiency, and on a capstone project that must be written entirely in English.12

McDiarmid also reiterated the importance of both preparing for and capitalizing on international learning experiences. Citing educational reformer John Dewey, he argued that learning from experi-ence requires structured reflection. He emphasized the value of “cognitive disruptions”—experiences that contrast sharply with our past experiences.

Host country providers

Finding an overseas partner with programs that dovetail with and supplement the curriculum and mission of one’s own institution is critical to success. One university represented at the colloquium, Keele University in England, designed a package of courses specifically for U.S. teacher education students studying there. According to Keele asso-ciate professor Jonathan Parker, all study abroad students coming to Keele have to take an induction course called British Culture 101, which encourages reflection and engagement with what they are expe-riencing in a new culture. Education students also do a placement in local schools for one full day a week as observers, and are assessed through their reflec-tive journals. In addition, students also take a course in comparative educational foundations, which takes an introductory look at basic social institutions such as race, class, ethnicity, and religion. This course specifi-cally compares how the United States and the United Kingdom each experience such concepts. It also provides a theoretical and intellectual vocabulary and infrastructure which helps students put what they see in schools into context and be able to discuss and understand the differences they are experiencing.

The three-course sequence detailed above still leaves two electives free for study abroad students at Keele to take in education, or to fulfill other liberal arts or subject requirements. According to Parker, this package balances the study abroad experience by making students take “normal” classes that help them better integrate with their British peers, while at the same time spending a sufficient amount of time in schools learning about education in a different culture.

Three-way collaboration

As an on-site program provider of support services, the Institute for Study Abroad at Butler University (IFSA-Butler)17 in Indiana offers three-way collab-

orations with U.S. institutions and international teacher education programs. According to field director Opal Leeman Bartzis, IFSA-Butler has an onsite office at each program location, offering support during the entire experience, including predeparture advising, onsite orientation, ongoing support and experiential reflection, and cultural excursions. They currently have locations at Stranmillis University College, Belfast, Northern Ireland; Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia; and Universidad Nacional in Heredia, Costa Rica.

Butler offers two kinds of programs for teacher education students: (1) A customized program where arrangements are made at the host insti-tution for a student teaching placement that meets the very specific needs of the home insti-tution; and (2) a regular semester program, where students enroll in a full semester load of educa-tion coursework (with opportunities for practical experiences), integrated at the host university.

Some of the distinguishing features of Butler’s programs include the following:

8 Students enroll at the host university, taking university education coursework alongside local degree-seeking students;

8 live on campus in integrated housing;

8 and have full access to university clubs, activities, libraries, and more, thus learning what it’s like to be a teacher education student in the host culture and context.

Student teaching placements in local schools are arranged and supported by the host institution, with supervision and assessment being carried out by host institution education faculty. The host institutions are able to videotape students while they teach, complete home institution reports, and arrange for students to video conference with their home institutions periodically.

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Global Classrooms, Global Teachers: Building Cross-Cultural Competence through Experiences Abroad

“[David Moss’] description of his WWII battlefield program is a case in point—the students have a whole year after the experiences to frame it with the help of someone who understands the complexities of learning,” McDiarmid said, adding that “the vast majority of learning occurs after the experience.”

He said reflection is equally important for students and faculty. “How do you get [faculty and students] to understand that their perspective is dictated by who they are and where they come from?” he said. “That’s the biggest challenge with faculty and students, because faculty are as prone to overlooking this as students are. As our faculty take advantage of the opportunities we create for them to be exposed to these different perspectives, they have an oppor-tunity to rethink their own perspectives.”

Facilitating successful learning experiences before, during, and after study abroadWhen designing an international program for preser-vice teachers, David Moss argued that before deciding whether or not it’s appropriate to spend resources on designing the international experience, organizers need to answer the question, “What can you accomplish abroad that you cannot do at your home institution?” Moss then outlined several ques-tions that should be addressed as programs are being designed:

8 What are useful ways to foster discourse regarding culture and cultural self-reflection among teacher candidates prior to their experiences abroad?

8 What support and guidance are needed for students engaging in an experiential study or teaching placement abroad?

8 What are ways to help teacher candidates apply their overseas experiential learning to their campus or field experiences after they return?

8 What are possible ways to document and measure the impact of the overseas experience on teacher candidates’ professional growth?

Critical design elements of experiential learning programs for teacher education According to Helen Marx, schools of education need to expand their notions of international education

opportunities. She said that this entails rethinking when international experience occurs during a students’ academic program, and how long the program takes.

International experiences can occur at many phases during a teacher’s education: early in their college career, during program-level courses, during student teaching, in a master’s program or fifth year, during graduate school, or when they are in-service. They can include a direct enrollment in study abroad for a semester or year, faculty-led study tours or courses, and practicums and internships.

“As teacher educators, we need to consider a wide range of experiential learning programs within teacher education. In addition to student teaching abroad, we need to consider ways to allow students to do traditional semester-long study abroad expe-riences, where they take education courses, [and] faculty-led short-term courses, in addition to student teaching, and other kinds of practica,” she said. Marx suggested that program designers need to focus on four areas: cultural connections, curricular continuity, collaboration, and administrative challenges.

Marx argued that cultural connection should be guided by an intercultural mentor. “You can’t just send students abroad. How do you help students connect with culture at a deep level?” she asked. She said that just as with other types of learning experiences, the students’ readiness for cultural learning must be considered in the design of study abroad programs. “As we begin to plan, we need to think about the developmental levels of our students, [including] what types of experiences they need that will help them move forward in their cultural competence, how much support we will need to give them during their expe-rience, how we scaffold learning given their devel-opmental level, and how to help them leverage their growth overseas to become more culturally and glob-ally aware within domestic schools,” she said.

Marx further argued that teacher educators can provide curricular continuity by connecting the inter-national program with the teacher education program and the students’ academic work at their home university. “How do we leverage the cultural learning that happens internationally to [student teachers’] understanding of diversity and ability to teach in multicultural schools?” she asked, adding that teacher educators should pay particular attention to how they design predeparture and reentry programs.

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Global Classrooms, Global Teachers: Building Cross-Cultural Competence through Experiences Abroad

Partnerships are also essential to designing effective programs. Marx said that teacher educators should consider how to best establish and maintain collab-oration with not only international partners, but also with study abroad offices and other international offices on campus.

Finally, she said it was important to pay attention to potential challenges: “As you design a program, you need to proactively consider some of the challenges that might arise, particularly related to accreditation. You must attend to issues of the management of the program so it’s sustainable. How do you institution-alize a program in a department rather than have it stay the project of one individual? How do you work with the state to help them understand how this program meets the requirements for accreditation?”

Suggestions for creating international experien-tial learning opportunitiesDuring the NAFSA colloquium, several small group discussions among participating faculty and deans from dozens of teacher preparation programs gave specific recommendations and comments about experiential learning opportunities abroad, including:

8 It is important to establish connections with local overseas experts who have knowledge regarding logistics and safety issues. Third-party providers and consultants who cater specifically to U.S. universities, as well as faculty partners, can offer this support.

8 Local host teachers, who have connections to the local schools and community, can serve as “inter-cultural guides” for student teachers abroad. West-ern Kentucky University brings a host teacher from the placement high school in Germany to Bowling Green for the students’ predeparture orientation. In addition to giving students an introduction to the school where they will be teaching, the host teacher discusses German culture, teaches the students key German phrases, and helps them plan individual travel in Germany.

8 Predeparture orientations help prepare students for their time abroad. Keele University in England requires all outgoing study abroad students to take a 4-credit course called Intercultural Com-munication. It is the only mandatory course of its kind in the United Kingdom, and assessments are

tied to the specific countries where the students will be going.

8 For programs where students are dispersed geo-graphically, technology such as Adobe Connect, Skype, and collaborative wikis can help faculty in-teract with students before, during, and after their international experience. Social media allows for joint planning, implementation, and ongoing com-munication. For example, University of Western Kentucky (WKU) requires each student teacher abroad to blog daily during their international stu-dent teaching experience. In addition to promoting self-reflection, this also serves as a powerful recruit-ment tool18 when viewed by prospective students.

8 For programs sending student teachers abroad, requiring preservice teachers to complete their lo-cal student teaching component first is one way to prepare them for the international experience. It frees up candidates to concentrate on the “inter-cultural experience” abroad rather than the basics of classroom management. In other programs, the overseas experience precedes the U.S. student teaching period, opening up students’ interest and competence in cultural diversity. The sequencing of student teaching opportunities should hinge on the goals and capabilities of the school of education in preparing students for these distinct experiences.

8 Global mindedness and global competence should be integrated into the curriculum, and teacher edu-cators need to identify how experiential programs abroad contribute to the formation of globally competent teachers. While individual staff and faculty connections with peers abroad can lead to the development of mutually beneficial partner-ships, certain institutional support structures need to be in place to create sustainable relationships. Because study and teach abroad programs require careful planning and integration with the cur-riculum, each partnership needs to reflect a set of institution-specific practices.

8 Because faculty members’ commitment and stew-ardship of overseas experiences for their students are fundamental, a school of education must de-velop its own norms and best practices regarding experiential programs abroad.

8 It is beneficial to take advantage of campus re-sources. During the colloquium, participants met with study abroad office directors and advisers to

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Global Classrooms, Global Teachers: Building Cross-Cultural Competence through Experiences Abroad

explore the use of existing resources on campus to help schools of education address immigration, health and safety, and travel logistics. Third-party programs such as those of Butler, COST, and Edu-catorsAbroad were also discussed as opportunities to place teacher candidates abroad.

8 Schools of education need to create professional development opportunities for faculty, to incentiv-ize them to build their own global competencies and help develop and/or lead study and teach abroad programs. Examples of such incentives include: release from coursework for professional development opportunities; support of graduate assistants to allow faculty to focus on global com-petence and curriculum development; and grant support for professional development or research abroad. David Moss noted that opportunities for professional learning such as attending the NAFSA colloquium serve as an incentive and allow faculty members to build their toolboxes of strategies. Another participant mentioned the example of Michigan State University, which has sent future teachers and their mentor teachers abroad for five-week programs.19

8 Local opportunities for faculty to build their inter-national expertise are also abound. International lecture series and campus courses and discus-sions that focus on cross-cultural communication, global challenges, history, and foreign languages provide myriad chances for faculty to grow in global competence. Engagement with visiting scholars and students from abroad can also ex-pand the global knowledge and disposition of faculty members.

8 More research needs to be done on the impact of internationalization of teacher education and the assessment of student outcomes. Funding for long-term ethnographic work would allow faculty to demonstrate the impact of study abroad and internationalization on what teachers ultimately do in their PK-12 classrooms. Stachowski’s recent re-search is an example of this work.

8 Schools of education need to find innovative ways to deal with the challenges related to fitting overseas experiences with state licensing and cre-dentialing requirements. Faculty from several insti-tutions at the colloquium described how they ad-

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Global Classrooms, Global Teachers: Building Cross-Cultural Competence through Experiences Abroad

dress the issue, such as splitting the student teach-ing experience into two periods—one local and one international—to meet state requirements.

8 To ensure that the global preparation and commit-ment of teacher candidates is supported in their field placements, it is important for schools of edu-cation to find cooperating teachers and receptive principals who will mentor teachers as they bring global competence into the classroom. The strategy of Indiana University’s Global Gateway for Teachers program, which allows in-service teachers to study abroad, is an example of one way to build capacity among cooperating teachers. Another strategy for increasing participation in preservice study abroad programs includes collaborating with other depart-ments to cross-list study abroad courses.

ConclusionNAFSA has been active in promoting the interna-tionalization of key disciplines in higher education, including teacher education. Studying or teaching abroad offers key opportunities for future teachers to expand their global knowledge. The development of global awareness and cross-cultural skills are essen-tial to teachers working the twenty-first century class-room, whether or not their future careers will take them outside the United States. Experiential learning abroad should be integrated into teacher prepara-tion courses, as opposed to being considered—in the words of one colloquium participant—as “something extra.” As demonstrated by the myriad of study, teach, and intern abroad programs discussed at the event, each college of education must develop sustain-

able programs and strategies that are in line with institutional goals and capacity. As UNC School of Education Dean Bill McDiarmid argued, the basis of curricular transformation is faculty engagement. Inter-nationalizing the curriculum thus requires faculty who value global experience and perspectives, and admin-istrators who work to find opportunities for faculty to study or conduct research abroad. Schools of educa-tion should not overlook the opportunities at home to build global competence and cross-cultural aware-ness—faculty, students, and community members born outside the United States can also offer insight into global issues and cultural differences.

Overseas experience for both students and faculty is an important component of internationaliza-tion, but alone does not guarantee a deep under-standing of global issues or commitment to culturally responsive teaching. As noted by the presenters of the colloquium, international experiences should be integrated into the curriculum with attention given to guided reflection to maximize learning before, during, and after time abroad. Tomorrow’s teachers—whether inside or outside the United States—will work in increasingly diverse classrooms; interna-tional experiences and deep reflection will help these teachers develop global and cross-cultural aware-ness, and make them better able to serve students. As Helen Marx put it, “We want [study and teach abroad] participants in teacher education programs to become not just global citizens, but also global educators.”

For additional resources from NAFSA’s 2013 Collo-quium on Internationalizing Teacher Education, visit www.nafsa.org/teacheredresources.

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Global Classrooms, Global Teachers: Building Cross-Cultural Competence through Experiences Abroad

End Notes1. See NAFSA: Association of International Educators, “Faculty Conversation: Model Intern-ship Abroad Programs for Preservice Teachers,” 11 April 2013, http://www.nafsa.org/Find_Resources/Supporting_Study_Abroad/Faculty_Conversation__Model_Internship_Abroad_Programs_for_Preser-vice_Teachers/ (accessed 24 July 2013).

2. For more information on the Cultural Immersion Projects at Indiana University, see http://education.indiana.edu/undergraduate/immersion/index.html (accessed 24 July 2013).

3. For more information on the Global Gateway for Teachers at Indiana University, see http://education.indiana.edu/collaboration-outreach/collaboration/global-gateway/ (accessed 24 July 2013).

4. For more information on the Overseas Practicum for Experienced Teachers at Indiana University, see http://education.indiana.edu/license-development/development/overseas.html (accessed 24 July 2013).

5. Shonia, O., & Stachowski, L.L. “Standing the test of time: Overseas student teaching’s lasting impact on participants’ perspectives and practices.” In S. Sharma, J. Phillion, J. Rahatzad, & H. Sasser (Eds.), Internationalizing Teacher Education for Social Justice: Theory, Research and Practice. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, 2013.

6. For more information on the Consortium for Over-seas Student Teaching at Kent State University, see http://www.kent.edu/ehhs/ciie/cost/index.cfm (accessed 8 August 2013).

7. For more information on the University of Kentucky College of Education Office of Field Expe-riences and School Collaboration see http://educa-tion.uky.edu/OFE/content/studentteachingoverseas (accessed 24 July 2013).

8. For more information on the Western Kentucky University’s International Student Teaching oppor-tunities, see http://www.wku.edu/cebs/icci/student_teaching.php (accessed 24 July 2013).

9. NAFSA’s My Cultural Awareness Profile, otherwise known as myCAP, is a tool for preservice teachers

which encourages self-reflection and cross-cultural growth. For more information, visit www.nafsa.org/mycap.

10. The Global Competence Matrix was created as part of the Council of Chief State School Officers’ EdSteps Project in partnership with the Asia Society Partnership for Global Learning. Washington, DC: Council of Chief State School Officers, 2011. http://www.edsteps.org/ccsso/SampleWorks/matrix.pdf (accessed 24 July 2013).

11. See http://www.idiinventory.com/ for more infor-mation on the Intercultural Development Inventory.

12. For more information on the University of North Carolina School of Education’s program in Ecuador, see http://soe.unc.edu/outreach/global/collabora-tion/ecuador.php (accessed 24 July 2013).

13. For more information on York University’s “Preparing to Teach Internationally” professional development course, see http://edu.yorku.ca/intl/programs/preparing-to-teach-internationally/.

14. For more information on York University’s “Inter-nationalizing Your Curriculum” professional develop-ment course, see http://edu.yorku.ca/intl/intcurric/.

15. For more information on York University’s international education specialization, see http://edu.yorku.ca/intl/students/specialization/.

16. For more information on York University’s Certif-icate of Completion in Educational Studies for prac-ticing teachers outside Canada who have no more than a high school education, see http://edu.yorku.ca/intl/certcompletion/.

17. See www.ifsa-butler.org for more information on the Institute for Study Abroad at Butler University’s (IFSA-Butler) teacher education programs.

18. See http://www.wku.edu/cebs/icci/ for examples of student blogs at Western Kentucky University.

19. See “Teacher Candidates, Mentors to Tour Tanzania Together,” Michigan State University, 2013 http://edwp.educ.msu.edu/new-educator/2013/teacher-candidates-mentors-to-tour-tanzania-together/#sthash.Tzu1k9D1.dpuf.

Item No. 107E To order: www.nafsa.org/publications