The transformative impact of international experience on personal and professional learning

The transformative impact of international experience on personal and professional learning

A one day workshop in Liverpool, organised by ESCalate (HEA Subject Centre for Education) and Centre for International and Development Education (CfIDE), Liverpool Hope University

Teacher educators with experience of leading  international placements in a range of European and developing countries will present findings from their research and practice.  Evidence will be presented that interrogates the potentially transformative nature of this experience on aspects of teacher/pupils relationships, professional identity, critical engagement with educational practice and  pedagogical knowledge.  The workshop will seek to highlight aspects of best practice regarding this pedagogical approach and explore future directions for research in this area.

Keynote presentation: Study visits to developing countries: intercultural learning or neo-colonialism?

Keynote Speaker: Dr Fran Martin, University of Exeter

Study visits to developing countries are often reported to provide 'transformational' experiences for UK students. However, there are questions about what is meant by transformational, who is transformed, and the impact on the host country. Experience of leading and researching study visits for experienced and student teachers to The Gambia and Southern India suggest that unless work is done to deconstruct Western worldviews, the potential for intercultural learning is severely diminished, and activities in host countries can take on a form of neo-colonialism.