Australian Journal of Teacher Education
Abstract
This study offers a theoretical construct for better understanding how experiential learning enables student teachers to acquire social and cultural variation skills, develop cultural empathy in the K-12 classroom, and the transference of these skills to new educational situations. An Australian and United States research team used a phenomenological approach to explore the connections between the skills student teachers acquire and the application of these newly developed skills to professional practices. Participants were a group of United States pre-teachers who enrolled in a 5 week teaching experience in Australia. Findings show that participation in cultural based events is part of a complex decision making process. The variety of cultures that now exist in schools requires new teachers to obtain and apply a skillset that promotes manoeuvrability through, and an understanding of the many definitions of culture. A better understanding of this process may strengthen curricula and improvements in teacher education program delivery and further enhance higher education study-abroad international partnerships.
Recommended Citation
Salmona, M., Partlo, M., Kaczynski, D., & Leonard, S. N. (2015). Developing Culturally Competent Teachers: An International Student Teaching Field Experience. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 40(4). https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2015v40n4.3
Included in
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons, Elementary Education and Teaching Commons, International and Comparative Education Commons, Junior High, Intermediate, Middle School Education and Teaching Commons, Secondary Education and Teaching Commons