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International Education

Albion College is committed to providing students with international learning experiences, and it’s important that our future teachers understand their profession on a global scale. The Fritz Shurmur Center for Teacher Development offers students two different opportunities to study abroad, both of which involve a comparative education inquiry project.

Top Five Learning Goals of International Education for Teachers

  1. Learn how to critically analyze and contextualize the American educational experience.

  2. Gain awareness of personal cultural experiences and values through conversations with host families.

  3. Increase cultural competence by living with a host family and participating in a practicum in a foreign educational setting.

  4. Enhance instructional skills (lesson planning and communication) by teaching lessons in literature, English conversation, and American culture.

  5. Understand the scope of diversity, the influences of globalization, the challenges presented when bridging cultures, and the benefits of creating international opportunities for teaching and learning.

    6.  

20140516 074634Noisy-le-Roi, France

In this course, students will travel to Noisy-le-Roi for two weeks in January where they will live with a host family, visit French schools, and interact with students, faculty, and staff. Upon returning to the U.S., they will present their findings and experience to public school students and to Albion College peers, faculty, and staff during the Capstone Symposium on Teaching.

Heredia, Costa Rica

Students travel to Heredia, Costa Rica for four weeks where they will live with a host family, visit Costa Rican cultural sites, particpate in classes at Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica with Costa Rican peers studying to be teachers, and interact with children, youth, faculty, and staff at Pará School. Focused specifically on teaching English as a foreign language, students will develop an inquiry topic, teach a unit plan, and give a presentation on material culture to frame and focus the practicum. Upon returning to the U.S., they will present their findings and experience to public school students and to Albion College peers, faculty, and staff during the Capstone Symposium on Teaching. Read more!