International Experiences as Professional Development to Enhance Classroom Practice: Beyond Educational Tourism

• In Event: Poster Session 15
  In Poster Session: Teacher Preparation and Professional Development in Global Contexts

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to describe personal and professional gains from an international experience, contextualize them to professional practice, and provide implications for education policy. This study reported specific findings related to program design, the acquisition and use of new knowledge, skills and innovations, and the impact on educational settings, other educators, and students. The study looked at professional development related to spaces for learning, reflective practice, and learning experiences in a cohort of peers.
Effective professional development can take educators’ international experiences beyond educational tourism to build the capacity of schools and universities in the United States to meet the needs of both an increasingly diverse student body and an increasingly interconnected global society and economy.

Author

• John William Johnson, Edgewood College