Increasing teachers’ intercultural competences
In more and more globalized and multicultural societies, teachers and adult educators need to upgrade their cross-cultural competences. In this course, teachers and adult educators will reflect on concepts such as ethnocentrism, racism, discrimination, segregation etc. and get insights Geert Hofstede’s studies on cultural differences.
Taking into account the current situation with migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and adults with low incomes, teachers and adult educators need to improve their cultural understanding and flexibility skills. In this course, teachers and adult educators will improve their intercultural communication skills, empathy, tolerance and mental and behavioral flexibility. They will also discuss and reflect on concepts such as ethnocentrism, racism, discrimination, segregation etc. and get insights on how to teach them in creative ways. The participants will also increase their cultural awareness by getting familiar with Geert Hofstede’s five cultural dimensions that he developed based on his studies in over 50 countries.
When teachers and learners come from different cultures, a series of challenges may arise. The participants to this course will reflect on the difference between the expected teacher/learner and learner/teacher interactions. They’ll learn Hofstede’s dimensions of cultural differences: Individualism vs Collectivism, large vs small Power Distance, strong vs weak Uncertainty Avoidance, Masculinity vs Femininity. The task of adaptation in cross-cultural learning situations should primarily be on the teachers‘ shoulders, and, only by setting an example first can they teach intercultural skills to their learners also.
The nature of this course is highly practical and hands on, so the participants will experience themselves the methods of building intercultural competences while also reflecting on how to apply them to their context.
Methodology:
We tailor our working methods based upon the participants‘ needs and professional profiles in order to ensure easier adaptability and application of the tools to the real life.
Our standard methodology is based on active learning and it is highly participative and practical. We have a hands on approach that comprises group exercises, role plays, experiments, case studies and simulation exercises. We use collaborative learning techniques to foster the exchange of good practices and collective learning.
The pedagogical methods used in this training course are based on experiential learning and learning by doing, Inquiry Based Learning and art-based teaching. Our focus is on showing the participants how the learners’ motivation increases when they become the actors of their own learning because the teacher takes the role of facilitator or learning guide. Thus, the participants get the chance to experience on themselves the benefits of the active learning methodology at the same time as learning how to apply it in their classroom.
Energizers, games and group dynamics are foreseen daily in order to ensure a positive energy and a cooperative learning climate in the group.
Group reflections and daily brief feedback sessions are planned to help adapting the learning programme to the specific needs of the participants.
We organize optional social and cultural activities in order to give the participants the opportunity to get to know the Canarian and Spanish culture as well as to do some professional networking and exchange good practices.
Certification and validation of learning outcomes
- Erasmus + learning Agreement
- Erasmus + learning Agreement complement
- Certificates of attendance
- Support with the Europass mobility certificates – to be issued by the applicant’s National Agency
Upon request, we also provide educational centers with additional documents that are required to certify the presence to the course and the competences learned. For example, we provide photos of the training course that can be used for dissemination purposes.
