Teacher And Scholar Abroad

Recent decades have seen unprecedented growth in the number of students travelling abroad for the purpose of short-term academic study. As such, attention is turning to the role that education abroad can have in enhancing student learning and producing global-ready graduates. This volume provides a succinct and accessible analysis of the existing research and scholarship around the world on a range of important areas related to contemporary education abroad, providing practitioners with important implications for programming and practice. Focusing on fourteen key topics relating to education abroad, this accessible desktop compendium not only synthesizes what is already known, but also indicates which topics need further research and how the existing literature can be applied to daily programming and practice. Extending beyond student learning outcomes to look at essential topics such as institutional outcomes, program models, and host community outcomes, this volume covers major trends in contemporary research as well as an assessment of the methodological and design challenges that are common to education abroad research. The fourteen distinct topics address the broad themes of participation, programming, student outcomes, institutional outcomes and societal outcomes, and include chapters from a broad range of widely acknowledged and respected international experts. Bridging the gap between scholarship and practice, this accessible guide is essential reading for anyone working in higher education today and involved in shaping and managing education abroad programs. It is useful for all who want to understand and leverage existing research to inform education abroad programming and practice.

A central purpose of this book is to question the claims commonly made about the educational benefits of study abroad. Traditional metrics of enrollment increases and student self-report, and practices of structural immersion, are being questioned as educators voice growing uncertainty about what students are or are not in fact learning abroad. This book looks into whether these criticisms are justified—and what can be done if they are.The contributors to this book offer a counter-narrative to common views that learning takes place simply through students studying elsewhere, or through their enrolling in programs that take steps structurally to “immerse” them in the experience abroad.Student Learning Abroad reviews the dominant paradigms of study abroad; marshals rigorous research findings, with emphasis on recent studies that offer convincing evidence about what undergraduates are or are not learning; brings to bear the latest knowledge about human learning and development that raises questions about the very foundations of current theory and practice; and presents six examples of study abroad courses or programs whose interventions apply this knowledge. This book provokes readers to reconsider long-held assumptions, beliefs and practices about teaching and learning in study abroad and to reexamine the design and delivery of their programs. In doing so, it provides a new foundation for responding to the question that may faculty and staff are now asking: What do I need to know, and what do I need to be able to do, to help my students learn and develop more effectively abroad? Contributors:Laura BathurstMilton BennettGabriele Weber BosleyJohn EngleLilli Engle Tara HarveyMitchell HammerDavid KolbBruce La Brack Kris Hemming LouKate McClearyCatherine MenyhartR. Michael PaigeAngela PassarelliAdriana Medina-López PortilloMeghan QuinnJennifer Meta RobinsonRiikka SalonenVictor SavickiDouglas StuartMichael Vande BergJames ZullWhile the authors who have contributed to Student Learning Abroad are all known for their work in advancing the field of education abroad, a number have recently been honored by leading international education associations. Bruce La Brack received NAFSA’s 2012 Teaching, Learning and Scholarship Award for Innovative Research and Scholarship. Michael Paige (2007) and Michael Vande Berg (2012) are recipients of the Forum on Education Abroad’s Peter A. Wollitzer Award.

By exploring the experiences of pre- and in-service teachers, as well as the design and implementation of study abroad programs developed specifically for them, this volume highlights the potential of international learning in promoting teachers’ global and critical understandings of their roles as educators in an increasingly diverse and interconnected world. Recognizing teacher study abroad as a unique strand within the wider foreign education literature, Study Abroad for Pre- and In-Service Teachers emphasizes how it can be conceptualized, theorized, and implemented as part of initial and continuing teacher training. Chapters consider study abroad programs and teaching practices in Europe, Asia, the Americas, and in Indigenous communities, and document the transformative learning experiences which impact the way teachers think about learning, teaching, and identity. Together, the chapters foreground the personal and professional advantages of teacher study abroad and provide key insights to inform design and programming for sustainable, impactful teacher study abroad which supports teachers in building intercultural competence and enhances their capacity to serve students of varying cultural and linguistic backgrounds. This volume will appeal to researchers, scholars, education abroad facilitators, and teacher educators with an interest in international mobility, multicultural education, culturally responsive pedagogy and study abroad. In addition, pre- and in-service teachers will find the book of value.