Article: International Experiences Benefit Pre-Service Teachers

From http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/global_learning/2013/06/international_experiences_benefit_pre-service_teachers.html

International Experiences Benefit Pre-Service Teachers
By Anthony Jackson
June 5, 2013

Why should future teachers go abroad? In addition to improving their employment prospects, international experiences help educators develop key skills. Laura Stachowski presented research on former participants of the Cultural Immersions Projects, which she directs at Indiana University. During their student teaching placements in nearly 20 countries, former participants reported that they developed leadership, public speaking, cross-cultural communication, and problem-solving skills.

Current research supports that pre-service teachers begin to develop global competency skills when they are exposed to other cultures and provided meaningful personal and professional experiences abroad. These skills are crucial to educators in our classrooms. In 2008, 20% of students in American K-12 schools spoke a language other than English at home, and minorities are projected to make up 55% of the population by 2050.

Read on at http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/global_learning/2013/06/international_experiences_benefit_pre-service_teachers.html