Effective teacher development does not just happen in courses. Mentoring, coaching, peer evaluation, observation, lesson study and personal journaling are all valuable approaches. So why do we propose a residential course for getting to grips with the basics of culturally responsive teaching?
There are two main reasons.
- If you are looking for EU funding then a residential course is one main way of attracting that funding. The current Erasmus+ programme does foresee funding other types of development activities and a residential course for key personnel could be one of a portfolio of activities. So unashamedly, to fit the funding framework.
- A residential course fits perfectly with the idea of increasing your awareness of intercultural differences, moving out of your comfort zone and adapting to a new group of people whose outlook may be very different from yours.
Part of the preparation efforts for the Teaching Culture course involve finding a venue. The venue I have in mind, apart from working in a related field, also happens to be in the middle of the Danish countryside. At first I thought that this might be a disadvantage given that most of us live in cities now and expect big city facilities. But while discussing the idea with the manager of the venue, he pointed out that being in the countryside and appreciating the different facets of country life could actually be an essential part of the experience. And he is absolutely right. For some people, needing to pack a pair of walking boots will be very much outside of their comfort zone and there is plenty to be gained from that, in a non-threatening way!