GETTING TEACHER MIGRATION & MOBILITY RIGHT
Table 4.1 Impact of teaching abroad on instructional skills Survey Question #47: In what ways has your experience teaching abroad enhanced your instructional skills? Check all that apply: Count
As a % of Total
Broadened world view/cultural competency
1062
86.27%
Learned new instructional methods and approaches
1023
83.10%
Enhanced content expertise
798
64.83%
Acquired new instructional tools and materials
915
74.33%
Enhanced ability to work with students with diverse needs
901
73.19%
Improved language competency
821
66.69%
No appreciable benefits
18
1.46%
* Note: Totals sum to more than 100 per cent because respondents identified multiple benefits.
Professional Benefits of Exchange Although teachers and administrators alike speak of the implicit value of exchange opportunities for teachers, few empirical studies have been conducted to assess the relationship between international teaching experience and professional growth. The most compelling data on this front comes from a European Union study of the ERASMUS programme which promotes the mobility of students and teachers in higher education.38 Over half of ERASMUS mobile teachers reported that the programme had a positive impact on their professional development in general, broadened their academic knowledge, and offered opportunities for them to get involved in innovative academic discussions. Forty five per cent of mobile teachers reported that the programme improved their teaching skills and 40 per cent developed and implemented new teaching methods. The authors of the study also surveyed ERASMUS experts to assess their views on the programme’s impact on teacher competencies. In all areas assessed (Knowledge of structures and modes of higher education in the host country, Foreign language proficiency, Intercultural understanding and competencies, Academic knowledge), ERASMUS experts considered mobile teachers to be more competent than their non-mobile peers. Other literature indicates that exchange participants gain a greater understanding of other people and had the desire to teach more accurately about other countries and 38
International Centre for Higher Education Research, The Professional Value of ERASMUS Mobility, 2006.
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