Getting curious and gaining knowledge through transnational collaboration in foreign language teacher education

Abstract

The claim to strive for greater internationalisation in the fields of academic education not only corresponds to the pressures of an increasingly globalised world but is also a response to the ever-growing challenges of cultural diversity that exist within one’s own country. For students, however, the geographical space relevant to their education is usually constituted not by the nation state but by an educationally autonomous entity of subordinate size. This is especially true in states such as Germany, where the federal system is constitutive of public education. However, every territory with educational sovereignty is in constant contact with national and international educational concepts which – depending on the topic – have a concrete relevance for its own educational structure. This interplay can be well seen, for example, in the appreciation of social multilingualism and its consideration in school policy. The field of foreign language teacher training is a prime example in this respect in its interweaving with overarching educational concepts...