Outcomes from international teaching placements – what’s in it for the receiving side? A case of Norwegian preservice teachers in Indian schools

Abstract

International teaching placements are offered to students in many Initial Teacher Education institutions. The outcomes for preservice teachers in these international settings are widely researched and debated, but few studies focus on the experience of the receiving side. This article investigates outcomes for Indian cooperating teachers in eight schools after receiving cohorts of Norwegian preservice teachers on placement over a period of twenty years.Through an analysis of qualitative research interviews with twenty-one Indian teachers, the article explores how a host community perceives and assesses its outcomes from the placements. The article finds that the teachers view their outcomes mainly in terms of exposure to new and different pedagogical methods, and as personal enrichment through encountering a foreign culture. The impact on pedagogical practices or school culture however, seems to be minimal due to systemic differences and barriers.

Building Global Teaching Capacity Among Pre-Service Teachers: Epistemological and Positional Framing in an Internationally Paired, Authentic Practicum

“…The newspaper quotes reported:The professional competencies developed during this course were: Team teaching by unfamiliar methodsExposure to new and different pedagogical methods is highlighted by Aamaas et al (2019) as important outcomes of international teaching placements. This feedback concerns both parties (Australian and Indian student teachers) and explaining the commitment of Australian PSTs, as the newspaper highlights that:They also performed a Bollywood number for the students and learnt a few Bollywood songs from their Indian peers .…”

“…A parent of a school student provided the following feedback about their own experience and achievements of the child stating:I learned a lot about Australia and first time I heard about Aboriginal people in Australia and my child could understand Aussie accent now….Personal enrichment gained encountering foreign cultures from international teaching placement is considered a valuable experience (Aamaas et al, 2019).…”

“…Exposure to new and different pedagogical methods is highlighted by Aamaas et al (2019) as important outcomes of international teaching placements. This feedback concerns both parties (Australian and Indian student teachers) and explaining the commitment of Australian PSTs, as the newspaper highlights that:…”

“…This is a unique feature of the PAPPET program and such intercultural learning outcomes were intended to be produced when the project was planned with a "pairing" component. Personal enrichment gained encountering foreign cultures from international teaching placement is considered a valuable experience (Aamaas et al, 2019).…”

The receiving end: Namibian educators’ perceptions of international student exchange from the Global North

“…from the home institutions. With some notable exceptions (for example, Aamaas et al, 2019;Major and Santoro, 2016;Martin and Griffiths, 2014;Martin and Raja, 2013), the role and views of the partners from the Global South, such as cooperating teachers, principals and administrative personnel in the host country, are seldom the subjects of data collection and analysis. Thus, there is an extensive literature on international practicums and their outcomes from the view of the participants in the Global North, but less so from the perception of the partners that receive the students.…”