International Week in Teacher Education 2020 – A Virtual Exchange
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this year‘s International Week in Teacher Education was an online event which took place from 30th November to 5th December. Following the opening of the event with a welcoming address from vice president Education Prof. Dr. Bärbel Kopp, students of teacher education and teacher educators were offered numerous activities and events including information and counselling sessions, meetings with international guests, presentations and workshops. Thereby, participants were able to gain international experiences virtually. The online format of the International Week underlined the relevance of the event’s thematic focus: digitalization, sustainability and internationalization.
Part of the International Week’s program was the introduction of cooperation partners and networks such as the European Teacher Education Network (ETEN) and partner universities by representatives who joined the event virtually. Moreover, students were able to learn about different mobility programs (e.g. ERASMUS+, SCHULWÄRTS!) and possibilities for financial support (e.g. the scholarship from „FAU Teacher Education International“). Furthermore, the international week offered information on international activities at home by introducing the network „Internationalisation of Education in the Metropolitan Region Nuremberg“ and „Europe meets School“. Teacher Educators were invited to participate in workshops such as „Virtual Mobility – Introduction to Concepts and Practice“ and further develop their competences of teaching in higher education in relation to internationalisation. Last but not least, the virtual international conference „Internationalisierung der Lehrerbildung und internationale Lehrermigration /Internationalisation of Teacher Migration and International Teacher Migration“, which 140 participants from 17 different countries registered for, took place during the international week.
The International Week in Teacher Education is a yearly event and enhances the internationalisation of teacher education at FAU. The event promotes the internationalisation by making available resources for internationalisation visible and by enhancing the exchange of knowledge and best practices in the field of teacher education. The international week offered activities for FAU students of teacher education and teacher educators as well as international students and teachers in the field of teacher education at the partner universities. The project „FAU Teacher Education International“ and the international week is covered by funds from the German Academic Exchange Service provided by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
Interested students of teacher education at FAU are invited to participate in the follow-up event “Consultation Hour on Semesters/Internships Abroad“ on December 15th where the international office of the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Theology offers counselling. Moreover, questions on the scholarship of „FAU Teacher Education International“ will be answered. Online access to the event can be found on Studon via this link. The following International Week in Teacher Education will prospectively take place in the first week of December 2021 and will hopefully include many real encounters not only virtual encounters.