Cross-cultural experiences in transnational education: Preservice teachers and global perspectives

Abstract

In the European Higher Education Area, future foreign language teachers should receive training under a global perspective that integrates a global education and citizenship within a specific framework, to internationalize teacher education programs. In this sense, the development of academic coursework regulated by a policy of good practices is important for supporting global curriculum content and the inclusion of co-curricular and cross-cultural experiences. In-depth analysis at a national level demonstrates the lack of global design for the implementation of global and cross-cultural competences. Thus, the European project VIR_TEACH suggests the design of a White Paper for a comprehensive Language Teachers Training at a European scale where coordinated policy actions and a strategy for engaging policymakers and public administrators are encouraged.