Internationalising the curriculum in education: An overview

Abstract

Reflecting on the internationalising of higher education, Josef Mestenhauser (2011) observed, ‘educational systems are defined by two contradictory goals: First by the need to protect tradition and second, to lead society into the future’. This statement is particularly pertinent to those who teach in the discipline of education. As a discipline education poses interesting challenges for IoC. Given the general focus in Education faculties is largely on preparing the next generation of teachers to work within what might be viewed as rather narrowly defined, heavily prescribed and regulated national contexts and curricula, the international dimensions of teacher education are not always immediately evident, valued or nurtured. This may be particularly so at the undergraduate level, where the emergent professional identity is first nurtured, shaped and formed.