Lit Review 2_Dana Omer 1

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

TED 690: Capstone

Literature Review 2

Dana Omer

4/19/19

[I reviewed an article called International Career and Development in Education: What

Teachers Bring Home. This journal article discusses the benefits of teachers working abroad and

the results of two surveys taken from teachers from the United Kingdom and teachers in Mexico

who had the chance to experience teaching in other countries.]

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Dedicated teachers are always looking for new ways to broaden their horizons and

deepen their understanding of pedagogy and teaching. One of those ways, although maybe a

little unconventional and not always attainable, is through international travel. The International

Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies provides a compelling rational for why more

teachers should take advantage of teaching abroad. In a quantitative study conducted on teachers

sent from the United Kingdom to the United States, researchers found seven main benefits of

abroad experiences on teaching skills including being part of a learning community, having time

to think, personal development, experiencing culture, observing different educational systems

and approaches, using new technologies, and gaining inspiration.

Being part of a learning community is probably one of the most helpful aspects of

teaching abroad. Teachers stated that they learned a lot from colleagues and learned a lot about

themselves while experiencing new things because it forced them to test their knowledge and

skills in another country. They were able to bring their new-found skills back to their country

and practice in their own classrooms.

Having time to think might sound vague and a little obvious, but 29% person of

applicants stated that being abroad forced them to actually stop and think about their teaching

practices. Any teacher knows that working in education is a very demanding and sleepless job.

There is little time for much of anything, let alone thinking about how to refine your teaching

practice. Being abroad, away from your school and everyday responsibilities provides you with

the perfect environment to sit and reflect about you as a teacher and your teaching practices.

Having time to think deeply about yourself as a teacher is an important part of professional

development.
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Many of the applicants stated that the personal development they gained from working

abroad helped them with their professional development as well. “It has been observed that

experiences such as sharing new ideas, perspectives and practices have increased the confidence

of teachers” (Mustafa, 2017). A more confident teacher will undoubtedly bring more confidence

in the classroom, which the students will ultimately benefit from.

Experiencing the culture of another country is a blessing in anyone’s professional or

personal life. Experiencing how another country lives and operates allows you to see new

perspectives and allows teachers to see the subjects they teach taught in a completely new and

unique way. Many teachers may find that these practices would be effective in their own

classrooms and can take these new practices with them.

Observing different educational systems and approaches almost speaks for itself. Similar

to how experiencing the culture of another country could add new perspective for teachers,

experiencing a completely different educational system allows them to view pedagogy in new

and innovative ways as well. “Different educational systems allowed teachers to observe the

limitations of their own work conditions and to evaluate their own systems” (Mustafa, 2017). By

evaluating our own systems, we may find areas for improvement and areas where we can feel

proud and lucky and to have the practices in place that we do.

Using new technologies was low on the list of benefits reported by the teachers working

abroad in this survey. Many teachers stated that they did not see the practical effects of new

technologies although some did say that learning these new technologies did increase their

confidence as an educator.

Gaining inspiration is another benefit that is sure to come by observing other teachers and

educational systems. Teachers who travel and work abroad are able to come back to their
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countries, inspired and ready to reevaluate their teaching practices as well as school-wide

practices, another aspect that students will ultimately benefit from.

I found this article to be very interesting and eye-opening. As much as I would love to

travel, the possibility is not very practical for my life right now. However, my husband is an

ESL teacher and is constantly trying to be recruited to teach in China. My best friend is

currently teaching in Thailand. The idea of teaching abroad always seemed very far-fetched to

me, but after reading this article, it sounds like something I would actually consider if the

opportunity presented itself!

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Reference

Mustafa Altun. (2017). International Career Development in Education: What Teachers Bring

Home. International Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies, 4(1), 104–109.

https://doi.org/10.23918/ijsses.v4i1p104