mobvet
Teachers perspective
The aim of this chapter is to encourage you – as a VET teacher – to participate in mobility programs and to understand the benefits of mobility and other international activities.
First, please watch the video where Sini Viinikka, a vocational teacher of restaurant and catering services from Lappia, shares her experiences about mobility:
Click here – Interview with Sini Viinikka
You will develop professionally
The European Union’s Erasmus+ programme countries are regularly monitoring the effects of international mobility periods (Facts and figures: 2017. Finnish National Agency for Education /Cimo). According to the survey made in Finland in 2017, teachers regarded mobility projects in general as very successful. The biggest impact of international mobility periods was on the person’s professional development. That includes, for example, getting to know new good practices in your professional field and acquire new language skills, intercultural competences, tolerance and broad-mindedness. Teachers also felt that they got a new perspectives to their own work and made their work more versatile, interesting and motivating.
The networking of your own organization
It is beneficial to widen the network of your own organization and your own field. Teachers get to know new colleagues across Europe during their visits and these networks can result in new international projects and increasing amount of international students in schools. Visits can also bring new teaching methods to schools, contributing to schoolwork in that way.
Your institution will also get a good reputation in the area through the process of internationalization. When both staff and students have widened their professional perspectives and language skills through mobility periods, businesses are likely to value the education of your institution more.
Hidden competencies
Some of the competences acquired through study or work periods abroad can be also hidden: we are not always able to express or recognize them. The hidden aspects of international competences that can be added to the list are productivity, resilience and curiosity. Productive workers are motivated, they are not afraid of challenges and they have good interaction skills. Resilient employees are able to adapt, know their limits and strengths, and are confident and persistent. Curiosity embraces tolerance, interest towards new issues, intercultural knowledge, co-operation and networking ability.
Skills and knowledge that result from international experiences are the kind of competences that the labor market needs to be able to face future challenges successfully.
Some examples
During the MOBVET project, teachers from Vocational College Lappia with mobility experience were asked to complete the questionnaire about benefits of mobility.
For all the participants, it had been a positive experience:
No matter what the subject or the reason of the exchange has been, all experiences I’ve gained are very positive and rewarding.
Both times I really felt it was educational for me… For me, professionally I have taken every opportunity to bring back ideas, recipes etc. Especially the Canadian exchange was just mind blowing: getting to work in another school in another culture for two weeks: even after 6 months I weekly try to think how I could bring more of what I have learned into my work.
Very interesting, all of them.
All of them had also realized some important things:
It´s important to find out about cultural differences.
It was nice to notice that music students were quite similar.
We don´t need to be afraid of our language skills.
After all, people are similar in every country despite of the country, language or educational systems.
Many of them faced some challenges as well:
To speak foreign language in a professional context is challenging; you should understand what other people say and you should be able to make yourself understood.
Language at first, but it got better after few days.
Most challenges have been cultural: it does us Finns good to see that the world doesn’t crumble down even if everything isn’t as punctual and organized as we would like it to be.
Advice for those who are thinking about mobility period for themselves:
If you have opportunity to go to a mobility period abroad, seize the challenge! You´ll get many new experiences.
Practice the language in advance. Try to learn professional vocabulary.
Be curious to see, hear, know.
I strongly recommend it. It is good every now and then to throw yourself into some new and unknown situation. You get self-confidence when you learn that you will manage.
Trust yourself. You can manage a different language and in different culture. Do some background work about the place you are going before you go.
Without a question, I’d recommend to take the step. You’ll probably be surprised how well you manage on your own. The experience will be something you remember for the rest of your life.
Go with open mind, don’t whine about every little detail, show students that the attitude is what matters… and most importantly GO, it may not suit in your schedule as well as you would like, but the experience is totally worth it – but be warned, it will make you want more!
Benefits of international experience – play a game or use it in the classroom with your students before mobility:
