This document discusses promoting the needs of people with disabilities around the world through international collaboration in education. It describes several programs and projects that education programs have implemented, including: 1) online international projects pairing preservice teachers from different countries; 2) short-term study abroad programs for fieldwork and research; and 3) faculty and student exchanges. Benefits included improved technology, research, language, and cultural skills for preservice teachers. Sustaining international partnerships requires strong communication, shared missions, and commitment from administrators.

1. Promoting the Needs of People
With Disabilities Around the World
Melinda R. Pierson, Ph.D.
Janice Myck-Wayne, Ed.D.

2.  No longer can we think of ourselves as
striving to be the best in the city, county,
state, or country, but to be the best, we need
to be involved internationally – to grow and
learn how we can be better globally and make
a difference in this world for others with our
collaborations.

3.  International Online
Project (IPC)
 Short-Term Study
Abroad

4.  Short-term programs offered during off
semester (summer or winter session) for
fieldwork
◦ Increase global awareness
◦ Work to help children around the world
 Distance learning technologies
 Faculty and student exchanges
◦ Sustainable, interdisciplinary projects
◦ Increase research potential for faculty and students

5.  Increase global awareness through educational
collaborations which will promote understanding
& build effective relationships with diverse
communities
 Support teacher education programs with
strategies for working with at-risk populations
 Prepare teachers to be able to foster global
perspectives in order to help students develop an
understandings of their interdependence among
nations, develop knowledge, skills, and
disposition to understand complex global events

6.  Support pre-service teachers in the
development of competency in social and
cross-cultural skills.
 Increases perspective building among
students from different cultures.

7.  Create international field experiences for
teacher candidates in the US – short-term and
student teaching
 Partner in research for best practices

8.  Only 4% of students in the field of education
are able to study abroad
 Goal: International experiences to build
cultural awareness and competence for
preservice teachers
 Collaboration through an online platform
◦ Ability to give insight on their own culture
◦ Analyze and understand new cultural content
◦ Maintain an objective viewpoint when different cultures
disagree on how something should be done
◦ Computer and language competence

9.  Met a group of professors from Surget State
University in Kursk, Russia
 Created an internet exchange between
preservice teachers in California and Siberia
to get to know the basics about education in
each country
 Used online translators for communication
 Language barrier was too great

10.  Participation included preservice teachers in
the following countries:
◦ US – California and North Carolina
◦ Germany
◦ Poland
◦ Japan
◦ Bulgaria
◦ England
◦ Romania
◦ Spain

11.  Students work on a common platform
 Professors place the students into groups
 Students correspond with one another each
week and complete weekly tasks
 Respond to a research question after
common readings are analyzed
 Create a Wiki to determine the similarities
and differences per country on the research
question
 Interview children in each country

12.  Use of the Haiku platform for communication
 Professors from each country led a research group
 Students chose a research question to address with
approximately 2 students from each country in a
group (about 12-15 students per group)
◦ Sample research questions included:
 How do students experience homework?
 What do students think about the role of their parents
related to school?
 How do students with special needs experience
school?
 What do students think of school rules and rituals?

13.  Choose your topic
 Complete the MYCAP
 Create questions related to your topic, edit
everyone’s ideas, finalize questions in a Wiki
 Interview a group of students (agree on a
similar age range) – list the demographics
 Create a Powerpoint with the demographics
and responses to each question from each
group of students from each country

14.  My Cultural Awareness Profile (MYCAP)
◦ Knowledgeable about global and international
issues
◦ Understand similiarities/differences in various
cultures
◦ Read or watch international newspapers, TV, movies
(overall exposure)
◦ Consider whether you have a cultural identity
◦ Belief in whether your cultural identity influences
how the world is perceived

15.  Preservice teachers improved in the area of
technology – communication through discussion
forums, Haiku platform, Powerpoint, Wikis
 Preservice teachers improved their research skills
 International preservice teachers improved their
English skills
 All preservice teachers reported that they learned
something new about students in a different
country
 Preservice teachers reported that they realized that
teacher education programs differ around the
world

17.  Intersession; can be tied to a course
 Visit two schools – both are inclusive at
different educational levels
 Students observe lessons, teach small groups
of students with a pre-approved lesson plan,
and learn about the different school systems
 Students work with pre-service teachers from
a local university and share a topic related to
education in the US

21.  Professional development
 Knowledge of another country and its
culture
 Personal development and goals
 Cross-cultural skills/Global
understanding
 Self-confidence and problem solving
skills/career goals/adventure

23.  Visit from administration at UAM to CSUF
 Follow-up email to Vice Rector by Chair of
Dept of Special Education
 Financial Support agreed upon by both
universities for a visit for 4 faculty members
 October 2010 visit – 10 days total

24.  Two days of lectures
by each university
◦ Overview of each
university
◦ History of Education in
America/Poland
◦ Special Education
Practices in each country
◦ Research highlights from
key faculty
 Several days of
sightseeing, eating
together, and spending
time together

25.  Visiting Scholar to UAM – 6 weeks, May-June of 2011
 Fulbright Senior Specialist to UAM – 3 weeks – August
2011
 Visit from UAM partners – 3 weeks – January 2012
 Visiting Scholars to Poland every year since 2010!
 Projects include:
◦ Perceptions of People with Disabilities survey for Polish
adults
◦ Continuation of American research into social skills and
expectations of teachers
◦ Curriculum development – 60 student cohort in Elementary
Education and Mild/Moderate Disabilities

29.  International graduate students
 Partnerships with schools or districts in other
countries
 Hosting international scholars
 Offering internationally focused events such
as conferences, lectures, breakfasts, etc.
 Providing various forms of study abroad
programs

30.  Support of administration
 Organization of all partners
 Strong communication skills
 Perseverance
 Creativity and innovation of ideas
 Willingness to share
 Passion for the work

31.  Student demand
◦ Curriculum that is internationalized
◦ Internationalized fieldwork and/or student teaching
 Competition
◦ Other institutions
◦ Mission and goals of the university
 Faculty recruitment
◦ Broader research opportunities
 Revenue growth
◦ Attracting new students
◦ Fundraising, gifts from foreign interests

32.  Economic and cultural globalization trends
◦ Increased opportunities in developing countries
 US government funding for international
research and education
 Employer demand
◦ Employers seeking graduates with global outlooks
and experiences
◦ Source: Eduadventures

33.  Low price
 Broad institutional commitment and
administrator support
 Clear expectations
 Strong communication
 On campus international centers and
programs
 Strength in technology skills

34.  University-wide emphasis on providing an
international curriculum to students
 Strong commitment and vision from the dean
 Position dedicated to coordinating school of
education international work
 Faculty members’ study abroad work is
supported by school of education policies
 High percentage of students study abroad
 Deep, meaningful partnerships with foreign P-12
schools for exchange programs
 International lectures and events held regularly

35.  Make sure you have a strategic plan with similar
missions
 Develop a formal communication system with
one contact person on each side
 Fiscal support on both sides
 Start small, go slowly
 Be explicit in assigning responsibilities and
obligations
 Explore faculty interests and work
 Start the process of faculty buy-in – draw
connections between the school’s need to serve
its local community and the changing
demographics of the community

36.  We need to do more to internationalize our
teacher preparation programs.
 These projects do help preservice teachers to
connect with others around the world, but
more activities need to be incorporated into
courses.
 Study abroad programs are ideal, but so few
students in education are able to take
advantage of them.
 Continuation of projects like these will
strengthen cultural awareness.

37.  It is all about the people! The relationships matter
most. . .this becomes a friendship and a desire to
change something in the world that each partner
has a commitment to.