Between world language teaching and international and intercultural education: A conversation with Skylar Jeffries.
Recently I began a series of conversations with colleagues in various disciplines for their insights and perspectives on matters and practices in intercultural dialogue and, more generally, intercultural communication and education. The first two of these conversations have already been posted in the Associate Director’s Activities column. But after further reflection and deliberation on how best to share these dialogues with interested colleagues, we have decided to introduce a new series entitled Voices from the Field that you see herein. Similar to the entries in our Guest Posts, you will find a link to a PDF of each of the dialogues in this series.
Casey Man Kong Lum, Associate Director, CID
Some highlights from the conversation:
- The motivation behind becoming a world language teacher
- Challenges facing world language students and their teachers, as well as the triumph they share
- A career path between (or from?) world language teaching and (or to?) international and intercultural education
- Advocating for study abroad programs in schools: challenges and opportunities
- Benefits for students to partake in curricular travels, such as foreign exchange or study abroad programs
- The transformative experience of being an international and intercultural educator
- Best practices in promoting international and intercultural education
- Some advice for aspiring practitioners in the field
What have been some of your most gratifying experiences or outcomes as a practitioner in intercultural and international communication and education?
“…Some of my best memories from teaching are when I reflect on students playing games in the target language, listening and analyzing music, following a film, or discussing cultural practices. These are priceless, authentic moments where I’ve seen my students be truly comfortable in trying something new and having fun while learning. That’s what it’s all about.”
Download the entire post as a PDF.
She is currently Regional Director of Northeast School Partnerships for the High School Global Navigator Programs at CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange), an international exchange nonprofit, where she builds collaborations with schools, districts, and educators to expand access to academically aligned study abroad programming for high school students. In this role, she works with schools from New Jersey to Maine to share programs for students and professional development opportunities for educators. She oversees more than $9M annually in scholarship funds stewarded by CIEE which make study abroad opportunities accessible to thousands of high school students.
Center for Intercultural Dialogue 