Giving it Back: Group Presentation, INTERCULTURAL EDUCATION

Intercultural Education Presentation

TEACHER CANDIDATE PRESENTATION SUMMARY HANDOUT:

Intercultural Education_ Group Handout

Reflection:

The above links connect to a group presentation and summary handout from my EDEF 3200 class in the TRU Bachelor of Education program. I was fortunate to be able to work with three dedicated teacher candidates. We collaborated well and our efforts greatly enhanced our understanding and comprehension of Intercultural Education and Global Competency. This presentation was given as a PowerPoint in front of our teacher candidate cohort.

I feel that this assignment heightened my awareness of the necessity of creating respect for a united humanity. While we may seek to blur political and geographical boundaries, we also must remain empathetic toward the diverse cultures that reside and grow within these geographical lines.

Growing up and attending school in Canada provided me with exposure to multiculturalism. I had many friends from various cultural backgrounds and honestly never put huge thought into the differences between us. If I had dinner at my friend Anisa’s house, we ate East Indian cuisine. If I had dinner at Sarah’s house, dinner was often based on traditional British recipes. If anyone came to my house for dinner, my mom would sometimes cook a Polish recipe, and sometimes we ordered pizza! From this youthful perspective, we were friends and didn’t think too much about our differences. We accepted each other unconditionally.

This upbringing provided me with respect for those who are different, so I will admit that accepting other cultures isn’t strenuous for me. I enjoy learning about different places. Furthermore, my three years of teaching experience have furthered this learning. In retrospect, my group presentation provides a valid connection to global competency, as intercultural understanding focuses on some of the same concepts such as gaining knowledge and skills, developing attitudes toward this knowledge, and then sharing the learning with others. In order to have an intercultural understanding, you must also comprehend global issues.

I am looking at global competence from a teacher’s point of view, but the idea applies to anyone.  Once we as members of the human race are aware of and willing to integrate multiculturalism in our lives, we will be able to better comprehend how different races deal with the global issues of today, such as racism, climate issues, and gender issues. Multiculturalism is global, and I intend to share my stories with my students and ask them to share stories of their exposure to different cultures so that we can continue to learn from each other and become stronger global citizens.

TRU Verification Form:

GLBLgiveback