Innovative Collaboration - Developing Intercultural Competences in Early Childhood Teacher Education

Good education at all levels requires a sensitive approach to diversity. Working with intercultural competence as both form and content we, UAB, LiU, UiS, will strengthen international collaborati...

Good education at all levels requires a sensitive approach to diversity. Working with intercultural competence as both form and content we, UAB, LiU, UiS, will strengthen international collaboration and knowledge sharing in ECTE, contributing to educators' and students'/future EC teachers' development of intercultural competence as cultural sensitivity. Two micro- module courses and a website are concrete outcomes, as well as documentation of challenges to be further developed upon in ECIU.

The main activities we will implement are different types of exchanges that will contribute to a variation of encounters of different cultural experiences, perspectives, and expertise within the project. These will ensure quality in the process of creating, reviewing, discussing and improving teaching materials and course design of two hybrid/blended micro-module courses that we in collaboration will offer. Course materials will be offered as open resources at the project website.

Outcomes can be summarized as 1) Sustainable capacity for innovative and relevant teaching and research collaboration 2) Reinforced competence for working with inclusion and diversity as both form and content ECTE in Europe 3) Two dynamic micro-modules on cultural sensitivity open for all ECT students in Europe and aimed at involving more partners 4) Open access materials for EC(T) work with cultural sensitivity 5) Documented knowledge of challenges to be extended to ECIU innovation hubs.