BaTEG Summer School 2023: Transcultural learning and more

The BaTEG Summer School (Trans)cultural learning in teacher education, held at the Centre for Teacher Education of the Otto Friedrich University of Bamberg from September 17th to 24th, 2023, proved to be a remarkably enriching international event. Approximately 50 participants, including students as well as researchers, attended from various countries, such as Germany, France, Finland, Poland, and Australia. The Summer School aimed to foster intercultural understanding and collaboration, and it certainly delivered on its promise.

The summer school was organized by BaTEG (Bamberg Teacher Education for a Global World), the University of Bamberg’s project for the internationalisation of teacher education (funded by the DAAD), in collaboration with Dr Robert Craig (Institute for English and American Studies) and the Institute for Educational Science. Student organizers from Bamberg were also actively involved and received ECTS points for their contributions to the event.

The programme featured a diverse array of lectures, workshops, and activities that encouraged participants to explore the themes of (trans)cultural learning in teacher education. Some of the highlights include the following topics and talks:

Cultural competence and awareness: As an introduction to the Summer School, two short cultural coaching sessions were offered, giving participants the opportunity to dive into topics of culture and intercultural skills, including models of culture, intercultural communication, and cultural self-awareness. The workshops were held by Yevgeniy Itskovych and Martina Zier (both University of Bamberg), followed by Dr Jana Costa‘s (University of Bamberg) talk on cultural reflexivity as an integral aspect of teacher professionalism. It discussed the implications of understanding culture as a web of meanings, rather than a set of individual categories, and how this relates to teaching and professional growth.

Challenges of globality in the classroom: The topic was covered from different angles. Prof. Dr Annette Scheunpflug (University of Bamberg) presented on the challenges of teaching globality and of introducing students to the world's complexity. Katharina McGrath (University of Jena) presented a project titled FLinKUS, an extracurricular programme for German education students and pre-service teachers, aiming to develop critical pedagogical and intercultural competencies through action research in partner schools abroad and focussing on language-sensitive subject instruction and competence-oriented teaching. Dr Alexa Crais (INSPE Toulouse) and her students discussed the importance of nurturing competences in learners that allow them to participate effectively in diverse democratic societies. The focus was on fostering open attitudes towards cultural diversity and the development of communicative and plurilingual skills, essential for culturally diverse democratic societies. Verena Keimerl (University of Bamberg) explored the challenges of and strategies for adaptive teaching in diverse classrooms. Martina Zier (University of Bamberg) conducted an interactive workshop focussed on cultivating intercultural awareness in teaching. The session provided a range of methods and strategies for integrating intercultural content into teaching practices.

Intercultural skills via pop culture: Dr Mareike Spychala and Dr Anja-Kerstin Münderlein (University of Bamberg) discussed the use of popular culture, such as Doctor Who and Star Trek, in language classrooms. They emphasized the importance of media literacy and using cultural studies concepts like race and gender to teach intercultural competencies. Dr Valentin Werner (University of Bamberg) examined the role of pop culture as a valuable resource in language education. This talk emphasized that pop culture, including pop music, shows, and movies, is a vital element in the lives of language learners. Dr Dorota Owczarek's (Adam Mickiewicz University Poznań) presentation explored the adaptation of popular American icons to European countries and the factors that make them attractive and influential beyond the United States. It encouraged active analysis and discussion among students to understand the cross-cultural appeal of these icons.

Transcultural issues and literary texts: Dr Marta Janachowska-Budych (Adam Mickiewicz University Poznań) explored the concepts of interculturality, transculturality, and hyperculturality as well as using literary texts as a medium of reflection about and application of these concepts. Dr Robert Craig (University of Bamberg) presented an innovative approach to introducing students to Critical Race Theory and intersectionality through literature. He used Toni Morrison's short story, 'Recitatif,' as a case study to explore how literature c