OPENING NEW INTERNATIONAL HORIZONS: PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS' E-PAL PROJECT
The Department of Educational Technology and Information Systems in Philology piloted an E-Pal project for pre-service teachers majoring in English as a foreign language of Leo Tolstoy Institute of Philology and Intercultural Communication of Kazan Federal University and pre-service teachers of College of Education of Purdue University (USA).
* Purdue University (USA) is the world's top 100 universities with the QS World University Rankings®.
The International E-Pal project was aimed at developing greater understanding of others’ cultures and practices in teaching elementary, middle, or secondary students, and a more internationalized perspective on teaching and learning.
During four weeks in October of 2016 there were organized two hours a week for one-on-one communication via email between E-Pal partners.
The participants of the project had to:
What are the first results? Let us listen to the immediate participants of the project.
Albina Shakirova (a student of Leo Tolstoy Institute of Philology and Intercultural Communication of Kazan Federal University): What surprised me a lot was the fact that how much one can have in common with a person who is miles away from you: competence, professionalism, love for children, compassion! My partner in America - a remarkable woman and a mother of 4 children - does not seem to stop evolving and moving forward. A good example to follow! This project fed me with great experience for it let us share our standpoints on psychological and other aspects of teaching. My words cannot express all my feelings!
Nadezda Pimenova (a coordinator of the international E-Pal project, Purdue University, USA): Projects of the type for students offer a unique opportunity to the younger generation to enter the culture of different countries and develop international views on teaching methods. I am sure that the participants of this project have received great experience and additional knowledge about teaching methods in Russian and US schools. I hope that this project will mark the beginning of a long-term and fruitful international cooperation between our universities.
The source of information: Tatiana S. Pimenova
