SEA-Teachers_B10

How did the SEA-Teachers B10 create a community?

The SEA-Teacher Exchange Program, spearheaded by the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), gives opportunities to SEA-Teachers wanting to experience a global viewpoint on different educational methods. Dong Thap University of Education welcomed 39 inbounds from the Philippines and Indonesia. The Filipino inbounds are students from universities across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao; the universities include the University of Mindanao -  Tagum College, University of Batangas Lipa Campus, Iloilo Science and Technology University, Mariano Marcos State University, Saint Louis University, University of Santo Tomas, Guimaras State University, University of Immaculate Conception. While, Indonesia sent students from Universitas Halu Oleo, Universitas PGRI Semarang, and Universitas Negeri Jakarta.

Placing equal emphasis on formal teaching and assessment methods as well as the development of students' soft skills and the promotion of cross-cultural interactions. It encourages cooperative learning as well as respect and understanding across cultural boundaries by assigning student teachers to groups with a range of backgrounds. Activities in the classroom frequently include a cross-culture curriculum, which lets students share elements of their country's curriculum while learning about others. This fosters cultural sensitivity. Additionally, it creates a sense of awareness of how critical soft skills like communication, teamwork, and flexibility will be for student teachers' future personal and professional lives, teachers also emphasize the value of helping students develop these abilities.

By encouraging student teachers to express their feelings and ideas about the course material, some student teachers employ reflective or mindfulness practices in the classroom to foster a more thorough learning process. Even though the inbounds were from different cultural backgrounds and countries they were able to create a community inside and outside the classroom motivating them to be engaging, caring, and student teachers as well as global citizens.