INTERNATIONAL STUDENT-TEACHER MOBILITY: A TOOL FOR DEVELOPING STUDENT-TEACHER PROFESSIONAL POSTURE

Abstract

In contemporary Europe international student mobility has become relatively common and the idea that spending time studying abroad is advantageous is now widely accepted. Through analysis of student-teacher responses to a questionnaire completed at the end of an Erasmus Intensive Programme, this paper examines the extent to which participation in a period of student mobility could help student-teachers to develop four key actions of teacher professional posture: critical self-reflection, participation in professional networks, turning to theory and distancing. The conclusions suggest that the period of student mobility made a positive contribution to the development of teacher professional posture amongst the participants. However, this study does not reveal the extent to which similar transformative processes could be triggered simply by engaging in collaborative group work with student-teachers working within other education systems without leaving the country of origin.