Online Exchanges:: a Sustainable Option Favouring Interculturality During Music Teachers’ Initial Training

• Autores: Marina Buj Corral, Miquel Alsina i Tarrés
• Localización: Proceedings of the International Society for Music Education: 36th World Conference on Music Education / coord. por David Forrest, Robin Bold, 2024, ISBN 978-1-922303-17-2
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Among the complex challenges currently faced by higher education, a prominent place is occupied by the development of intercultural competencies, understood as “the skills, attitudes and behaviours needed to improve the interactions that occur across difference” (Deardorff, 2019, p. 1). In the context of initial teacher training, music education can play a key role in introducing the work of interculturality in all its aspects. The main goal of this study was to analyse the benefits and contributions obtained by students pursuing a teaching degree in favour of the intercultural competency, on completing an international program of online academic exchanges where music took centre stage. First of all, we focus on the assessment of the online medium and the role of music in this type of activity, and then we go on to describe and assess the data obtained on the participants’ intercultural development. This study used the case study methodology of qualitative research. Two online academic exchange activities involving student teachers specialising in music and generalist studentteachers from the University of Havana (Cuba) and La Plata National University (Argentina) wereanalysed. Data collection was carried out by means of focus groups, questionnaires and interviews with the participating students. From an academic standpoint, the work was planned as a series of projects that took shape as collaborative final products. The results show that the students made progress in achieving a sense of interculturality, understood as an active agent when dealing with the multiple diversities present in contemporary society. Joint assessment of the products by the different agents involved was positive, and they served to activate intercultural communication on the basis of the understanding of the other and the acquisition of foreign cultural goods. The results show that musical education contributes to the development of interculturality, with the cultural and interpersonal subfields being the most favoured, and the social aspects to a lesser extent. Thanks to these online academic exchanges it was possible to respond to a technological challenge, establish institutional partnerships and enrich the professional growth of the teaching staff involved. They also turned out to be sustainable, enduring activities, which means they could be linked to sustainable development goals such as actions to stop climate change