Resumen de Reflective student exchange as a collaborative and complementary academic activity: Preliminary results from a cross-national peer-to-peer mentoring scheme with primary teacher trainees
Alexander Masardo, Miquel Alsina i Tarrés
In this presentation we set out the process and preliminary results of an international peer exchange involving student teacher trainees from the Universities of Gloucestershire (UK) nd Girona (Spain). The arguments underlying the initiative are based on the implicit benefits of cultural exchange as a complementary academic activity, the value of peer learning and the implementation of virtual training spaces (VTS) in higher education. The context chosen for this project was the teaching practices of the students (N=16). The primary medium for reflection and discussion was a shared space on the VLE platform ELearn. This was bookended by student visits, which provided opportunities for socialisation and inculturation. Qualitative analysis of the data shows high initial motivation that was difficult to sustain over time. An appreciation of the playful-cultural dimension of the project exceeded the specifically professional inputs, which included issues relating to innovation, classroom management, language teaching and digital literacies.
