International Professional Development: Lessons Learned

Abstract

In 2016 Georgia Southern University Institute for Interdisciplinary STEM Education (i 2 STEM e) was approached by a collaborative group of educators from India now living in the US. They noticed a need for teachers in India to have access to the Interdisciplinary STEM Education pedagogical techniques through focused professional development. Over the course of the next two years, the partnership developed and in September 2016 the first group of educators in India was given a professional development opportunity around the concepts of Authentic Teaching, including place-based education, problem based learning, and project based learning. This paper will discuss the approach the educators delivering the professional development took, the barriers and successes to implementing professional development in a new cultural setting, and the next steps to be taken. It is hoped that this information will provide future providers of PD, who are working outside their country of residence, with insights and ideas on working with a culturally different and diverse educational setting.