Testimonials
Through TESTEd research exchanges, 9 teacher students were given the transformative opportunity to conduct research comparing educational systems and teaching practices abroad. With a scholarship, these students embarked on a research exchange at one of our five partner universities to delve deep into their chosen fields of study.
We would like to present the work of three students to give some exemplary insights on the
research papers.
Antonio Luis Cano
Exchange student from Sevilla, Spain, He visited University
Oulu, Finland, to work on the topic of Democratic education
and active citizenship.
The title of my research paper is “An approach to Critical Global Citizen Education. A comparison between Andalusian and Finnish core curriculum in the subjects of Geography and History at the end of compulsory education.”
As you can imagine, the cross-cutting issue that inspired me was Global Citizen Education, in its critical version, addressing its approach in both curriculums, as well as, fitting other ambitious educational concepts such as pedagogy of hope and democratic teaching. Finland has always claimed to offer one of the best educations all over the world, so I could not miss the opportunity of going there and see it myself.
This experience helped me to delve into educational concepts I was not familiar with, go through
different curriculums and stablish new ways of comparing educational systems which could help in the future for deeper research. This knowledge, tools and the adventurous feeling of moving to a new country, has brought me nothing but great experiences abroad.
Gizem Aleyna Dogan
Exchange student from Bochum, Germany. She visited
University Oulu, Finland, to work on the topic of Democratic
education and active citizenship.
In our increasingly interconnected world, it is evident that education must reflect this reality. This recognition led me to focus my thesis on the critical issue of Global Citizenship Education (GCE), a research area growing in importance, promoted by the United Nations‘ Sustainable Development Goals and the European Council‘s Reference Framework of Democratic Education. My thesis, titled Exploring Student Teachers‘ Perceptions of Global Citizenship and Its Influence on Future Teaching Practices, aimed to assess to what extent student teachers view themselves as global citizens and how this perception affects their willingness to integrate GCE competencies into their future teaching practices. Additionally, I compared the initial teacher education programs at the University of Oulu in Finland and the Ruhr-University Bochum in Germany.
I chose the University of Oulu because it offers an Intercultural Teacher Education program that incorporates GCE principles from the outset. This provided a valuable opportunity to compare the influence of a GCE-centered program with a more traditional one, the Master of Education from the Ruhr-University Bochum.
This research journey was both enlightening and enjoyable. Academically, I developed quantitative research skills and learned to work within an intercultural team of researchers. It was also incredibly instructive to see how teacher education operates in different countries, allowing for the identification of best practices that could inform policy and curriculum development internationally. Professionally, this experience has proven to me that I would love to work in an intercultural environment that endorses innovation and diversity, just as the research exchange within the TESTEd-Network did.
Michèlle Heller
Exchange student from Oulu, Finland. She visited the University
College Cork, Ireland to work on the topic of Education for a
Sustainable Development & the digitalisation of learning
enviroments.
We are living in a period of change, transformation, and uncertainty. The ongoing digitalisation is revolutionising how we live, learn, and teach. Technical innovations are altering our lives. Nevertheless, the number of young talents working in information and communication technologies (ICT) is concerning. Especially European countries are suffering from the practical problem of missing youngsters who consider becoming an engineer as a career option.
My master’s thesis, Educating the Superhero of Tomorrow – Encouraging Learners and Teachers to ICT Task, examines the following research question: How can learners be educated to pursue their talent in a profession related to the ICT sector such as becoming an engineer? Education for sustainable development, digitalization of learning spaces, and makerspaces have emerged as pivotal areas of focus in contemporary education. My master’s thesis aims to explore the interrelationships between education for sustainable development (environment), the digitalisation of learning spaces (engineering), and digital fabrication (education).
I participated in my research exchange in Cork, Ireland, to explore other maker places, experience the facets of sustainable education and be exposed to design thinking processes. My time was well-spent as I could expand my network, appreciate the magic of cross-disciplinary collaboration and push myself out of my comfort zone to come one step closer to fulfilling my own visions.