Ragna and Sophie reflect on our first workshop topic “Intercultural Communication”

05/10/2022
Posted by: MOTIVATE students

Ragna and Sophie reflect on our first workshop topic "Intercultural Communication"

MOTIVATE! is a program to link international teacher students. It provides a platform for the exchange of our experiences, knowledge and visions. The workshops confront us with relevant, up-to-date and inevitable topics as a becoming teacher and give us impulses for thoughts and for personal growth.

With increasing diversity in today’s classrooms, the first workshop presented the topic “intercultural communication” to us. Understanding how deeply culture influences our behaviors and thoughts towards others is vital to guarantee uplifting cross-cultural conduct. A valuable lesson that we took from the workshop, is to remember that people have different points of view and
experiences regarding the way they communicate. Communication can vary in terms of greetings, body language or conversation topics. Intercultural communication can be rewarding and bring joy and excitement and if we have an open mind upon meeting new people from other cultures, we can count that as an achievement towards our communications skills.

One of our tasks during the workshop was to fill in an ABC of cultural competence by naming an attitude, skill or knowledge necessary for cross-cultural communication for each letter of the alphabet. We wondered what part we can play in this task and tried to make this more personal.

R for respect

A for acceptance

G for growth

N for navigation

A for adaptability

S for sensitivity

O for optimism

P for patience

H for humility

I for real interest

E for enthusiasm

Ponder our choices. Do you think these things are as important as we do? Or do you find different words that suite you better? We would love for you to think about your part in “intercultural communication” as well. Write your name on a piece of paper and fill out your letters. Let yourself be inspired.

Dearest,

Ragna & Sophie

"In a diverse world, my thoughts should also be diverse, and I have only achieved this by exchanging ideas with people whose thoughts and experiences enrich me. Through the exchange at MOTIVATE! I have come up with completely new thoughts and developed new ideas for myself as a future teacher and also as a person. Celebrating the now of education and having courage and visions for the later is what I have found for myself this year."

Sophie Beer

Student at TU Berlin and former MOTIVATE! student

"MOTIVATE! is a great opportunity if you want to think outside the box as a teacher student. You get to know facets of the teaching profession together with international students, make contacts and form friendships. It really is a good first step if you want to engage with education internationally!"

Jelle Oellrich

Student at TU Berlin, former MOTIVATE! student and exchange student at NTNU

"In any case, it is very valuable to get to know a different culture of teaching. The interaction with lecturers and students in Norway is more on an equal footing, so you get the impression that you are working on something together instead of just solving an impersonal task to generate points. A personal project is created."

Dag-Maximilian Dannehl

Student at TU Berlin and former exchange student at NTNU

"MOTIVATE! provides students with distinct benefits as they develop acceptance for cultural diversity, self-confidence, initiative and curiosity through cross-cultural learning."

Katrine Dalbu Alterhaug

Head of Internationalization at the Teacher Department at NTNU

"Move it again, MOTIVATE! and lets be creative and constructive with all we learned during the pandemic…"

Prof. Markus Cslovjecsek

Project Coordinator at PH FHNW

"MOTIVATE! enables students to freely exchange thoughts and ideas on relevant topics while also gaining important intercultural skills and knowledge."

Lina Schmidt

Student and staffmember of MOVE IT! at TU Berlin

“In the world today, schools can only succeed with an international approach: the diversity of pupils in Berlin and elsewhere, the social and technological challenges of the future, all this is globally and locally connected and we need a reflexive, well-informed and open-minded view across any borders.”

Prof. Dr. Susann Fegter

Director of the School of Education SETUB