On June 12 and 19, Naruto University of Education held its “Learning Exchange Program,” now in its third year since launching in 2023. The program brings together Japanese in-service teachers enrolled in Graduate School of Teacher Education and international in-service educators and education administrators from developing countries currently pursuing their master’s degrees in Japan. Through group work focused on shared educational challenges, the program aims to foster the development of skills and mindsets that embrace cultural diversity. By encouraging dialogue and collaboration among participants with diverse perspectives and practical experience, the program creates valuable opportunities for reflection, mutual learning, and new insights.
Learning Beyond Cultural Differences: Tackling Shared Educational Challenges Together
At the heart of the program is collaborative learning between Japanese in-service teachers (graduate students in teacher training) and their counterparts—educators and education administrators from developing countries currently enrolled in master’s programs in Japan. The initiative aims to achieve three key goals:
- Enhancing the ability to navigate and embrace cultural diversity
- Cultivating the power of insight that emerges from different experiences and values
- Fostering practical leadership skills that transform awareness into meaningful educational action
Collaborative Group Work with In-Service Educators from Around the World
During the group work sessions, each team selected an educational issue to explore and shared how that topic is addressed in their respective countries and cultures. Using tools like smartphone and computer translation apps, participants collaborated to organize their ideas on large sheets of paper and ultimately created presentation materials. Through this sequence of identifying challenges, engaging in discussions, and building proposals, participants deepened their understanding of diverse cultures and strengthened their ability to solve problems through cooperation.
In post-program surveys, many participants shared their reflections: “Engaging with different values gave me a chance to reexamine my own approach to education.” ; “I truly felt both the challenges and rewards of working together across cultural differences.”