Crossing over: strategies for supporting the training and development of international teachers

Abstract

For international teachers the experience of ‘crossing over’ and moving from one higher education context to another for employment can be confronting. Not only does this transition often involve a physical location change but as part of a growing borderless workforce many international academic staff still need to cross borders in terms of having to align their past experience of pedagogical practice, beliefs and teaching contexts with new institutional expectations and strategic directions. This paper draws upon a wide range of theory to address the challenges and tensions that international teacher’s experience. The study presents a model based on capacity building that helps reveal strategies for supporting tertiary teachers in transitioning into a new workplace and includes an example to illustrate how this model is currently being applied at a regional Queensland university. We conclude by encouraging others to consider using these strategies in their own context for supporting international tertiary teachers to align their past ideologies, experiences, pedagogical practices and teaching contexts with new institutional learning and teaching principles.