Now more students are traveling internationally to develop their cultural understanding. Educational and youth travel opens up a wide possibility for students to discover a lot of things that can help in spiritual awakening and intellectual growth. It can also connect with nature and global people.
Students who study abroad spend more than time with their peers. They enjoy the food, fashion, festivals, group adventures, and museums and ignore the deep intercultural impacts. Therefore, professional educators should include comprehensive intellectual learning in their travel programs to educate students more about international cultures. If you are looking for some travel ideas to make your student and youth traveling more effective, you can consider the followings.
Have Focus on Intercultural
Add the term “intercultural” in your program to help your student to stay focused on the intercultural values during traveling. Intercultural refer to the exchange of different cultures between people and groups globally. The objective is to create trust and understanding and to develop an interpersonal relationship. These qualities are required to collaborate easily without any cultural barriers. It will help students to connect with global people more effectively.
Understanding of Different Cultures
All the cultures are different. They operate on two levels. One is visible objective and the second is subjective. Objective culture is known as the big C culture that focuses more on the people, clothing, food, and even the names. This culture is to understand. Subjective culture is a bit different. It refers to the little C culture.
Subjective culture does not focus on cloth and food. Instead, it focuses on attitudes and values. It is not always easy to see the subjective culture and to recognize their people. Students need to understand both these types of cultures and their objectives. With a better understanding of the culture, they can easily distinguish between these types and can choose a more secure path. There are different types of cultures and all cultures will have some beliefs. During travel to the United States and other countries, students will be able to come across different cultures.
Developing Interculturally
In the past, people were not trying to go to the deep of different cultures. But now, they understand the value of intercultural development. They know intercultural competence is comprehensive and it demands cognitive, behavioral, and effective intervention to develop cultural understanding.
According to Milton Bennett, there are six stages of the intercultural continuum. When three is on the ethnorelative side, the other three is one ethnocentric side. Educators should know where students lie on the continuum. They can use different strategies to help them to move from one stage to another.
Intercultural development is required both for students and educators. It cannot be achieved with one time traveling. It demands constant effort and the understanding of different cultures. Understanding of different cultures does not mean that you need to overlook the cultures. Instead, you need to go deep and that can be achieved with the right collaboration with the right people.
Also, it is not possible to move from one continuum to another fast. Your mind cannot make fast changes especially when it comes to developing your intercultural understanding. The growth needs to be gradual. Gradual developments will help to adjust more easily with the new environment. It is not enough to understand other cultures only, it is also important to integrate those cultural values with yours. It will be possible with a better understanding of different cultures.
Use Educational Strategies to Promote Intercultural Growth
Developing your intellectual competence is holistic and revolutionary. You can make more progress with experimental learning. Experimental learning is different and it offers more practical knowledge than traditional learning. Person to person communication is more helpful than traditional learning methods. Even the research studies support that person-to-person immersion is more effective than any other form of learning. Good experimental learning will involve both your left and right hemispheres of the brain.
International travels offer enough scope for experimental learning. Educators can do their best to guide their students by discussing their reactions and by helping to discover more with a deeper understanding.
Plan Beyond Tourism
Travel with a group of students is completely different from a carefully culturally focused trip. A travel company can only take care of your traveling needs. But with the right guide, you can expect a unique experience with a deep understanding of different cultures. Students can also use government imposed flight discounts and can take the help of professional educators to learn more from their international travels.
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