Activities shared with foreign institutions are part of the routine at the School

How many countries can fit in a classroom? At “Escola de Aplicação Feevale”, internationalization is part of students' routine, being a process of collective and participatory construction. Interactions with people from other countries develop essential skills in students from the earliest years, facilitating integrations and expanding learning environments. “The institution is internationalized but not just a bilingual school, as it provides experiences beyond the language”, explains director Janine Vieira.

The curriculum includes English and Spanish, which are taught within interdisciplinary projects. “Internationalization at the School is also advancing through contacts with foreign institutions affiliated with Feevale University, which currently keeps partnerships with 151 institutions in 32 countries”, says Janine. “We want to provide experiences to students, developing skills so that they become global citizens, as well as expanding their possibilities for study, work and personal development”, she adds.

Multicultural skills

The School of Application promotes, in partnership with the Directorate of International and Institutional Relations (DRII) at Feevale University, several projects. “Escola de Aplicação” is committed to developing the multicultural skills and abilities of its students. In addition to linguistic fluency, students are in contact with various cultures and different ways of thinking, through classes shared with network institutions abroad, participation of teachers and students from different countries, integration of content and activities, as well as virtual exchanges”, highlights the director of International and Institutional Relations, Paula Casari Cundari. According to her, these interactions develop essential skills, facilitating integrations and expanding learning environments.

Among the activities carried out is Be International project: a world of experiences, with workshops related to culture, education, literature, tourism, gastronomy, volunteering, and audiovisual production. Last year, professors from Universidad La Salle Bajío (Mexico) and exchange students from Medellin and Uniminuto universities (Colombia) joined in. In the second semester of last year, virtual exchanges also took place, with interactions with teachers from Peru and Chile and students from Colombia, Finland, and Slovakia.

Finnish Methodologies

In 2023, 69 teachers from Feevale completed the Mentored Teacher Education course, an innovative and collaborative program based on a cooperation agreement between Feevale University and Tampere University, in Finland. The program aimed to create a joint operational model between schoolteachers, university teachers and undergraduate students, training teachers with essential skills for the 21st century. Finland is at the top of international rankings that measure the quality of education at all levels.

“Feevale University will be a center for disseminating this collaborative and international work, spreading the possibilities for advancing educational projects and innovative practices. Teachers will replicate this knowledge, following a new concept of learning and teaching, based on Finnish methodologies and technologies”, highlights Prodanov.