Modular Teaching Method as an Intercultural Education Methodology

A modular teaching in Poland is usually associated with the modular vocational program. Whereas a module is understood as a individual didactical unit of program, which consists of smaller wholes including a logical and feasible section of work and whose goals and particular elements are integrated thematically with various scientific disciplines and educational content is formulated in an unambiguous and measurable way, expresses intellectual skills as cognitive, substantial and emotional. 

The aim of the project is to transplant the modular teaching model to the active Intercultural Competence teaching. In order to do so, thoughts of several theoreticians served as inspiration, among others of: John Dewey, Georg Kerschensteiner, Maria Montesori, Burrhus Frederic Skinner, Fred Keller, Benjamin Bloom and Tadeusz Tomaszewski. A system of modular teaching was applied in the work with students of the university class of intercultural competence.

Modules, according to which students work, are subjects related to Intercultural Competence, tolerance and discrimination, identity and culture. Besides lectures and seminars students participate in scientific projects, write applications enabling for them to conduct their own research, meet persons who practice professions in which Intercultural Competence is important.

A crucial component of modular teaching is to consider science as a process of gradual attainment of knowledge, which is based not only on theoretical familiarity with facts, but also on the ability to search for such facts, to analyze and interpret them and to reflect on them individually. An independent analysis and problem solving enables to verbalize one's own views and ideas. It teaches to think logically, to present own views and argue for them. This way a student not only gains knowledge, but also practical skills.

Modular teaching is an activating teaching method which is more effective than traditional cognitive methods. What is a a great advantage is to combine theory with practice, information with particular skills. Only this teaching method allows students to use their knowledge effectively and develop their competencies. What is more, it stimulates imagination, creative thinking, an open attitude and decision making. In the framework of modular teaching the most essential is the process of learing by student himself than teaching by teacher.

Project coordinators:

dr Kinga Anna Gajda

mgr Katarzyna Suszkiewicz

Fragmentary results were presented during following conferences:

XI International Scientific Conference: XXI-century Education, Zakopane, 23rd-25th November 2013.

4th World Conference on Learning, Teaching and Educational Leadership, 27-29 October 2013, University of Barcelona, Barcelona – Spain

also included in the following article: 
 
Kinga Anna Gajda, Katarzyna Suszkiewicz, Nauczanie modułowe jako metodyka edukacji międzykulturowej na przykładzie uniwersyteckiej klasy kompetencji międzykulturowych, [w:] Edukacja międzykulturowa w warunkach kultury globalnej. Od rozważań definicyjnych do praktycznych zastosowań, red. Edyta Slachcińska, Helena Marek, Poznań: Wydawnictwo Wyższej Szkoły Bezpieczeństwa 2014. 
 

Photo: Nick Benjaminsz from Google.pl, on the CC BY 2.0 license.