Teachers and school directors, as parties directly involved in the organisation and facilitation of intercultural exchanges, can consider the points below for their smoother delivery.
Pre-trip/exchange
- Give students from the involved groups the opportunity to meet (virtually) each other before the actual exchange.
- A certain level of English proficiency among all participants would help the smoother implementation of activities and the active engagement.
On-trip/exchange
- Make sure to test the means of communication used for a virtual exchange in advance of the session (make sure wi-fi connection works properly in case of a virtual activity).
- Start some minutes earlier than the planned starting time to set up the technical aspects.
- Keep the teacher involvement to a minimum. Give students time to exchange ideas without the teacher supervision.
- Let students work in small rotating groups.
- Make sure that all students are getting involved in the sessions.
- Manage the time efficiently.
Post-trip/exchnage
- Encourage student reflection on what is presented/seen. Plan an unofficial debriefing session.