International Education

The Faculty of Education’s Office of International Education collaborates with educational institutions, government ministries, and organizations worldwide seeking to create professional development opportunities for educators, and generating opportunities for teachers to reflect, share, and expand upon their existing knowledge and expertise. 

With over 25 years of experience, the Faculty engages with post-secondary institutions, governmental ministries and educational organizations to design and deliver high-quality, effective, customized programs that reflect participants’ professional goals, integrate theory with practice, and balance cultural contexts with identified priorities. 

Short-term non-credit programs are ideal for:

Groups of primary and secondary teachers, leaders or university students seeking to engage critically with teaching and learning fundamentals, examine educational contexts, strengthen intercultural, educational leadership and English language skills, while supported to reflect on their own professional practices and contexts.

Program Structure

• Varying duration ranging from 1 to 10+ weeks
• Cohort-based to support shared learning and facilitate professional exchange
• Pre-program orientation, online or in-country 
• Arrival orientation and guided campus tour
• Interactive, engaging workshops and activities
• Post-program follow-up activities or sessions (upon request)

Program Design

SFU Faculty of Education’s Office of International Education is committed to fostering international and intercultural understanding through ethical, sustainable, and reciprocal global partnerships.

Each program is:

• Shaped through collaboration with partner institutions
• Context-responsive, recognizing diverse educational systems and cultural perspectives
• Inclusive of the existing knowledges, skills, and beliefs of the participants

Our programs focus on experiential practices and learner-centric pedagogy, prioritizing the connections between learners by involving a diverse educational team to facilitate workshops and activities. This team consists of faculty members, K-12 educators and administrative leaders from local school districts. Participants engage in guided reflections on their own professional practices and contexts while exploring approaches to teaching, learning and leadership in classrooms and the community.

Our programs include:

• Interactive, engaging workshops 
• School visits and/or classroom observations
• Field trips or cultural events
• Reflective, student-centred practices
• Possibilities for collaborative research and follow-up activities

Note: Session topics, school visits and cultural activities can be tailored according to each group’s identified needs and interests.

Customizable Programs

We will:

• Design the program structure and components based on your identified needs 
• Collaborate with you to discuss program themes, outcomes and topics 
• Engage with your cultural and educational contexts to foster meaningful reflection and discussions

Intercultural Experiences

You will:

• Explore approaches to teaching and learning fundamentals, professional practice and identities, and educational leadership 
• Learn more about Canadian education systems and context through school visits, classroom observations, and discussions with local educators 
• Experience local culture through guided field trips and excursions

Sustainable Partnerships

We are committed to:

• Ethical, sustainable and mutually beneficial partnerships that foster knowledge exchange and possibilities for long-term collaboration
• Engaging with you based on trust, respect, and shared educational goals 
• Valuing the knowledge, experiences and educational realities of you, our partner institutions

• International Professional Development Program for Secondary Teachers of English from Taiwan (July 7 - August 1, 2025)
• International Education Program for Tsuru University (February 12-March 5, 2025)
  
• SFU Madrid Educational Leadership Program (July 8-19, 2024)
• SFU-Education University of Hong Kong Doctoral Graduate Student Knowledge Exchange (May 21-24, 2024)
• Madrid Educational Leadership Virtual Program: Team-Building in Bilingual Schools (July 12-23, 2021)
• Imaginative Education for Chilean Educators Virtual Seminar (January 12-14, 2021)
• International Education Program for Tsuru University (February 8-March 2, 2020)
• International Professional Development Program for Teachers of English from Tokyo, Japan (July 27-October 5, 2019)
• International Professional Development Program for High School Teachers of English from Taiwan (July 7-August 10, 2019)
• SFU Madrid Educational Leadership Program: Team-Building in Bilingual Schools (July 6-27, 2019)
• ... and more since 1999 

Recent Faculty Member Involvement