COST is a collaboration of 15 colleges and universities in the United States that provides opportunities for its students to have quality student teaching experiences in overseas settings. As director of COST, I work closely with university and school representatives from the United States and around the world to promote global understanding, intercultural communication, and a meaningful educational experience. If you are a student of a COST member institution we encourage you to review this site, learn about the program, and consider possible student teaching placement destinations. If your school is not a member of COST, you may still find valuable information on international and intercultural adjustment, overseas travel, and research and other initiatives related to study abroad and the internationalization of education. Objectives of the COST Program The major objective of the COST program, as with all student teaching programs, is to provide an opportunity for the student teacher to put into practice the knowledge and skills they have acquired at their home university. The uniqueness of the COST program is the setting in a foreign country and culture in which the student teaching takes place. Therefore, in addition to achieving the objectives required for student teaching by the student's home institution, additional objectives for the COST student teachers are to: -- gain non-U.S.. perspectives on world events; -- gain appreciation of the differences in family life between the U.S. and the host country, all through participation in a host-family community setting; -- teach in a bicultural and/or bilingual setting; -- clarify one's position as a U.S. citizen by experiencing life in a different social and cultural milieu; and, -- consider ways to bring an international perspective back to their classroom in the United States.
Quick Facts
Population: 47042984 Capital: Madrid Per-capita GDP: $ 31000 Size: 505370 km2 Time Zone: (GMT + 01:00 hour) Brussels, Copenhagen, Madrid, Paris
US State Department
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