News

How do we show up as educators in places not necessarily home to us—with students both like us and unlike us, as well as local residents, all of us with our own fears and desires—to create meaningful engagements that positively shape our shared future? 

This past May, Lehigh University's Office of International Affairs (OIA) selected faculty from a range of disciplinary backgrounds to serve as Global Teaching and Learning Fellows and explore this question. They gathered in the Mexican city of Guanajuato to think about how to facilitate global learning in place through diverse activities, workshops, site visits, and discussions. They also gained new tools and practiced learning around the city. 

This was the second Global Teaching and Learning Seminar (GTLF) that OIA ran, an initiative created and led by Angelina Rodriguez, Assistant Vice Provost for Global Learning at OIA, and Teaching Associate Professor at Lehigh’s College of Health. She partnered this time with Greg Reihman, Vice Provost for Library and Technology Services (LTS) at Lehigh.

“We wanted to go deep into a place and provide a full-bodied experience, without the usual everyday distractions,” Rodríguez said. “It was something entirely different than attending a set of workshops about global learning on campus. We also wanted faculty from different disciplinary backgrounds to come together and have their own micro study abroad experience of sorts before facilitating such an experience. Having the opportunity to be in this intimate cohort and talk to each other about different disciplinary approaches to learning in particular places was truly a rich experience.”

In addition to workshops and in-depth discussions, Fellows engaged in a range of immersive activities in the city, interacting with local sites and even participating in a mini homestay experience by having lunch in the homes of local families. Rodríguez also brought together Cheryl Matherly, Vice President and Vice Provost for International Affairs at Lehigh, and Adriana Aguilera, International Office Director at the Universidad de Guanajuato, who together delivered a rooftop presentation to the Lehigh group and local Guanajuato faculty entitled “Immersing Students into Meaningful Global Learning” in the midst of a lively local celebration and much church-bell ringing in the street below.

Greg Reihman has worked with faculty for many years consulting about ways to enhance student learning, but he said this was the first time he had the opportunity to do so as a member of a cohort of educators traveling together in another country.

“In Guanajuato, a moment in a museum could become a topic of conversation in a workshop, then spark stories over dinner, and end up shaping the learning experiences we were designing for our future students,” Reihman said. “This rapid movement from experience to reflection to application made the immersive seminar deeply transformative for all of us.”

Brook Sawyer, Professor and Program Director of the Teacher Education Program at Lehigh’s College of Education, had the same response. She appreciated the immersive experience, which she felt helped the fellows better understand and teach culturally responsive instruction.

“It really gave me a unique vantage point of really being immersed in a different culture,” Sawyer said. “It will help me tell stories and share perspectives to my pre-service and in-service teachers, so they can better understand what it feels like and put themselves in the shoes of their students and families in contexts and cultures they may not be familiar with.”

For Thomas Chen, Associate Professor of Chinese in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at the College of Arts and Sciences,, the most beneficial part of the experience was the time devoted to talking and thinking about pedagogy, especially in its international global dimension.

“I found that to be really valuable, because when you're in the semester, you’re doing research, teaching your course, and holding meetings, so you don’t really have time to sit down and reflect on the theory and practice of teaching—you’re too busy doing it,” Chen said.

Associate Professor of Sociology Hugo Ceron-Anaya was preparing to serve as the faculty advisor for Lehigh Launch in Chile, an experiential, integrative learning experience for first-year Lehigh University students, and he left planning to apply the perspectives discussed at GTLF in Santiago this fall.

The full list of Faculty Fellows who participated in this year’s GTLF program included:

• Renée Bailey, teaching assistant professor for the Department of English
• Hugo Ceron-Anaya, Associate Professor of Sociology
• Thomas Chen, Associate Professor of Chinese in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures
• Lilia Adriana Pérez Limón, Assistant Professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures
• Stephanie Prevost, Professor of Practice of Law
• Greg Reihman, Vice Provost for Library and Technology Services
• Brook Sawyer, Professor and Program Director of the Teacher Education Program

Eduardo Rodríguez, Administrative Manager and Operations Liaison at the Iacocca Institute, and Alma Rosa Silva Lona, a Guanajuato-based coordinator, supported with logistics and planning.

GTLF is an annual seminar that runs in May. To be considered as a Fellow, participants must apply for a spot. Applications for the 2025 program will be posted at the end of September.  Visit here to learn more about the GTLF program and see updates.

The GTLF seminar was funded by the Farrington Fund, named in recognition of former Lehigh University President Gregory C. Farrington, who was strongly dedicated to expanding Lehigh’s international reach and programs.