From October 2 to 6, 2023, the representative of the consortium from Aston University, Sue Garton, organized a study visit to Birmingham, Great Britain for all partners of the "MultiEd" team.
The participants from ZNU this time were Kateryna Vasylyna, deputy dean for academic work, Svitlana Zapolskykh, head of the department of theory and practice of translation from the English language, Natalia Nadtochii, head of the department of English philology and linguodidactics.
The program included workshops on the history of Birmingham's cultural diversity and the closely related question of multilingual identity – who we are, where our roots are, how language identifies an individual. Dr. Stephen Pihlaja moderated the lecture and discussion on superdiversity. Professors Donald Freeman and Kathleen Graves focused on the importance of the teacher-student connection that provides academic benefits and the role of material development in successful language learning. Dr. Gayatri Patel presented the specifics and ways of applying intellectual intelligence in the educational process. Dr. Chris Umphreville introduced the partners to the principles of developing authentic materials. The MultiEd team also attended a public lecture by Professor Donald Freeman. The theme of the lecture was rethinking the current problems of teacher education and professional development.
Professor Sue Garton of Aston University conducted a tour and introduced foreign partners to the cultural attractions of the city of Birmingham.
Aston University's debriefing day was marked by a warm welcome at Birmingham Council House to promote cross-cultural relations. The team of the Zaporizhia National University presented the letter of appreciation of the rector of the university, as the city of Zaporizhzhia is twinned with Birmingham. Maryna Mruga, state expert of MONU, emphasized the importance of Great Britain's support to the Ukrainian people in the field of education. All partners expressed gratitude for the warm welcome and effectiveness of the meeting, as well as the gratitude of the people and government of Great Britain for supporting Ukraine in such difficult times of the struggle against Russian aggression.
