This article presents a study on how a professional development course entitled "Intercultural Communication”, offered by a Pedagogical Innovation Center at a public Higher Education (HE) institution in Portugal, affected teachers' professional growth with a focus on how their intercultural and plurilingual skills were (re)shaped. Through the use of action-research methodology, which includes the observation of course practices and the reflection upon them, and encompasses the examination of assignments, e-portfolios, and self-assessment reports, this study focuses on the ways in which this b-learning course aided in the development of the professionality of HE teachers.
The course’s aim is to provide HE teachers with the intercultural and plurilingual skills which are becoming increasingly necessary in our post-globalized world (Ferín, 2002). By combining synchronous and asynchronous learning lessons, participants engaged in reflective practices and collaborative projects which contributed to enhance their understanding of intercultural communication and its application in their own specific educational contexts.
Through an analysis of important frameworks and educational policies which promote cultural exchange and plurilingualism (Leandro et al., 2022), this study emphasizes the critical role that HE institutions play in creating inclusive and diverse learning environments, when offering professional development courses on the field, which change HE teachers’ representations, knowledge and practices on the matter.
The findings demonstrate that the training not only improved the participants' pedagogical approaches, augmented by intercultural and plurilingual skills, but also gave them the tools they need to successfully negotiate and handle the challenges of multicultural and multilingual classrooms (Diaz-Aguado, 2000).

Authors:
Mário Cruz, Polytechnic University of Porto, Portugal
Ana Patrícia Ferreira, Polytechnic University of Porto, Portugal
Daniela Mascarenhas, Polytechnic University of Porto, Portugal

About the Presenter(s)
Mário Cruz (PhD) is a Professor at Porto Polytechnic Institute, teaching Spanish, Hispano-American Literature and Language Didactics. He directs the Pedagogical Innovation Center, an MA in Primary English Teachin, and leads research projects at inED.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mdominguescruz/

Connect on ResearchGate
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mario-Cruz-11

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