SIG International Classroom
Special Interest Groups (SIGs) are interfaculty groups of teachers that work together on a specific theme. The SIG International Classroom focuses on promoting inclusive teaching practices. Higher education classrooms are increasingly diverse, presenting both challenges and benefits. Therefore, the question is: How can we improve our teaching in a culturally diverse setting?
Become a member of the SIG International Classroom
For whom?
Are you a teacher/educator, policy officer or researcher/practitioner? And are you passionate about enhancing inclusion and diversity within higher education? Then, you are welcome to join the SIG International Classroom!
Current members
Currently, the SIG International Classroom consists of 36 members from multiple faculties across the university – including FMG, FdG, FGw, FNWI and EB, as well as TLC Central, the International Office and the Student Affairs. Take a look at the core group members below.
Activities
- Developing comprehensive guidance: On the TLC website, we maintain an online guidance package – which includes a glossary, practical recommendations, concrete tools, and best practices tailored to the challenges of international classrooms. This resource is continuously updated in order to provide valuable, evolving tools that enhance teaching strategies.
- Seminars & workshops: Engage in interactive seminars and workshops where academic staff and students from various faculties share their lived experiences. These sessions focus on discussing challenges, documenting recommendations, and identifying best practices to improve inclusivity and teaching effectiveness in international classrooms.
- Monthly peer consultation sessions: Once every month, we hold an online intervision group meeting – to share experiences, seek advice, and collaboratively address challenges. This initiative fosters professional growth and continuous improvement.
How to apply
When joining this SIG, you will become part of a collaborative academic network focused on enhancing teaching and learning in international classrooms. Get access to comprehensive resources, participate in lively discussions, and gain insights from peers. The peer consultation sessions offer a safe space to discuss challenges and develop solutions collectively, while seminars provide the chance to hear diverse perspectives and engage with innovative teaching strategies.
24 November - Lunch seminar: the role of cultural empathy in teaching and learning
Special Interest Group on International Classroom cordially invites you for a lunch seminar on 24 November, 12:00–13:30 at REC B3.07, with guest speaker Dr. Michael Boiger.
About the gathering
Over the past twenty years, I have been finding my way toward what I currently call “cultural empathy.” Cultural empathy brings together my academic curiosity as a cultural psychologist with my appreciation of empathic attunement as a therapist. It means asking questions and creating space to listen. In that sense, having cultural empathy does not mean being a blank slate: knowledge and theoretical frameworks matter when navigating the terrain of human experience. In this lunch dialogue, I would like to reflect on how cultural empathy has shaped my path as a researcher, teacher, and therapist, and explore together how cultural empathy can strengthen the international classroom as an inclusive and dynamic learning environment.
As part of our discussion, we will consider questions such as: Do we, as university educators, have a role in cultivating “soft” interpersonal skills like empathy—and how might these support the “hard” skills we emphasize? How do you balance teaching content with space for cultural and personal narratives to shape the learning process? What could cultural empathy look like in everyday teaching (feedback, assessment, participation)?
About the speaker
Dr. Michael Boiger is an assistant professor of social and cultural psychology in the Department of Psychology at the UvA and an emotion-focused/systemic therapist in private practice. His research focuses on the intersection of culture and emotion, exploring how the relational dynamics of emotion play out in different (inter)cultural contexts, such as intercultural relationships and intercultural therapeutic settings.
Practicalities
Please bring your lunch and a cup. We will offer some sweets and drinks.
If you are interested to join, please email Dr. Hülya Altinyelken (h.k.altinyelken@uva.nl). We look forward to meeting you at this lunch seminar!
Pedagogical Tools for International Classrooms
This document offers a collection of practical pedagogical tools to support teaching and learning in international classrooms. The activities foster inclusive, engaging, and interculturally responsive learning environments by encouraging participation, reflection, empathy, and collaboration.
Dr. Hülya Altinyelken is an Associate Professor at the Department of Child Development and Education (FMG), specializing in curricular and pedagogical reforms, internationalization in higher education, and inclusion and diversity. Furthermore, she has been awarded the NWO Veni, Comenius Senior Fellow, and TLC Research Fellowship to conduct in-depth analyses on these themes.
The TLC Didactic Innovation grant supports you in finding innovative solutions for your didactic challenges. These solutions can contribute to behaviour change, engagement, and knowledge transfer in education.
Core group
