Tainá  Estanislau Siman Alves, Nazarbayev University – June 26

My teaching mobility was an incredibly rewarding experience, both professionally and personally. I chose Nazarbeyv University due to its academic excellence in Central Asia and the opportunity to introduce students to topics closely related to my research interests.
Students were highly enganed and each group presented an academic article on an existing regional initiative in Central Asia. Building on these presentations, we revisited the initial exercise, comparing the students‘ first impressions with what they had learned about the region’s patterns of cooperation and the challenges it faces.
This experience allowed me to expand my teaching skills by working with students from a non-Western cultural context, experimenting with new classroom activities, and adapting my teaching to a different academic environment. It was equally valuable as a learning experience for me as it was for my students.

I would encourage colleagues to take advantage of teaching mobility opportunities. Choosing a topic that aligns with both your research interests and the host university’s expertise, while gathering information about the students and the course in advance, helps make the experience even more meaningful and rewarding.