International study tours: an avenue for personal growth

This article consists of four integral parts of a complex process leading to successful implementation of international study tours. Our role as faculty members, in the development of these study tours, began with the proactive, reflective practice of examining our cultural experiences, perceptions, and understandings of our cultural knowledge, dispositions, and skills. Through these tours, educators from other countries and cultures come to The University of Montana and experience a collaboration of ideas and acquire a better understanding of education in the United States. To be successful these study tours need to go beyond content and include a variety of less tangible aspects ranging from the Initial Request for Proposals to the culminating activities. These study tours have led to the empowerment of educational leaders becoming instruments of positive change in their homeland. In turn, the relationships developed have transformed the faculty presenters and the institution in ways that are both measurable and immeasurable. Human relationships based on mutual respect and dignity underlie the success of educational tours.