During the first week in April, the Faculty of Physical Culture welcomed eight international guests, who came to enrich our knowledge within the 19th International Teaching Week. The ninth lecturer, who sadly had to stay in quarantine at home in the UK, gave a live stream lecture via Zoom. This semester, the guest speakers came from different parts of Europe – Spain, Poland, Slovenia, Ireland and the UK, as well as from countries that are a bit further – the USA, Philippines and Israel.
Diverse were both the cultural background of our guests and their lectures, which covered topics such as physical literacy, sport psychology, physical activity and public health, neuroscience, core conditioning, recreational drug use in sport or low-cost tools for fitness monitoring. Moreover, students could attend some practical workshops focusing, for example, on boccia or the concept of mindfulness.
It would not be a proper visit of Olomouc without showing the lecturers part of the town’s fascinating history and gastronomy so the cultural programme had to include a tour of the city hall on the Upper Square, trip to Svatý Kopeček and tasting of traditional smelly cheese “tvarůžky”.
How did the Vice-Dean for International Relations, Dr. Michal Kudláček, summarize the event?
"This year's spring International Teaching Week (ITW), which was the 19th event of this type at our faculty, benefited from the model of previous ITWs. Inviting the foreign experts represents a significant enrichment not only of all study programmes at the Faculty of Physical Culture, but also of relevant programmes of other faculties. Our long term aim is to bring the international environment closer to all students and academics, including those who are more timid and may not be brave enough to travel abroad. I dare say that the group of guest speakers at this year's spring ITW was exclusive, and the course of the whole event, as well as the presence of foreign colleagues at our faculty, was mutually enriching. I believe that the challenging organization and logistics of the event paid off, and that ITW represents a significant contribution and potential not only for the field of teaching, but also for the field of science and research." Photos of the event and some of the guest speakers’ presentations can be found on the ITW webpage.