The conceptual framework for the paper is provided by Dimmock and Walker’s (2008) six dimensions society/regional/local culture to help think through the location of power in the modes of study.  Dimmock and Walker (2008) argue that in some societies power is distributed. In other societies there is a more central concentration of power where the learner takes a more passive role in society and is dependent on the instructor. Understanding the distribution or concentration of power in this way sheds light on signature pedagogies of Masters programmes and reveals the extent to which pedagogies lead to generative or replicative pedagogies. Regarded from this point of view, international educational programmes expose students to new modes of teaching and learning. The current tendencies in higher education, with the increased number of international joint study programmes and student mobility, pose questions about the impact of students’ cultural background on the efficiency of their learning in new educational settings when they are exposed to new teaching styles, methods and tools, and to new learning activities.

The aim of this paper is to generate new understandings of how learning at Masters level enables leaders to learn to engage with complex policy contexts in their educational institutions to work for social justice. Specifically the research engages with Masters-level modules in Educational Leadership. These modules were developed through the British Degrees in Russia (BRIDGE) project, which is an initiative sponsored by the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills, and administered by the British Council. BRIDGE project funds enabled Russian and English academics to develop a dual-award Masters in Educational Leadership, underpinned by joint research. 

The paper aims to understand the role dialogue plays in the Masters level learning of Britishand Russian learners through face to face lectures, workshops, and the use of presentations. To deliver on this aim, we ask five research questions. First, what is the role of dialogue as a mode of study? Second, how do educational British and Russian leaders doing the BRIDGE Masters degree in Educational leadership describe and understand face to face lectures to facilitate learning?  Third, how do these educational leaders describe and understand workshops to facilitate learning? Fourth, how do these educational leaders describe and understand presentations to facilitate learning? Finally how can these findings be theorised?

Asmolov, A. (2003). Practical psychology and designing the variant education in Russia: from conflict paradigm to tolerancy paradigm. Questions to Psychologies , 4, 3-4. British Educational Research Association, (2004). Revised Ethical Guidelines. Retrieved 2004, from http//: HYPERLINK "http://www.bera.ac.uk/publications/pdfs/ETHICA1.PDF" www.bera.ac.uk/publications/pdfs/ETHICA1.PDF Bespalko, V. (1989). Composed pedagogical technologies. Moscow: Pedagogica. Dimmock, C., & Walker, A. (2008). Educational Leadership. Culture and Diversity. London: Sage. Dolgorukov. (2008). The Social Design: making the viable systems. St Petersburg: Peter. education, T. F. The Federal Service for Inspection in the sphere of education. 2009. Eraut, M. (1994). Developing professional knowledge and competence. Lewes: Falmer Press. Gibson, W., Hall, A., & Callery, P. (2006). Topicality and the structure of interactive talk in face-to-face seminar discussions: implications for research in distributed learning media. British Educational Research Journal , 32 (1), 77-94. Hofstede, G (1986) Cultural differences in teaching and learning. In: International Journal of Intercultural Relations 10 (3) 301-320. Hutorski, A. (1998). The Competencies in formation: experience of the designing. Moscow: INEK. Klarin, M. (2007). Education to study: model systematic data acceptance, checking the hypothosese. No.1. Kraevski, V. (2008). Pedagogical Language in context of the modern scientific knowledge: The materials of methodology conference seminar. Volgograd: Krasnodar. Leal, F., & Saran, R. (2004). A Dialogue on the Socratic Dialogue, Act Two. (P. Shipley, Ed.) Occasional Working Papers in Ethics and Critical Philosophy , 3. Lerner, I. (1974). Problem-solving education. Moscow: Knowledge. Mahmutov, M. (1977). Organization problem-solving education in school. Moscow: Enlightenment. Polat, E. (2000). New Pedagogical and information technologies in the system of education. Moscow: Moscow Academy. Pring, R. (2000). Philosophy of Educational Research. London: Continuum. Salmon, G. (2007). E-Moderating: the key to teaching and learning online. London: Taylor and Francis.