What Can Students and Faculty Do - PowerPoint Presentation

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What Can Students and Faculty Do to Maximize Learning Abroad?

Michael Vande Berg, Ph.D.

St. Olaf College

24-25 October, 2013Slide2

Three dominant narratives: Our community’s ”stories” about learning across cultural gaps 1. Humans learn through

exposure

to cultural difference

2. Humans learn by being

immersed

in different types of cultural difference

3. Humans learn and

develop

:

a) by being

immersed

in cultural difference,

b) by

reflecting

on how they & others frame experience,

c) and by

re-framing

their experience

Vande Berg, M., Paige, R. M., & Lou, K. H. (Eds.) (2012).

Student learning abroad: what our students are learning, what they’re not, and what we can do about it.

Sterling, VA: Stylus.Slide3

First story: students learn when they are exposed to the unfamiliar culture “out there”Students learn through exposure to the new and different in privileged places.

Students learn when educators describe, talk about cultural-specific differences.

Slide4

The first story is hierarchical: Students encounter sophisticated, “civilized” people & places With the Grand Tour—this story’s signature program—learning occurs through exposure to the new & different in privileged places, and through modeling and imitationSlide5

With story one, we learn to cross cultural gaps through imitating external models To learn, we climb up. . .

And when we

slide down. . . Slide6

Second story: Cultural relativism undermines the assumption of cultural hierarchy

Our common humanity binds us together, and no culture is superior to any other

Slide7

Second narrative: immersing learners productively through social engineering

The Contact Hypothesis*: several

“Conditions”

need to be present if groups separated by deep differences are to

change attitudes

about each other:

Equal statusCommon goalsIntergroup cooperation

Authority supportFriendship potential

*Allport, G. W. (1954).

The Nature of Prejudice

. Reading, MA:

Addision

-Wesley.

*Pettigrew, T. (1998). Intergroup contact theory.

Annual Review of Psychology

, 49, 65-85.

*Pettigrew, T. (2008). Future directions for intergroup contact theory and research.

International Journal of Intercultural Relations

, 32, 187-199.Slide8

Second Story: educators foster learning through “immersing” students in difference

Types of differences

educators teach before

immersing students:

Non-verbal

communication

Communication styles

Learning stylesCognitive stylesValue contrastsSlide9

Second story: our community’s core immersion assumptions and practices

Maximize duration of experience

Enroll students in host institutions

Improve second language

proficiency

Maximize contact with host nationals

Carry out “experiential” activities: Internships, service learning, field work, etc.

House students with host families or host studentsSlide10

Evidence supporting first and second storiesMost frequently cited: “Study abroad transformed me”Slide11

Convergence of disciplinary evidence challenges the positivism of stories 1 & 2: “Constructivism”

The History of Science (Kuhn)

Cultural Anthropology (Hall, La Brack)

Experiential learning theory (Kolb, Osland)

Developmental theory (Piaget, Perry,

Belenky

,

Kegan, Baxter Magolda

)Intercultural Communication (Hall, Bennett, Bennett, Hammer)

Psychology (

Lewin

, Kelly, Savicki)

Linguistics (Sapir, Whorf,

Deutscher

)

Cognitive Biology (

Maturana

, Varela)

Neuroscience (Zull)

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Recent research findings also challenge first & second story assumptions about learning

In the Georgetown Consortium study* 1,159 study abroad students enrolled in 61 separate study abroad programs; 138 control students did not study abroad.

On average, students abroad did not make significant gains in intercultural competence: “a student is all too often in the vicinity of Shanghai without having a Shanghai experience.”

While learning gains of

female students were not large,

they did, on average, learn & develop

significantly more—

interculturally

and linguistically—than did males.

*Vande Berg, M. (2009). Intervening in student learning abroad: A research-based inquiry. (M. Bennett, Guest Ed.)

Intercultural Education

, Vol. 20, Issue 4, pp. 15-27.Slide13

Core Georgetown Study findings*: To whatextent do traditional “immersion” practices foster intercultural learning?

Send students abroad for longer periods: Limited impact

Take steps to improve SL proficiency: No impact

Maximize contact with host nationals: No impact

Enroll in host school classes: No impact

Doing Internships, service learning: No impact

Maximizing contact with host nationals: No impact

Being housed in home stays: No impactPre departure cultural orientation:

Yes—some impactHome stays:

Yes—when students engaged with host family

Cultural mentoring at sites abroad:

Yes—the highest impact practice in the study

*Vande Berg, M.; Connor-Linton, J.; & Paige, R. M. The Georgetown Consortium Study: Intervening in student learning abroad.

Frontiers: the Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad

. Vol. XVIII, pp. 1-75. Slide14

Third Story: how each of us frames an event determines what it meansWe

begin

to learn

interculturally

as we become aware of how we

and others typically frame

our experiences:“ We don’t see things as they are,

we see things as we are.”

(

Anias

Nin)Slide15

Third story: Since most students abroad don’t develop on their own, educators need to intervene Educators help students learn to

interact more effectively and appropriately

in unfamiliar cultural contexts through:

Helping immerse

students in difference—

part of the time

Helping students

learn to reflect—and thus to become aware of the ways that they and others characteristically frame

experienceHelping students learn

to

re-frame

—that is,

to

shift perspective and adapt behavior

to other cultural contextsSlide16

An influential third story learning theory: Learning is experiential, developmental and holistic

Kolb, A. & D. Kolb. (2005). Learning styles and learning spaces: Enhancing experiential learning in higher education.

Academy of Management Learning & Education,

Vol. 4, No. 2, 193-212.Slide17

An influential developmental theory:the Intercultural

Development Continuum

Modified from the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS), M. Bennett, 1986

Monocultural

Mindset

Intercultural

Mindset

Misses Difference

Judges Difference

De-emphasizes Difference

Deeply Comprehends Difference

Bridges across Difference

Copyright, 1998-

2013,

Mitchell R. Hammer, Ph.D., IDI, LLC, used with permissionSlide18

Facilitating intercultural development through study abroad: 4 current approaches to intervention Faculty or staff living at sites abroad train students through required or elective courses

Home campus faculty accompanying students train them at sites abroad

Faculty and staff train students before and after study abroad through required training courses

Faculty or TAs at home campuses train students, on line, while students are abroadSlide19

Assessing Intercultural Development: Comparative Program Data (IDI=90-point scale*)

SA without facilitation at program site:

IDI Gains

Georgetown U. Consortium Study (60 progs.)** +1.32

SA with facilitation across program: IDI Gains

U

of Pacific training program

+17.46

AUCP training program (Aix, Marseille) +13.00

CIEE training program (20 programs, fall 2012) +11.34

Intercultural

Development Inventory (IDI):

www.idiinventory.com

; Hammer, M. (2012).

Hammer, M. (2012). The

Intercultural Development Inventory: A new frontier in assessment and development of intercultural competence. In Vande Berg, M., Paige, R. M. & Lou, K. H. (Eds

.).

What our students are learning, what they’re not, and what we can do about it

. Sterling, VA: Stylus.

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Four core intercultural competenciesHelping students learn to interact more effectively and appropriately with culturally different others means:

Helping them i

ncrease their cultural and personal self awareness

through reflecting on their experiences

;

Helping them i

ncrease their awareness of others within their own cultural and personal contexts;

Helping them learn to m

anage emotions in the face of ambiguity, change, and challenging circumstances & people

Helping them learn to b

ridge cultural gaps—which is to say, helping them

learn to shift frames and adapt behavior to other cultural contexts.Slide21

Thank you!

mvandeberg@mvbassociates.com

21Slide22

Workshop: Applying Intercultural Theoryand Research to our Teaching & Training

Michael Vande Berg, Ph.D.

St. Olaf College

Friday, October 25Slide23

Three dominant narratives—our community’s ”stories”—about learning across cultural gaps 1. Humans learn through

exposure

to cultural difference

2. Humans learn by being

immersed

in different types of cultural difference

3. Humans learn and

develop: a) by being immersed

in cultural difference, b) by reflecting

on how they & others frame experience,

c) and by

re-framing

their experience

Vande Berg, M., Paige, R. M., & Lou, K. H. (Eds.) (2012).

Student learning abroad: what our students are learning, what they’re not, and what we can do about it.

Sterling, VA: Stylus.Slide24

A growing gap: different stories about learning awayWhich story or stories about learning away are students typically telling?

We educators are increasingly likely to be telling story three.

What can we do to bridge this learner/educator cultural gap?Slide25

Four core intercultural competenciesHelping students learn to interact more effectively and appropriately with culturally different others means:

Helping them i

ncrease their cultural and personal self awareness

through reflecting on their experiences

;

Helping them i

ncrease their awareness of others within their own cultural and personal contexts;

Helping them learn to m

anage emotions in the face of ambiguity, change, and challenging circumstances & people

Helping them learn to b

ridge cultural gaps—which is to say, helping them

learn to shift frames and adapt behavior to other cultural contexts.Slide26

Approaching learning away developmentally:A profoundly intercultural process

Bring my own way of framing the event into awareness

Bring the student’s/students’ way(s) of framing the event into awareness

Start

our teaching/training by

shifting our frame and adapting our behavior

to our students’ ways of framing learning away—a developmental approach to

interacting more effectively and appropriatelySlide27

At the same time we’re working to shift our frame:We’re balancing learner Challenge & Support

Fadiman, Clifton. (1966).

Self and Society.Slide28

Pre-departure & on-site orientations:Helping start student IC learning & development

Identifying personal goals (identifying outcomes and obstacles comes later): “Why am I choosing to learn away from home?”

Practicing framing & re-framing

Understanding “Culture,” mine and yours (objective & subjective)

Identifying out-of-awareness assumptions

The comfort, learning and panic zones (“holistic learning” without the third story jargon)

Practicing reflection, & increasing awareness of self and otherPracticing learning around the experiential cycle

Reflecting and increasing awareness of own tendencies through practicing basic transition model (not “culture shock” models)Suspending judgment and engaging ambiguity

Becoming aware of learning styles, mine and yoursBecoming aware of common communication style dimensions, mine and yoursPracticing basic adaptation process

Practicing mindfulness

Beginning to engage with cultural partnerSlide29

Teachers/trainers need to familiarize themselves with:Learner-centered needs at each stage of sojournFocusing all training around the four core intercultural competencies

Activities that help learners practice the four core competencies (see bibliography)

Helping students shift perspective around their learning and adapt their behavior to the third story (that is, practicing the basic adaptation process ourselves)

Balancing learner challenge and support (including the comfort, learning and panic zones)

Differentiating learning and development

Assessing Intercultural learning and development

Experiential training—through simulations, role plays, skits

The debriefing of such analogue activities “around the experiential cycle” (Kolb and Thiagi

question sequences)Holistic training: legitimizing and practicing the emotional dimensions of learning and trainingUnderstanding and practicing mindfulness and empathy

Focusing on our own intercultural developmentSlide30

Facilitating our own intercultural learning and development: Some action steps

From theory to practice: familiarizing ourselves with the literature (see bibliography)

Learning to train developmentally, experientially & holistically: attendance at intercultural workshops

Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication (

SIIC

; annually in July in Portland, OR)

Intercultural Development Inventory Qualifying Seminar (

IDI QS; multiple times a year, including in Minneapolis)

Queen University’s International Educators Training Program (IETP; annually in June in Kingston, ON)

Wake Forest Skills Enhancement Program (

WISE

; annually in February in Winston-Salem, NC)

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Framing the experience their way: Students choose to learn away “to make a difference”

Goals

Study what I can’t at home in my major

Explore new academic perspectives

Improve Second Language proficiency

Make a difference in others’ lives: service

Make a difference in other’s lives: research

Enhance c.v. and employability Travel to new and different places

Find romance, maybe the love of my life Make friends in new & different places Escape personal problems at home

Escape academic rigor of home campus

“Bragging rights”

“Making a difference”: for self, self & other, society

1

1

1

3

3

1

1

2

2

1

1

1Slide32

One case: shifting our frame for those students

who want to enhance their c.v. & employability

“There is real business value in employing staff who have the ability to work effectively with individuals and organizations from cultural backgrounds different from their own.

Employees who lack these skills may leave their organizations susceptible to risks including:

Loss of clients

Damage to reputation

Conflict with Teams” *

Employers report that educational institutions should do more to help students develop intercultural competence.

*“Culture at Work: The Value of Intercultural Skills in the Workplace.”(2013). British Council, IPSOS, & Booz/Allen/Hamilton. http://www.britishcouncil.org/press/research-reveals-value-intercultural-skills-workplace

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Providing support often means starting with the (more or less) familiar: “What do we see?”

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Providing support by leading with the familiar:Describe the woman in this pictureSlide35

Teaching Learning: A basic simulation game for introducing framing and assumptionsDraw

four

straight lines connecting all nine dots, without retracing any line or lifting your pen from the page

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Practicing framing & frame shifting“Ask yourself:

What assumption am I making,

That I’m not aware I’m making,

That gives me what I see?

And when you answer that, ask yourself:

What might I now invent,

That I haven’t yet invented,

That would give me other choices?”*

Zander, R. S. & Zander

, B. (2000). The art of possibility. New York: PenguinSlide37

Becoming aware of out-of-awareness assumptions behind our frames. More practice! Draw

three

straight lines connecting all nine dots, without retracing any line, or lifting your pen from the pageSlide38

What have we begin to experience through such optical illusions and simulations?

We do not experience events in the same way: we

frame

our experience in different ways—

even if we’re all from the same national culture

.

The meaning of events is not in the events themselves, but in us: We make the meaning

that we perceive in events—and we can make meaning differently from others, even if we’re all from the same national culture.

We can learn to shift our frames of reference.

When we can see that there are different ways of framing an event, we have

choices

!Slide39

An intercultural strategy: Simulations & DebriefingThiagi’s

six debriefing stages (compare Kolb):

How do you feel?

What happened?

What did you learn?

How does this relate to the world outside this room?

What if. . . ?What next?Slide40

Thank you!

mvandeberg@mvbassociates.com

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