enhancing internationalisationd3mcbia3evjswv.cloudfront.net/files/session 6... · 2014-08-04 ·...

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Enhancing Internationalisation

12th June 2012

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The 1st Semester – What can lecturers do to help new international students swim rather than sink?


Overview Topics

1.  Brief consideration of some of the language and cultural issues facing international students

2.  Practical tips and ideas from other conferences and recent research

3.  Feedback – sharing of knowledge and experience

‘Many new students flounder says Ofqual report’ The Independent (Tuesday 03 April 2012)

•  “A culture of re-sits, bitesize exams and schools drilling pupils to pass tests is leaving many new students floundering at university….”

•  “As a result of this, new students fail to take control of their own degree studies because they are used to being told how to pass an exam.”

•  “…many academics do not think that new students have the skills needed for degree study, such as researching, essay writing and references, with some graduates lacking the levels of English and maths required.”

Fit for Purpose? The view of the higher education sector, teachers and employers on the suitability of A levels (Ipsos MORI Social Research Institute Ofqual/12/5145 April 2012. Available at http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/14104/1/2012-04-03-fit-for-purpose-a-levels.pdf)


Flounder 1.  To make clumsy attempts to move or regain

one's balance. 2.  To move or act clumsily and in confusion. 3.  Struggle mentally; show or feel great confusion


•  The focus of the Ofqual survey was UK students and the suitability of A level courses/exams.

•  What about international students?

Ø Language Ø Academic Ø Culture

– General – Age and experience – Academic

Issues for International Students


Ø  Culture shock

Ø  Stress and anxiety

Ø  Difficulty following rapid speech (formal e.g. lectures and informal e.g. discussion)

Ø  Difficulty grasping spoken instructions in face-to-face situations

Ø  Reluctance to speak

Ø  Waiting to be invited (e.g. group discussions)

Ø  Misunderstanding (e.g. instructions)

These problems can manifest in:


How can lecturers respond?

Sources: •  Suggestions taken from a conference on working with

International students (at Sheffield Hallam University, 2006)

•  Published research in HE Academy Link magazine (2006)

•  Reflections on the experience of a postgraduate Chinese student published in TESOL Journal (2010)

•  Published research in English Language Teaching Journal (2011).

•  Observations by my own (Japanese) MA student (2012)


Improving the learning experience of international students Workshop held at Sheffield Hallam University. Date: 9 June, 2006 http://www.llas.ac.uk/events/archive/2513 Issues discussed: •  Autonomous learning •  Critical analysis •  Group work Noted that cultural background needs to be acknowledged

Problems noted: •  Other academic cultures are/may be more focussed on results and

therefore students need to learn to value the process of learning; •  Need to encourage and teach students to become independent learners

who focus on deep learning; •  Reluctance to be critical of the people they expect to be learning from -

Students need to be taught to question; •  Issues of having both the language skills and experience to express their

thoughts, evaluations and criticisms.

•  International students need to develop the confidence in their own ability to contribute; The issue of confidence, as in critical analysis, is often relevant to group work.

•  Negative feedback from home students who are used to collaborative work and may not fully understand the reservations of international students in the group.

•  A problem can be that, within the group, contributions are not equally made. This can be alleviated by the tutor carefully selecting the group members.

•  Group work is generally considered to be valuable as a mode of assessment. However, the pedagogical rationale behind it needs to be explained clearly to both international and home students.

Suggestions: •  In group/pair work situations, the tutors should place

students in groups, rather than allowing self-selection. •  Sensitively invite/encourage students to participate •  Incorporate discussions about the benefits of group

work, and HOW students plan to complete the task (pedagogical rationale).

•  Set clear criteria for all assessment modes, including critical analysis.

Source (edited): Chisholm, A. (2006). Event report: Improving the learning experience of international students. International students (9 June 06, Sheffield) Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies <http://www.llas.ac.uklevents/archive/2513>


Brown, L. (2006). A consideration of the problems faced by international students in English Language acquisition. LINK (16), pp. 8-10. http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/hlst/documents/LINK_Newsletter/Link_16.pdf http://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/4899/2/language_problems_in_international_students.pdf

Culture shock A commonly-cited feature of culture shock is language shock caused by immersion into an environment where the dominant language spoken is not the sojourner's native language, inducing feelings of helplessness, confusion, sadness, disorientation and anxiety.” ‘Learning shock’ “Nearly all students identify a link between linguistic competence and the level of participation in class; therefore much anxiety is expressed about the prevalence of class discussion, an academic difference between the UK and many other countries noted in a survey by The British Council (1999). At first lectures and seminars can send students into learning shock: most students sit silently in class for many months, rarely volunteering an answer unless picked on.”

Brown, L. (2006). A consideration of the problems faced by international students in English Language acquisition. LINK (16), pp. 8-10.

•  Often examples given are unfamiliar to the students •  Differences between school and university learning •  Differences between home and UK academic cultures •  Tendency towards plagiarism

Problems noted:

Suggestions: •  Slow down delivery where possible

•  Be careful of local/culturally specific examples not familiar to international students

•  Give out handouts in advance (or on Moodle) and lists of key vocabulary

•  Don't be afraid of repeating information - especially key information

•  Sensitively invite students to participate

•  Make academic expectations clear

Source (edited): Brown, L. (2006). A consideration of the problems faced by international students in English Language acquisition. LINK (16), pp. 8-10. http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/hlst/documents/LINK_Newsletter/Link_16.pdf http://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/4899/2/language_problems_in_international_students.pdf

A Case Study of an In-class Silent Postgraduate Student in London Metropolitan University: a Journey of Learning Wang Ping (TESOL Journal Vol. 2, pp. 207-214, 2010. <http://www.tesol-journal.com>)

•  Formerly headmaster of a foreign language school in China

•  Observations based on first two-months of studying for an MA at London Met.

“I was silent in the classroom, seldom asking questions or joining class discussion voluntarily. Unless called upon personally to respond to a question or required to do a presentation, I have done minimal class participation. However, such silence in class was far from what I had desired. In fact, I was often upset and frustrated by the fact that a range of negative feelings such as anxiety, depression, inferiority and loss of confidence associated with my low level of participation. I felt bad because I had the feeling that I was being left out of the class…”

Reviewed literature and noted: •  “Chinese students preference for working alone rather than in

groups; they tend not to like asking questions, and to set little value by peer-group discussion.”

•  Low proficiency in English associated with reduced confidence in the ability to participate orally in classroom discussion.

•  Most Chinese students accustomed to minimal speaking opportunities at school….. students’ perceptions about acceptable behaviours in the classroom were influenced by the cultural meanings of appropriate participation.

•  Influenced by Confucian values,…. Chinese students preferred didactic and teacher-centred style of teaching.

•  Remaining silent is one strategy used by Chinese students to avoid the awkwardness associated with disagreement and, thus, maintain harmonious relationships with others.

He comments about his own experience: •  “Usually I hesitated to join class discussions, worrying that I would be

unable to deal with the possible conflicts or misunderstandings occurring during conversations. The challenges of English communication confronting me were also accompanied by a sense of incompetence. I was concerned about how my lecturers would react to my English proficiency, and this appeared to influence my decision-making about classroom participation.

•  Influenced forcibly by the traditional Chinese culture, and the total lack of basic appreciation of the UK educational contexts as well as the UK educational culture and knowledge base, I seemed to be a clumsy oaf in the class.

•  Moreover, my personal unfamiliarity with peer students in class was often identified as an important element that could inhibit me to be involved in the classroom participation. Sitting in a large class in which we did not know one another was thought of as cause of pressure, because I worried about how I would be perceived by my classmates, influencing my lack of classroom participation. “

Suggestions “The main lesson from the two-month experiences studying in the London Metropolitan University is”:

•  “that my in-class silence does not signal a fault of a teacher, but a difference that may be dealt with ad hoc techniques.”

•  “Facing heterogeneous international students requires the lecturers to be more alert than in the case of a class that is uniform, culturally, ideologically or otherwise, but it does not automatically lead to a loss in teaching effectiveness.

•  “…not to forget that the student, who is sitting quiet in your classroom, not making eye contact, not venturing opinions, might well be exhibiting the positive characteristics of an excellent student in his or her culture. Make sure in your teaching that you take into account the needs of the quiet students as well as the noisy, demanding, responsive one.”


A case study into the relationship between learning styles and effective learning/teaching of vocabulary focusing on less successful Junior High School students in Japan Yoko Nakano (unpublished MA dissertation, 2012)

Learning style is defined as individual preferences in learning; in contrast, “Culture" refers not to what is individual but to what is shared by a group of individuals. ….individuals are most likely not born with a genetic predisposition to learn analytically or relationally, visually or kinesthetically. They "learn how to learn” through the socialization process that occurs in families and friendship groups.


“Data analysis revealed that my target student uses limited number of learning styles and strategies for vocabulary learning that are Authority-Oriented and Concrete learning styles.”

Reviewed literature and noted:

•  “….that less successful language learners are not as adept at flexing when the specific need arises and are more likely to rigidly persist with a particular style in the face of evidence (such as low grades) that their learning styles is not effective.”

•  “…..that individual learning preferences are likely strongly associated with cultural background”

•  Japan, China and East Asian countries have been greatly influenced by the Confucian tradition: The teacher is an authority figure who directly makes decision with regard to what to teach in a teacher- centered situation rather than a learner-centered one.

•  Group work and pair work are not common in Japanese classrooms….. these kinds of activities should be carefully introduced in vocabulary learning.

Suggestion(s) •  Mismatches may occur when the teacher's teaching style and students'

learning styles are not compatible. Therefore, it may be practical for teachers to accommodate different learning styles to bridge the gap between teachers' teaching styles and learners' learning styles…. .

•  Group work and pair work activities should be carefully introduced


The first term at university: implications for EAP

Source (edited): Evans, S. and Morrison, B. (2011) “The first term at university: implications for EAP” ELT Journal Volume 65/4 October 2011; pp387-397 This recent (October 2011) article from English Language Teaching Journal examined the findings of a longitudinal study of the learning and use of English at an English-medium university in Hong Kong, and to identify the challenges students faced when studying for their degrees in a second language.

Problems noted: •  Writing (with academic style, cohesion, and grammar identified the three

most difficult aspects)

•  Apparent lack of a rich (especially technical) vocabulary, which impedes their comprehension of lectures and set texts and may also explain their lack of confidence in their writing style

•  uncertainty over their lecturers’ requirements and expectations in written assignments,

•  unfamiliarity with disciplinary genres and referencing conventions,

•  inexperience in planning and writing extended texts requiring the synthesis of information and ideas from multiple sources,

•  apparent inability to communicate understanding of the subject matter in stylistically appropriate academic prose.

“We can only use some simple word to express ourselves rather than use a large range of words with the similar meanings to express ourselves.” (Management and Marketing student)

“. . . in university they want to use some more professional word. So this professional word prevent us to learn, to read quickly and so sometime we cannot catch in the lesson.” (Building Surveying student)

“The most difficult part is that in secondary school we just, we just read the notes the teachers [give] to us but in university we always have to find different resources from the library and from the first experience sometimes the book is very very thick.” (Accounting and Finance student)

Difference between participants from Chinese-medium schools and those from English-medium schools:

•  Students from English-medium schools adapted reasonably smoothly to the demands of university-level listening because they had already become attuned to listening to teachers imparting academic knowledge in English.

•  Students from Chinese-medium schools found the transition particularly testing as their knowledge of ‘general’ academic vocabulary was incomplete….[they] apparently floundered in the first few weeks because they were unaccustomed to listening to long stretches of academic discourse in English and lacked the requisite general and technical vocabulary to process this input.

Their disorientation was compounded if their lecturers:

•  failed to upload notes and associated PowerPoint files on the University’s learning management system beforehand;

•  delivered their lectures too quickly and without pausing at regular intervals to summarize key points; and

•  neglected to make the purpose and structure of the lecture explicit at the outset and to signal transitions clearly as they progressed.

Suggestions: •  upload notes and associated PowerPoint files on to

‘Moodle’ before the lecture if possible

•  reduce the pace of delivery and pause at regular intervals to summarize key points

•  make the purpose and structure of the lecture explicit at the outset and try to signal transitions clearly as it progresses

Source (edited): Evans, S. and Morrison, B. (2011) “The first term at university: implications for EAP” ELT Journal Volume 65/4 October 2011; pp387-397

Summary of suggestions •  In group/pair work situations, the tutors should place students in

groups, rather than allowing self-selection.

•  Sensitively invite/encourage students to participate (x2)

•  Incorporate discussions about the benefits of group work, and HOW students plan to complete the task (pedagogical rationale).

•  Set clear criteria for all assessment modes, including critical analysis/Make academic expectations clear (x2)

•  Slow down delivery where possible/reduce the pace of delivery and pause at regular intervals to summarize key points (x2)



•  Give out handouts in advance (or on ‘Moodle’) and lists of key vocabulary/upload notes and associated PowerPoint files on to Moodle before the lecture if possible (x2)

•  Make the purpose and structure of the lecture explicit at the outset and try to signal transitions clearly as it progresses

•  “Make sure in your teaching that you take into account the needs of the quiet students as well as the noisy, demanding, responsive one.”

•  “accommodate different learning styles to bring the gap between teachers' teaching styles and learners' learning styles”


DISCUSSION

1.  Do you agree with the suggestions made? 2.  Do you disagree with any of them? 3.  Do you have any others to make from your own experience or

reading?

Summary of suggestions •  In group/pair work situations, the tutors should place students in groups, rather than

allowing self-selection.

•  Sensitively invite/encourage students to participate (x2)

•  Incorporate discussions about the benefits of group work, and HOW students plan to complete the task (pedagogical rationale).

•  Set clear criteria for all assessment modes, including critical analysis/Make academic expectations clear (x2)

•  Slow down delivery where possible/reduce the pace of delivery and pause at regular intervals to summarize key points (x2)



•  Give out handouts in advance (or on ‘Moodle’) and lists of key vocabulary/upload notes and associated PowerPoint files on to Moodle before the lecture if possible (x2)

•  Make the purpose and structure of the lecture explicit at the outset and try to signal transitions clearly as it progresses

•  “Make sure in your teaching that you take into account the needs of the quiet students as well as the noisy, demanding, responsive one.”

•  “accommodate different learning styles to bring the gap between teachers' teaching styles and learners' learning styles”

enhancing internationalisationd3mcbia3evjswv.cloudfront.net/files/session 6... · 2014-08-04 ·...

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