Experiences of Teaching a Culturally Diverse and Internationalised Student Body

Dr Patrick Corr – Centre Director

A little context – What is INTO Queen’s?

INTO is a global private sector organisation that partners with leading universities to transform their international performance, invest in their student experience and prepare students for success in higher education worldwide.

Partnerships with universities in the UK, USA and China

INTO’s UK University Partners since 2006

Partnerships with universities in the UK, USA and China

The INTO Queen’s Centre

INTO Queen’s is a joint venture partnership, between INTO and Queen’s;

• Established in August 2009 – based in Lennoxvale

• Range of English language and Pathway programmes

• Rapid growth – currently almost 200 Queen’s students

• We are the journey – a Queen’s degree is the destination

Overview of courses

English Language Courses Academic Courses: by pathway

English for University Study:Undergraduate and Postgraduate

Pre-sessional English

In-sessional English Study Abroad with English

Summer School English packages:This is a tailored English course including a social programme, available upon request

International Foundation:• Engineering and Science• Business, Humanities & Social

Sciences

International Diploma:• Engineering• Management and Finance

Graduate Diploma:• Finance• Management • Computing (NEW Sept 2012)

The student’s Journey

Imagine you are an international student ….

It can be a difficult journey…

UKBACulture Shock

Home sickness

Everything is different .. weather,

accents, social norms, etc, etc

Different education

system

Making the big leapInto the brave new world

Spot the individual

They rote learn and lack critical thinking skills

They are passive, won’t talk in class

Progressive Western teaching methods don’t work with Asian students

They only focus on assessment

They don’t understand what plagiarism means

They won’t mix

Some common overgeneralisations:

Motivations and Expectations

Motivations and Expectations

Student motivations and expectations are all

different

International students: issues

Language difficulties

Cultural differences – independent learning

Educational expectations - plagiarism

Why don't they speak slowly? Our teachers normally dictate the notes.

Roles of university teachers- more or less supportive or involved?

Differing learning styles and experiences – education systems differ

Ability and opportunities to integrate

Language Difficulties

Three main problems have been identified from a number of independent surveys:

Listening and speaking in seminars:• expectations – what is a seminar?

• speed of input – other students

• shyness

• inability to formulate a response (fast enough)

• knowing the ‘best way’ to say something

Academic writing:• Expectation of role of tutors/lecturers

• Type of assignments/skills required

• Conventions of written work

• Range/type of resources used

• Form and culture of assessment

• Linguistic competence- limited vocabulary/grammatical range

• Plagiarism- often easy to identify in international students

Listening and note-taking:• Understanding a new accent, a variety of

accents• Understanding fast talkers• New vocabulary

• Listening, looking and writing at the same time• Getting used to a different system

Cultural differences

May include:-– being too teacher-dependent– being uncritical of materials– understanding what independent

learning means in HEI– ‘accidental’ plagiarism

In class

• All new students need to adjust to their new educational setting - school to university, country to city.

• Those from an international background will generally have significantly more adjustment to make – culture, climate ,language…

• International students do have a range of different needs.

• To accommodate them we need to change (or have already changed) how we teach and what we teach and probably, how we think about teaching …. to accommodate cultural and linguistic diversity.

Some practical considerations

• Find time to learn a little about the cultural backgrounds of your students & about the different kinds of experiences and expectations they may have

• Be conscious of your own delivery - speed, language

• Use visual support, handouts, QOL

• Mix nationalities in group work - shared input into final product

• Discuss and decode academic language. How is ‘evaluate’ different from ‘justify’

• Draw upon and use students’ ‘cultural capital’ they have lots to contribute - interesting for local students

• Keep on and on about acknowledging and referencing

Actively Manage Diversity

• Be aware of and accept academic cultural difference.

experiencing differences as a natural and enriching issue instead of a problem is another significant condition for intercultural learning’ (Jokikokko, 2009).

• Be prepared to support students through the transition period & help them develop the necessary skills to be successful

• Use teaching methods that encourage participation and collaboration

• Anticipate and manage predictable problems (expectations, integration,group work, plagiarism, etc)