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Learning in a new culture
and in an intercultural environment
Lars Peter Jensen and Xiangyun DuDepartment of Control Engineering
Department of Education, Learning and Philosophy
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Overview
Confronting culture Intercultural issues in teaching and
learning Intercultural group discussion Presentation
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What are the things confronting when entering a new
country?
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Things that have been taken for granted in one culture might be unknown in
another• Parents
Meeting cultures – Cultural shock
Please write 3 words:
What were your most impressive observations on arrival of AAU/DK?
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A Danish kindergarten teacher worked at a kindergarten in Greenland. A real story she experienced:
One day a boy’s mother was picking up him from kindergarten. He did not want to go home with her and behaved very badly. The mother pretended to leave kindergarten without him. She might expected the boy to go after her, however, he picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at his mother and hit her on the back of her head. Surprisingly, the mother turned round and cried ‘oh, how clever you are that you can throw stone so far and so precisely. Come on, we must hurry home to tell Dad. He will be very proud of you.’
Intercultural communication- values and meanings
Rasmussen & Bank-Mikkelsen 2000: 8)
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East vs. West - Cultural Differencescomparison of Western and Asian culture in the eyes of a
Chinese raised in Germany.
http://www.socialhallucinations.com/2008/11/east-vs-west---cultural-differences-in-pictures.html
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STREET AT WEEKEND
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SHOWER TIME
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QUEUING
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Symbolism
Manners and body language – eye contact, distance, etc.
Intercultural communication- non-verbal language
Rasmussen & Bank-Mikkelsen 2000: 8)
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Solution
(Herlitz 1989:60)
‘The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said.’
(Peter F. Drucker American Educator, b.1909)
Intercultural communication- cultural understanding
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Intercultural communication- cultural understanding
How would you read this ad of pills?
(Herlitz 1989:38)
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Please work in pairs, talking to different people using the script which follows…
The script:
A: ‘Hello’.
B: ‘Hello’.
A: ‘You are late’.
B: ‘I know’.
Try to do it completely differently each time.
Intercultural communication
- Power of language
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Intercultural communication in teaching and learning
Why is culture an issue? • Development of intercultural competencies
for future engineers • Establishment of international program
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Globalized context
Diverse capabilities
Lifelong learning
Project management
Social, environmental, and
ethical concerns
Effective communication
Designing and conducting
experiments
- National Academy of Engineering, The Engineer of 2020, 2004- EUR-ACE (Accreditation of European Engineering Programmes and
Graduates, http://www.feani.org/EUR_ACE/EUR_ACE_Main_Page.htm - ABET: http://www.abet.org/
Identity and solve applied science
problems
Team work
Application of mathematics and
science knowledge
Analytical skills
Interdisciplinary knowledge
Intercultural competencies
Developing intercultural competencies for future engineers
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Intercultural environment in PBL
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Challenges and identified problems 1
• Miscommunication arises due to
– Use of second language (English) as a means of communication
– Learning and working styles – Personality
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Challenges and identified problems 2Different beliefs on/ways of learning
– different expectations
Opinions?
Educational background
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Challenges and identified problems 2Different beliefs on/ ways of learning
Nobody knows the exact answers until the project is finished
Students are responsible for managing their own learning
Learners are creating new knowledge
Studying in a PBL environment, Denmark
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Challenges and identified problems 3Can group work be an efficient way of learning?
YES, we can meet at 8 tomorrow
morning
NO, I can’t get up anyway
Will they believe me
because I am a girl??
Listen to me, I am very
experienced
If we don’t follow the
supervisor’s suggestion, will he allow us to pass?
They don’t understand even
such easy things!!
It is my turn to talk?
He complains of my garlic, but he has coffee and carrots all the
time!!!
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New Life Shopping? Cooking?
Transportation?
Housing?
in Denmark
Challenges and identified problems 5New student life
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Doing project
in groups
Group meeting
Brainstorm
Subgroup work
Discussion Disagreement
Presentation
Compromise
Exam Report writin
g
Life
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Xiangyun was a new student
like you 9 years ago…
I don’t
understand
the lecturer
What on earththe supervisor wanted
me to do?
So difficult to do a project in group work!
I am Depressed!
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’There is still one more seat in the wall’
Study environment in some countries… Big class, little room for individual ideas
http://www.cnsphoto.com/
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Same materials year after year…
(Karl Smith, UMN)
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Memory is more important than
application skills for high scores…
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Transferred knowledge will be returned after exams
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Room for creativity?
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6:30 Get up in dorm
6:30-7:00 Morning Exercise
Xiangyun’s story: being a student in China
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7:00 Breakfast in Canteen
7:30 – 8:00 Morning Reading
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8:00 – 9:50Morning
Lectures
10:10 – 12:00 Morning Lectures
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14:00-16:00 Afternoon Activities
Lectures Supervision
Laboratory Library
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16:00-18:00 Leisure time
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Evening Activities – study individually
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Exams
Written form Hard tasks
Textbook knowledge based Scores matter
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Good Good Study, Day Day Up!
Study hard - high marks - diploma - good student
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`I have never worked in a group in my educational life… In group work, I preferred to listen when some students discussed intensely, because I could not understand why it was a question to discuss. Sometimes I could not follow their ideas or thinking. I need to change and actively work in the group.´ (Chinese female master student)
Student’s reflection
45
Is ethnicity the only reason thatmakes us different?
Muslim
Philosopher
Animaldoctor
Young girl
butcher
artistwolf
farmer
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Engineering culture – engineer study
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Engineering culture – engineer study
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Is culture something
we are born with?
(Jensen 2005:18)
’I got culture from mom’s breast breeding’
49(Jensen 2005:72)
You are so big. You can not stay here! Come back when you become smaller!
Learning from each other vs. cultural integration Self vs. others Acceptance vs. adaptation
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PBL in International programs, AAU, DenmarkDifferent backgrounds in educational culture
Cultural reflections
Doing PBL in ‘the right’ way!
A new culture to be established
Root of PBL in DK- Tradition of group work in Denmark - Critical thinking - Emphasis on - Collaboration and participation - Lower power gap - Close link between industry and university
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What can we benefit from international programs?
Group exercise• Discussion in intercultural groups• Products presented in posters• Poster presentation around walls
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