Learning in a new culture

and in an intercultural environment

Xiangyun Du & Lars Peter Jensen

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Overview Overview

Confronting cultureConfronting culture Intercultural issues in teaching Intercultural issues in teaching

and learningand learning Intercultural group discussion Intercultural group discussion Presentation 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

For foreign students: What were your most impressive observations on arrival of AAU/DK?

For Danish students: What were your most impressive observations on arrival of another country?

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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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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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Symbolism

Manners and body language – eye contact, distance, etc.

Intercultural communication- non-verbal language

Rasmussen & Bank-Mikkelsen 2000: 8)

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Intercultural communication- cultural understanding

How would you read this ad of pills?

(Herlitz 1989:38)

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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 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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I was a new student like you 7 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

My 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

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Is ethnicity the only reason thatmakes us different?

Muslim

Philosopher

Animaldoctor

Young girl

butcher

artistwolf

farmer

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Is culture something

we are born with?

(Jensen 2005:18)

’I got culture from mom’s breast breeding’

38(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