Module 3Intercultural Skills forFacilitating Learning

Aims of Module 3• Explore our Racial Identities & how it may influence how we

work as intercultural educators• Consider the influence of ‘positioning’ for students &

educators• Identify inhibitors, strategies & resources for effective student

engagement in the intercultural space• Consider barriers & facilitators for having effective

intercultural discussions

What practice based learning’s did you take awayfrom yesterdays session?

Exploring our Racial Identities• Racial consciousness:

“A process where we seek to explore how we understand ‘race’, how it has featured in our lives and what factors influenced it, inclusive of broader social narratives and policies” (Singleton & Linton, 2006, :73).

• For intercultural educators, reflecting on our own racial identity supports us to be mindful of our position, & how influences shaping our racial identity may influence how we engage with students.

• In pairs, discuss your Racial Autobiography homework experience.

• In the whole group, discuss1. What did this exercise highlight for you about who YOU

are as an educator in the Intercultural Space? 2. What kind of implications may this have on your

teaching?

Activity 1

Theoretical Models• Racial identity models:– Helms White Racial Identity Development Model – talks

about whiteness and systemic privileges– Fearon’s Model – talks about how social and personal

identity develops and there differences– Cross’ People of Color Identity Model – talks about social

and personal identity but in context of political & historical forces

Self Reflexivity• Having an ongoing conversation with one’s own whole self

about what one is experiencing as one is experiencing it. To be self-reflexive is to engage in feeling and thought while being in the moment.

• “If you don’t question yourself and your actions and assumptions you could well be participating in the continued disadvantage of others” (ICH Student Reflection, 2011).

Positioning & ‘Lens’• Positioning & Lens:

- Affected by discourse, individual psychology & the dynamic social role

- Multiple positions can exist at any one time- Lens shape how we perceive and interpret the experience

we are having

• Examples of lens we can see through:- Gender, Cultural, Social justice, Class, Professional, Age.

Dimensions of Diversity

The photo “Dimensions of Diversity” (Loden Associates Inc, n.d.)

• In groups of three, discuss Classroom Scenario 2 or 3.

• In the whole group, discuss1. How you can draw on your own sense of your Racial

Identity, Positioning & Lens to facilitate safe & effective intercultural discussion?

2. What other strategies can you use to facilitate effective discussion in the intercultural space?

Activity 2

• In the whole group, discuss

1. Is the context of the video appropriate for having an intercultural dialogue? Why/why not?

2. Given Australia’s colonial history, how do present material & have intercultural discussions that are productive rather than polarising?

3. How would you facilitate this space to have safe & effective discussions?

Activity 3

Challenges to Effective Engagementin Intercultural Space

ICH focus groups feedback:

• Racist students • Difficult/ defensive • Anger/ resentment (often

arising from negative past experiences)

• Denial of racism • Non-engaging/ silent • Sense of ‘imposed content’ • Stereotypes

• Feeling that material is not relevant….

• Different types of ‘colour commentary’

• Tokenisation• Political sensitivities ‘walking

on eggshells’• Lack of time to engage

students in genuine ‘shifts’• External factors (personal/

social etc)

Strategies to Enhance Effective Engagement in IC Space

ICH tutors feedback: • Identify/connect with student• Practice what you preach• Avoid binary discussions

Asmar’s exemplars…• Show confidence in your expertise• Get students to question established assumptions/ myths &

stereotypes

CCAR Strategies for Dealingwith Resistance

• Recognise resistance• Ignore behaviours - (to see where its going…)• Delay/ deflect - (turn issue to group, while composing)• Respond – treat not as an attack but as ‘reasonable question’• Direct confrontation – sometimes necessary• Back door approach – meet individual privately• Regrouping – separate enclave groups into random groups• Team – get support from your colleagues• Evaluation review – feedback to explore how resistance

affects whole group.

CCAR Strategic Principles for Courageous Conversations

• Remain connected• Honesty is best policy• Discomfort is OK! • It’s a marathon not a sprint• Connect through your story• Make complexity your friend

Key Principles for EffectiveIC Teaching & Learning

• Reflexive self practice• Understanding our various ‘positions’ & how they influence

how we make sense of experiences• Make the information your discussing connect to the current

Australian context • Remain empathetic & interactive • Making connections between the material being learnt & your

own cultural frameworks• Foster in students - & yourself- a commitment to engage

References

• Asmar, C. (nd). Teaching examplars. Retrieved from http://www.indigenousteaching.com/html/exemplars_index.html

• Lawrence SM & Tatum BD. White Racial Identity and Anti-Racist Education: A Catalyst for Change. Teaching for Change: Building Social Justice in the Classroom. Retrieved http://www.teachingforchange.org/node/149.

• Loden Associates, Inc. (2007). Diversity wheel. Retrieved from http://www.loden.com/Site/Dimensions.html

• Singleton, G., & Linton, C. (2006). Courageous conversations about race. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press.

References

• What I learned in the class today: Aboriginal issues is the classroom. Tokenization (n.d.). http://www.intheclass.arts.ubc.ca/discussion-topics/2-tokenization.html