Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Surviving and Thriving
at Jacobs University
A Training in Diversity and Transition Management
The Trainer’s Manual
2 -
Table of Contents Surviving and Thriving at Jacobs University ................................................................. 1 A Training in Diversity and Transition Management ............................................................... 1 The Trainer’s Manual ...................................................................................................................... 1
Table of Contents ................................................................................................................... 2 Preface ............................................................................................................................................... 4
Basic Outline ................................................................................................................................ 6 Trainer Tips ...................................................................................................................................... 8
Personalizing Your Training .................................................................................................... 10 Recommended Structure .......................................................................................................... 11 Time-‐‑Crunch Structure ............................................................................................................. 12 Activity: Trainer Nightmare .................................................................................................... 13 Activity: Trainee Trouble ......................................................................................................... 14 Getting Feedback ....................................................................................................................... 16
Part One Dive into Diversity ............................................................................................ 19 Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................... 20
Dive Into Diversity Introduction ............................................................................................. 21 Name Game ................................................................................................................................ 22 Workshop Overview ................................................................................................................. 23 Expectations for the Day .......................................................................................................... 25
Chapter 2 : Know Thyself ............................................................................................................ 26 Ice-‐‑Breaker: Me too! .................................................................................................................. 27 What is Important to Me? ......................................................................................................... 29 Circles of My Multicultural Self .............................................................................................. 31
Chapter 3 : What is Culture? ....................................................................................................... 32 Iceberg Model of Culture ......................................................................................................... 33 Black and White Movie ............................................................................................................. 35 Read: Cultural Glasses – A Fairy Tale .................................................................................... 37 Read: Interculturality-‐‑ the Jacobs Experience ....................................................................... 38 Mini-‐‑Lecture: Intercultural Competence ............................................................................... 40
Chapter 4 : Experience of Culture : Construction of Reality .............................................. 41 Albatross Island ......................................................................................................................... 42
Chapter 5 : Cultural Conflict ...................................................................................................... 45 Seeing Stereotypes ..................................................................................................................... 46 Culture Dimensions .................................................................................................................. 47 Round of Anti-‐‑Stereotypes ....................................................................................................... 49
Chapter 6 : Adaptation ................................................................................................................. 50 The U-‐‑Curve ............................................................................................................................... 51 Beat the Shock Brainstorm ....................................................................................................... 53 Read: The Prophet and the Long Spoon ................................................................................ 55
Chapter 7: Models of Integration ............................................................................................... 57 Fruit Models of Integration ...................................................................................................... 58
Chapter 8: Conclusion of Part-‐‑One ............................................................................................ 60 Conclusion of Part One ............................................................................................................. 61
Part Two Thriving@Jacobs ................................................................................................ 63 Chapter 9 : Introduction of Part-‐‑Two ........................................................................................ 64
Ice-‐‑Breaker: One Duck .............................................................................................................. 65
3 -
Workshop Overview ................................................................................................................. 66 Chapter 10 : Interpersonal Challenges at Jacobs .................................................................... 68
The Silent Painter ....................................................................................................................... 69 4 Ears Model-‐‑ Range of Communicative Technique ............................................................ 72 Language Discrimination at Jacobs ........................................................................................ 76
Chapter 11: Academic Challenges at Jacobs ............................................................................ 77 Classroom Culture .................................................................................................................... 81 Classroom Culture at Jacobs .................................................................................................... 84
Chapter 12 : Looking Forward .................................................................................................... 87 The Simmering Soup ................................................................................................................. 88 The Time Line ............................................................................................................................ 89 Letter to Myself .......................................................................................................................... 91
Chapter 13 : Conclusion of Part-‐‑Two ........................................................................................ 92 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 93 Kolb’s Full Circle ....................................................................................................................... 93
Useful Definitions ........................................................................................................................ 95 References ...................................................................................................................................... 97
4 -
Preface Thank you for volunteering to become a trainer for Surviving and Thriving at
Jacobs!
History Having Intercultural trainings at Jacobs is as old as Jacobs itself. It was believed that
every staff and faculty member as well as every incoming student should receive such a training. Initially, intercultural communication workshops were conducted for students of psychology courses by Professors Kappas and Kühnen and received feedback that these workshops were fun, insightful and that everybody at Jacobs should receive one.
In 2005, the Counseling Center staff and involved students conceptualized and put together the first trainer’s manual. The first workshops were a great success, with around 30 trainers, and 1/3 of the incoming students attending. Participants all gave great and valuable feedback. In 2006, the workshops were included as part of the O-Week schedule.
Then, in 2007 the workshops were completely incorporating feedback and adapting to new campus phenomena. Graduate student workshops were introduced.
This 2015 handbook has been revised according to workshop literature to provide standard structure and accessible guidelines to classic and experimental activities which will make Intercultural Training easy and exciting for both the Trainers and our Trainees.
Names of Contributers (in alphabetical order): Ana Dragici, Frank Haber, Anja Jungermann, Ulrich Kühnen, , Larissa Kühler, Anne Leiser, Konstantin M. Mihov, Mackenzie Nelson, Amina Özelsel, Jessica Ana Maria Price, Priyanka Rao, Alexis Rossi, Angelika von Rohden, Zeynep Tufekcioglu
How to Use this Handbook
This Handbook is part of your Train the Trainer Kit, which also includes Printed Materials
• Trainer Nightmare Slips • Trainee Trouble Poster • Circles of Multicultural
Self Worksheet • Kolb Cycle Worksheet • 4 Ear Worksheet
Digital Materials • B&W Movie File • Language
Discrimination Video: Classroom Interaction
• Language Discrimination Video: Servery Interaction
• Stereotype Song Video • Calm/Nature Music
File: Albatross Island
Participant Tools • Flipcharts: Overview of Workshop • Flipcharts: Fruit Models (3) • Blank Cards/Slips to write on:
Expectations for the Day • Blank Cards/Slips to write on:
Simmering Soup • Blank Paper Sheets: Silent painter • Blank Paper Sheets: Letter to
Myself • Envelopes • Pens/Pencils
Presentation Tools
• Speakers • Powerpoint • Tape • Markers
(Whiteboard/Flipchart) • Whiteboard
Miscellaneous • 3 Scarves • Bowl/plate • Pot • Ladle • Nuts • Rubber Duck
Suggested • Snacks • Timer/Table Clock • Bell/Small Drum to get participants’
attention!
Return all unused materials to help us for next year’s training! We are also open to new materials/digital media you found useful and would like us to offer future Trainers.
5 -
The handbook contains detailed instructions for activities for 13 different chapters presented in the recommended order. The activities have a variety of approaches to appeal to students with different learning styles, ie: theory and experiential exercises, icebreakers, indoor and outdoor activities, reflective exercises, videos etc. However, the most effective training will be adjusted to your own style as a Trainer. Select activities for each chapter which you prefer conducting, and even change the order of the chapters as needed. We are happy to receive your recommendations! Intercultural Training is an adventure for us every year, as we strive to make Jacobs and healthy and thriving community. Thanks for being an important part of this year’s intercultural workshops – without you, this project would not be happening!
6 -
Basic Outline Brainstorm: what are the basic steps to a training? Prep Time Objectives Activity Debrief Why? Adult Learning Process- the Kolb Learning Cycle
In Activities Prep Time: A well-prepared activity saves time, keeps training exciting and allows Trainers to focus on the actual group during training. Explain Objectives: provide clear instructions, and give them orientation for their own learning. You do your part- it is up to them to take home good lessons. Activity: create a concrete experience. The activity will only be as good as you make it. Participants will only take it as seriously and openly as you do yourself. Debrief: Help them reflect and come to their OWN conclusions. Offer your conclusions as an observer with your own experiences- not a teacher. In Debrief Concrete Experience Reflective Observation Abstract Conceptualization Active Experimentation
Sources Kolb, D. A. (2014). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and
development. Pearson Education. Image from: http://www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html
Animated explanation: http://www.ldu.leeds.ac.uk/ldu/sddu_multimedia/kolb/kolb_flash.htm
7 -
Concep
tualiza-
on:/I/con
clud
ed/
that…/
Ac-v
e/expe
riencing:/
I/did…/I/tried…
/Plan
ning:/So/I/p
lan/to/do…
/
Observa-o
n:/I/realized
/wha
t/ha
ppen
ed…/
1. I
ate
a gr
een
appl
e of
f the
tre
e ou
tsid
e K
rupp
. It
was
ver
y so
ur a
nd I
felt
sick
late
r.
2. I
real
ized
tha
t th
e G
erm
an s
tude
nts
wer
e on
ly e
atin
g th
e re
d ap
ples
from
th
e tr
ee
3. G
reen
app
les
are
not
edib
le in
G
erm
any.
In
Ger
man
y, y
ou m
ust
wai
t un
til t
he
appl
es t
urn
red
befo
re e
atin
g th
em.
4. I
will
try
eat
ing
Red
app
les
and
see
if th
ey t
aste
bet
ter.
I w
ill o
bser
ve w
hich
frui
ts m
y G
erm
an fr
iend
s pi
ck b
efor
e tr
ying
w
ild fr
uits
.
8 -
Trainer Tips You are an instructor and a host. Take care of your guests, make them feel comfortable, welcome and ready to learn; their egos, their physical needs, their attention span, and their ability to understand are in your hands. Set up the room - Take away the tables and form a circle with chairs. Give students paper and markers with which to write nametags. Videos - Test videos, and audio connections before you start the session. In rooms with loudspeakers, you can use the audio cables in your room; if your room does not have loudspeakers, you may want to bring a little loudspeaker set of your own. Give out positive vibes! Be clear and precise – Present the learning objectives clearly before each activity. Be Socrates - Allow participants to come to their own conclusions as the Take-Home Message. Start on time - Different cultures have different perceptions of time. Show them yours by sticking to the schedule. This way you won’t have to repeat everything 3 times! Assign tasks to your participants - Make life easier for yourself by letting your participants assist you. E.g., if you are doing a brainstorming exercise, let a participant (e.g., one that looks tired or bored) gather the answers at the whiteboard for you (then you don’t have to turn your back to the audience, lose your flow and the overview – and one of your participants can get some exercise). If you have something that has to be read out loud, let a participant read it for you – this change of pace/ speaker will be refreshing for the entire group. Individual sharing techniques: You can either simply go around the room in some order or have people randomly stand up and read their statements. Or you can have the speaker hold a rubber duck and then throw the duck to the next participant that should speak. Reject the first-hand-up, first-called-on approach - Allow several seconds to pass before you call on someone. Give sufficient time between asking questions and wanting responses. Give everybody enough time to gather his or her thoughts and speak. Remember that not everyone will have had a lot of practice with English and might need more time to think of how to say something. Speak clearly - Try to speak clearly and enunciate your words. This will help even those who aren’t used to English keep up with you. Listen actively - Listen to content, voice, and body language. Explore answers and probe by asking open-ended questions. Demonstrate a sincere interest in listening. Reflect and summarize: Restate comments to convey understanding and always try to capture the essence of what has been shared. Make sure that participants are respectful and listening actively, as individuals are making themselves vulnerable by participating.
9 -
Deal with controversial subjects - It helps to break into small groups of three, even if your group is not that big. This is a safer environment for truth telling since the smaller groups come back with group reports, avoiding individual exposure. Respect boundaries -Never ask participants to share something that they are unwilling to share. Self-disclose -Make yourself vulnerable and be a model by sharing first on activities whenever possible. Be a model: self-critique and self-examination by sharing first when possible. Your personal experiences at Jacobs and how you dealt with them will probably be the information your participants will find most helpful, interesting and memorable. Do not pretend to have the answer to every question -When possible, bounce questions back to the whole group before you answer them yourself, even if they're directed to you from a participant. If you do not know the answer to a question, tell participants who they can turn to for this information (e.g., Student Records, Counseling Center, Academic Advisors, Resident Mentors, etc.). Get group attention - Meetings can become unruly, especially when they get overheated and several people talk at once. It requires a louder voice than theirs to be heard. Use it. “Okay,” “Time out!”, “O.K. guys” - informal, relaxed, but firm. Resist getting heavy-handed or “bossy” but don’t be afraid to get their attention. Cut people off, if necessary - Cutting people off requires that you always save face for them before the members of your group. Employ graceful outs, use some humour. E.g., you can tell them that this is a very important point, but that you will move on now, as there are still some interesting exercises you want to conduct with them. Or you can suggest that this is an interesting point that should be discussed at another time, perhaps later in the workshop if there is time, afterwards or on their own with friends. Get feedback from your participants and your fellow co-trainer -This is a great exercise in honing your group leadership skills. Incorporate suggestions, criticisms and ideas into your approach.
Have fun!!!!
10 -
Personalizing Your Training Make it your own The training materials have been developed by several authors with unique instruction styles – which may or may not be your own. Mock conduct each unit in private beforehand to make sure the provided materials fit your instruction style (e.g., the animation of the PowerPoint slides). Identify your strengths as a trainer and build your plans around them. If you feel uncomfortable with a particular exercise or unit, you can:
• ask your co-trainer (if you have one) to conduct it • approach one of your trainers who conducted the train-the-trainer • substitute it for another activity or skip it entirely (please let us know whenever this
happens, to ever improve the training). Target group & setting
• Who is the target group? • What are they expecting? • What do they want to know? • What are their fears and concerns?
Flow of your training In the time you are given you should at least include:
• Words of introduction to frame the exercise • The exercise itself • Intensive debriefing- explore student experiences
Helpful Hints
• What would be a good group size for this exercise? • What do you need to take into account when you do this exercise with an
intercultural group? • Are there instruction or content that should be visualized? • Think about a good room set up which can be created quickly and think about which
atmosphere you want to create. • Make sure you everything prepared and have all materials needed at hand. • Think about possible adaptations for our purpose during this training: Is the topic
adequate or do you need to shift the topic, find a different story etc.? • Include as many participants as possible in the debriefing. • You are in charge for your time management so you might want to do a trial run. • If you have questions please don’t hesitate to ask us!
Taken from InterCultur.
11 -
Recommended Structure Part One Dive into Diversity Chapter 1: Introduction 30 Min à 20 Min Dive Into Diversity Introduction 5 min Name Game 10 min Workshop Overview 5 min Expectations for the Day 10 min Chapter 2 : Know Thyself 35 Min à25 Min Ice-Breaker: Me too! 10 min What is Important to Me? OR Circles of My Multicultural Self 15 min Chapter 3 : What is Culture? 55 Minà45 Min Iceberg Model of Culture 15 min Black and White Movie 15 min Read: Cultural Glasses – A Fairy Tale OR Interculturality Article 10 min Mini-Lecture: Intercultural Competence 5 min Chapter 4 : Experience of Culture 40 Min Albatross Island 40 min Chapter 5 : Cultural Conflict 35 Min à 30 Min Seeing Stereotypes 10 min Culture Dimensions (Only Simple Version) 15 min, 10 min Round of Anti-Stereotypes 10 min Chapter 6 : Adaptation 35 Minà 30 Min The U-Curve 5 min Beat the Shock Brainstorm 15 min Read: The Prophet and the Long Spoon (Cut discussion) 10min, 5 min Chapter 7: Models of Integration 15 Min Fruit Models of Integration 15 min Chapter 8: Conclusion of Part-One 5 Min Conclusion of Part One 5 min Break: 10 min Part Two Thriving@Jacobs Chapter 9 : Introduction of Part-Two 10 Min Ice-Breaker: One Duck 5min Workshop Overview 5 min Chapter 10 : Interpersonal Challenges at Jacobs 75 Minà 60 Min The Silent Painter (Cut Discussion Off) 30 min,15 min 4 Ears Model 35 min Language Discrimination at Jacobs (Show one Video) 10 min Chapter 11: Academic Challenges at Jacobs 20 Min Classroom Culture 10 min Presentation: Classroom Culture at Jacobs 10min Chapter 12 : Looking Forward 50 Minà35 Min Exercise: The Simmering Soup 20 min The Time Line OR Letter to Myself 15 min Chapter 13 : Conclusion of Part-Two 10 Min Conclusion 5 min Kolb’s Full Circle 5 min
12 -
Time-Crunch Structure Part One Dive into Diversity Chapter 1: Introduction 30 Min à 20 Min Dive Into Diversity Introduction 5 min Name Game 10 min Workshop Overview 5 min Expectations for the Day 10 min Chapter 2 : Know Thyself 35 Min à25 Min Ice-Breaker: Me too! 10 min What is Important to Me? OR Circles of My Multicultural Self 15 min Chapter 3 : What is Culture? 55 Minà40 Min Iceberg Model of Culture 15 min Black and White Movie 15 min Read: Cultural Glasses – A Fairy Tale OR Interculturality Article 10 min Mini-Lecture: Intercultural Competence 5 min Chapter 4 : Experience of Culture 40 Min Albatross Island 40 min Chapter 5 : Cultural Conflict 35 Min à 20 Min Seeing Stereotypes (Cut out Video, only define Stereotypes) 10 min, 5 min Culture Dimensions (Only Simple Version/Presentation) 15 min, 5 min Round of Anti-Stereotypes 10 min Chapter 6 : Adaptation 35 Minà25 Min The U-Curve (Cut activity, only define U-Curve) 10 min, 5 min Beat the Shock Brainstorm (Cut activity, Show Symptoms Slides) 15 min, 5 min Read: The Prophet and the Long Spoon (Cut discussion) 10min Chapter 7: Models of Integration 15 Minà 10 Min Fruit Models of Integration (Only show slides and Discuss) 15 min, 10 min Chapter 8: Conclusion of Part-One 5 Min Conclusion of Part One 5 min Break: 10 min Part Two Thriving@Jacobs Chapter 9 : Introduction of Part-Two 10 Min Ice-Breaker: One Duck 5min Workshop Overview 5 min Chapter 10 : Interpersonal Challenges at Jacobs 75 Minà 45 Min Exercise: The Silent Painter OR 4 Ears Model 35 min Language Discrimination at Jacobs (Show one Video) 10 min Chapter 11: Academic Challenges at Jacobs 20 Min Classroom Culture 10 min Presentation: Classroom Culture at Jacobs 10min, 5 min Chapter 12 : Looking Forward 50 Minà35 Min Exercise: The Simmering Soup 20 min The Time Line OR Letter to Myself 15 min Chapter 13 : Conclusion of Part-Two 10 Minà 5 Min Conclusion 5 min Kolb’s Full Circle 5 min
13 -
Activity: Trainer Nightmare
6 15 min !all "
Objectives To become confident on taking the trainer stage To become aware of the behaviors which detract from the training To acknowledge our own strengths and weaknesses To consider how common issues can be avoided Procedure Prepare ~7 slips with a description of a Trainer Flaw Each trainee selects one slip containing a description of a Trainer Flaw:
• Going to fast • Going to slow/quiet • Not prepared materials • Too bossy • Over-enthusiastic • Apathetic ‘don’t care’ attitude • Distracted by phone/etc • Sleepy • Unclear instructions • Too friendly
In turns each Trainee performs the role of the assigned slip, on a given topic; eg. Participation in sport activities. The rest of the group attempts to guess the flaw of the trainer. (Acting may also be done in pairs, one slip each) Once the role is guessed, it’s the next trainees turn. Continue for about 5-10 rounds. Debrief Are these actually negative behaviors? In which situations are they helpful behaviors? What is your own weakness? What is your strength? How can we improve? As a trainer, how can one avoid these mistakes? Explore your strengths, accept your weaknesses! Get feedback to explore your weaknesses and work on them. Utilize your own resources.
~8 Trainer Nightmare Slips
14 -
Activity: Trainee Trouble
6 20 min !all "
Objectives Recognize participant perspectives Empathize with they concerns Capitalize on the skills each offers to the group Be inclusive and aware of group dynamics In any group, you are bound to have a mixture of the eager “Pick me!” types, the “I’ll talk if I have something to say” folks and the “I can’t think of anything worse than speaking aloud in a group” bunch. You may be required to explore creative ways to encourage all types of students to fully immerse themselves into the group process. Procedure In a quick call-out round Trainers name common “difficult darlings” they are concerned about in Training. The responses are labeled onto each of 8 prepared flipcharts for each type of “Difficult Darling”. In pairs or groups trainees fill out each chart answer the questions
• What do they feel? • What do they think? • What do they say? • What do they give (to the training)?
Saying…(Thinking…(
Feeling…((((
Giving…((((The(_____________________________(
~7 Trainee Trouble Posters
15 -
Possible profiles: The Mover/ The Eager or “Pick Me!” Type These are students who usually initiate action, give ideas and provide the energy to back them up. They are “natural leaders”, often seen as strong, sure-footed, self-confident. They enjoy power and being in charge, but also need and want approval and agreement. Suggestions when dealing with this “difficult darling”: The value of this type of participant in groups is obvious. The challenge to the group leader is to harness the mover to pull ahead and be creative, affirming his/ her contribution, but also to leave room for others in the group to catch up or to vary the ideas s/he initiates. The Opposer/Complainer These students are reactors and counter movers. Opposers get their attention and consequent sense of importance by the very act of taking a contrasting stance. They often say they do not care about overt approval; they care about the “facts” and the “truth”. In this process they can also hurt feelings and make enemies. Because they are perceived as interrupters, not only of one person but of forward progress, groups can often resent opposers. Suggestions when dealing with this “difficult darling”: Although this type sounds like a negative contributor, and the tendency can develop to want to ignore them or put their objections down, opposers actually serve some very useful functions. By taking the useful critique from their seemingly negative message, opposers can also, if well directed by the leader of the group, redirect and even stimulate more ideas or improvements on the original suggestions. The Follower This person is familiar figure in any group: s/he is the one who “goes along.” The follower’s role is to support someone, they “sign on” to someone else’s idea, and as long as they stay in this position, they seldom initiate any ideas of their own. Followers are not necessarily uncreative people. They may simply have greater needs to play it safe, to keep a lower profile, or to wait until they see the general tenor of the group as a whole before they take a stance in the open. Suggestions when dealing with this “difficult darling”: For the leader in the group, the message would be to allow some time for the follower to find her/his own level of comfort and to not put him/her on the spot too early. With time, encourage the follower to make his/her contribution by beginning discussion rounds with him/her. The Bystander These students stay quiet but are quite different from the follower. Whereas the follower can be heard agreeing and “Me, too”ing, the bystander stays out of direct action altogether. S/he watches, witnesses, and keeps opinions to her/himself. This makes for uneasiness on the part of the group because no one knows what s/he’s thinking. Bystanders don’t express a clear position. Rather, they go for abstractions and cerebral descriptions about something rather than emotional commitments to something. Suggestions when dealing with this “difficult darling”: As a group leader, know that bystanders don’t all do so voluntarily. Some people become bystanders because they are given neither encouragement or confidence, nor training to try any other role. In order to puncture the vacuum they surround themselves with, try giving them a specific role or job,
16 -
not waiting for them to volunteer. Another way to activate the silent types is to focus people on a specific aspect you want to talk about: “Peter, what does X look like in your culture?” You might also try talking to them during a break to find out what they are thinking. Then you can tell them how valuable you find this idea and that you’d like them to share it with the group when you reconvene. In addition to these individual differences among participants, keep in mind that culture plays a significant role in group dynamics as well! For more information on this, see section on Classroom Culture. Source: Adapted from Hamlin, S., “How to Talk So People Listen”, 1988, Harper & Row, New York, N.Y., USA Debrief Do these profiles make sense? How can they be recognized? How can we help participants to feel comfortable and included?
Getting Feedback Train the Trainer is the opportune time to explore your strengths and weakness. Take 5 minutes during training to get answers from your co-trainers/mock participants: My Strengths in Training Feedback for: __________________
1. How I establish contact to people:
2. Which positive emotions I invoke in others and how:
3. How I encourage involvement:
The next 2 pages are Feedback Sheets to give a wide range of constructive tips for trainers. You can use it however you find useful.
17 -
18 -
19 -
Part One Dive into Diversity
“A fish will not discover the water.”
20 -
Chapter 1: Introduction
21 -
Dive Into Diversity Introduction
6 5 min ! all " PowerPoint
Objectives • ‘Sell the training’: Provide clear reasons for, and need for the training • Inspire participation to reach the benefits of a successful training • Allow participants to form learning expectations
Instructions Present the following in your own style: words, presentation, flipchart etc.
State the goals of training • This workshop helps you to survive and thrive at Jacobs! • We help you sensitize yourself to the challenges and benefits of intercultural
communication • We share theory, tips and tricks that made our transition to Jacobs easier. • Together, we create a community that is supportive, respectful and excels in the
international sphere.
Present the facts Here is your chance to say why you think these kinds of trainings are important.
• Jacobs is a highly diverse community hosting over 110 different nationalities • Intercultural communication is an art that can be learned and developed - and Jacobs
is an ideal place to do so. • Intercultural Trainings are a high-value experience in today’s world. In polls with
managers of Fortune 500 companies, intercultural competence was rated as one of most sought after skills in recruitment.
• Intercultural Training builds the basis for your interactions in the next three years.
How they can benefit from training • Adjust to the transition process of joining Jacobs: leaving one’s friends, family, and
familiar environment; adapting to a new culture, climate and cuisine; being faced with a new social role and life style.
• Enable a deeper and better experience at Jacobs • Make friends with people from other cultures, and to clarify possible questions and
misunderstandings in a friendly and productive way. • Become aware of your own assumptions, viewpoints, and values!
Set the ground rules • We offer experiences and tools, not solutions. It is up to the incoming students to
make the best of the knowledge we offer during the training. • Everyone has their own challenges and ways of coping in an international learning
environment. Respect each other by listening, sharing your individual experiences. • Ask the Trainer your questions and concerns. • Everyone has come to learn, but Training is what we make it. Respect our time
together by participating to have an awesome day of training!
Debrief Questions that arise here will be addressed in the activity Expectations for the Day.
22 -
Name Game
6 10 min ! all "
Objectives Make a personal connection with each participant Help participants know each other Create an atmosphere of trust and respect Instructions Preparation: Pass around a roll of Masking Tape and a Marker. Ask each participant to use it to make their own name tag and put it on as you have shown. Name Game 10 minutes Each person introduces themselves by answering the following 4/5 questions. What is your name? What does it mean? Who gave it to you and why? Nicknames? Debrief Thank you for sharing Listening to each other will make this training the most useful.
• Tape • Markers
23 -
Workshop Overview
6 5 min ! all " Flipchart, Markers
Objectives Prepare participants for the day, including break and mealtimes Allow them to set their own learning objectives Instructions Give a brief overview in your own words about the contents of the workshop. It is helpful to prepare a flipchart with an overview of the workshop contents that one can refer to while presenting and summing up. Part One: Dive into Diversity
‘A fish will not discover the water.’
During the first part, we will focus on general issues connected to culture and have a first look at how they affect life and studies at Jacobs University.
As the fish in this Chinese proverb, no one discovers culture by staying at home. If it weren’t for the existence of more than one culture we would not think about culture at all. It so intimately shapes our lives that we only become aware of it when we encounter differences. The more profound the difference encountered in another culture, the deeper the perspective one can gain on one’s own culture.
However, most people inside the “fishbowl“ never think of how the “water”, (i.e., the culture they were raised in) looks like and how it influences their way of acting and perceiving the world. Here at Jacobs you will have many occasions to reflect on your own cultural assumptions and begin to see through the eyes of someone from a foreign culture. This is intercultural learning.
• So in the first segment this morning, we will have a number of exercises that will focus on getting to know ourselves better, and finding out about our own values, and priorities, as well as how they are similar or different from others.
• Next, explore what culture is, how it influences our perception of daily life and of other people. We have a simulation exercise and experience how our own culture sensitizes us and how this affects our perception, attitudes and behavior.
• In the third segment, we invite participants to consider conflicts arising from cultural difference, such as stereotypes. Where do they come from and what their advantages and disadvantages?
• Then we look at how to apply theory to help adapt and cope with intercultural challenges.
24 -
• Tying all these things together, we consider how we would like to live together at Jacobs University.
Part Two: Thriving@Jacobs The second part of the workshop, then, will be under the motto:
Leaving the water can be exciting…. But it may involve challenges!
The second part of this workshop we will take a look in intercultural life at Jacobs. • We will discuss the particular academic and Interpersonal challenges of
Jacobs students. • We will recognize, understand, learn to face issues common issues that arise
in the international learning environment. • We will explore all the resources offered whenever we need help.
Debrief Ask each person to mention one thing they expect from the day. Trainers should also participate. Does everyone agree to the goals of the day?
Part One: Dive into Diversity
• Introduction • Know Thyself! • What is Culture? • Constructions of Reality • Stereotypes • Adaptation • Models of Integration
Part Two: Thriving@Jacobs
• Interpersonal Challenges • Academic Challenges • Looking Forward
25 -
Expectations for the Day
6 10 min ! all " Cards, Tape Rings, Flipchart
Objectives Check-in with participant needs Agree on common goals for the day Clarify your own Trainer expectations from the participants Answer questions regarding the training Allow participants to form their own learning goals Instructions
• Provide constructions cards and markers in the centre of the room. • Allow participants 5 minutes to write down something they expect (to learn) from
the day. (One item per card, but participants may write more than one card). • The Trainers should also participate. • As they finish, they are invited to come stick their responses on to the prepared
flipchart of Expectations. • This flipchart should be kept up in the room somewhere. Refer back to this poster
to check in on learning goals with participants and assure learning through out the day.
Debrief After collecting the responses (~1 per person), quickly read the responses back to the group. Ask them what items mean if they are not clear for everyone. Items can be groups/rearranged if they are the same. Does everyone agree with the items on the board? Is there anything missing? If so, add the addition to the flipchart. Refer back to this chart throughout the day.
26 -
Chapter 2 : Know Thyself
27 -
Ice-Breaker: Me too!
6 10 min ! all " Chairs
Objectives To recognize our similarities and differences To recognize how those similarities and differences affect our feelings and behavior towards others. To realize that some similarities and differences are harder to see than others. To value each individual for their whole self. Instructions Part 1:
• Form a circle in chairs. Ask each person to think of some personal fact, hobby or characteristic that is special about them.
• One of the facilitators starts by calling out what his or her unique feature is, for example “I have been to Turkey more than once”. If nobody shares this characteristic the next person calls out his or her unique characteristic.
• If somebody else shares that characteristic they must jump up, shout “Me too” and sit on the floor in front of the caller. If several people share the same characteristic they all jump up and sit down on the floor in front of the caller.
• Everybody remains there and the caller must again try to come up with a characteristic, which is unique to him or her. When he or she manages, and, thus, nobody sits on the floor in front of the caller, it’s the turn of the next person round the circle to be the caller.
• The first round ends when everybody has called out something that differentiates him or her from the others.
Part 2:
• Now start part 2. Explain that this part involves searching for characteristics, which are shared by everybody else in the group.
• Take away one chair and tell the caller to stand in the middle of the circle. They must think of something that they share with the rest of the group. Ask them to call out what it is, for example "I like music". All those who share this characteristic, have to stand up and move to another chair while they shout out: «Me too». The person who stood in the middle also tries to find a chair, so someone else will be left in the middle to be the next caller.
• Hint: there can be different strategies for this part, e.g., calling something that one knows that many will have in common (e.g., “I study at Jacobs”) -> Most people will have to jump up and lots of chairs will become available; or to choose something that one knows only certain people in the group will have in common (e.g., “I wear glasses”), then one knows who will be getting up and can move quickly to that person’s chair.
• Continue as long as the energy seems high and then announce the last round and thank the participants.
28 -
Debrief This energizer addresses the foundations of intercultural communication: similarities and differences between others and ourselves.
• What was easier, finding things, which differentiate us from the others, or things we share?
• In real life when do we like or appreciate feeling unique and different and when do we like to feel similar to others?
• The things, which were common to many people in this group, would they be common to everyone in the world?
We are all unique and irreplaceable human beings, sometimes our uniqueness makes us feel proud, sometimes shy or ashamed. Nonetheless, we all share the fact that we are human beings and this makes us feel closer to each other. Who and what we are is shaped by our experience of life. Common experiences may influence people differently.
During your time at Jacobs University, you will most likely be in for a number of surprises when it comes to similarities and differences between you and others.
It can be an exciting journey discovering similarities and differences with people at various levels.
29 -
What is Important to Me?
6 10 min ! all " Statements list
Objectives To reflect upon their own values and what is important to them. To recognize that not everybody sets the same priorities. To recognize that the same person may sometimes share and sometimes not share your opinions. Instructions
• Participants sit down in a circle. The trainer stands up and reads out one statement at a time from the list provided (following page).
• Whoever agrees with the sentence should jump up once, say “YES” and then remain standing in front of his chair.
• Whoever disagrees, touch the ground and say “NO”, and then stay seated. • You do not have to use all the statements. Only choose the ones that seem to be
most controversial to you. Possible Problems/Difficulties/Comments
• Start out with some general statements that almost all people can agree on, like “It is important to have a good start at Jacobs University”, or that everybody will disagree on like “It is important to forget about your friends and family at home”, so that there is a lot of movement and dynamic in the room.
• Inform participants that with some statements they will probably want to say “It depends on the situation or the interaction partner”. This is certainly true; however, for the sake of the experience of the exercise, they should just respond with whatever answer might matches their attitude best IN GENERAL. Emphasize that there are no right or wrong answers and that it’s ok if people have different views on these issues.
Debrief How difficult or easy was it to agree/disagree with the statements? On which statements did most people agree, where was the most disagreement? Why? Were there any statements that only people from a particular nationality agreed on? Was there anything that particularly surprised you? The statements reflect different values that are predominant in different societies. What are these values are and where do they come from? Participants should realize that their own way of interpreting/judging behavior is not the only one that exists and that other ways of acting can also be justified and appropriate. Source: adapted from Triandis, H.C. (1994), “Sorting Values”, in Stringer, D.M. and Cassiday, P.A. (2003), 52 Activities for Exploring Values Differences, Intercultural Press, Boston, MA, pp.113-116.
30 -
Value Statements General Statements to Start With: It is important to have a good start at Jacobs University. It is important to have nice weather at the Welcome BBQ. It is important to forget about your friends and family at home. It is important to be successful in your studies. Controversial Value Statements: Making a decision and later changing it (e.g., a major) is a sign of weakness. It is important to show respect to people who are older than you. It is important to take care of the environment. It is important to be compassionate and to forgive others. It is important that a man opens the door for a woman. It is important to be patriotic. It is important to go to church regularly. It is important to value the past through traditions or rituals. It is important to keep one’s room and clothes in order. It is important to be punctual. It is important to be self-reliant and independent. It is important to accept others sexual orientation. It is important to be obedient and respectful towards older people. It is important to save water and energy. It is important to be happy. It is important to always be polite. It is important to be close with your family. It is important to follow the Code of Academic Integrity. It is important to have a high income so you can do what you want. It is important to meet your commitments, to be reliable. It is important to take care of one’s exterior appearance (e.g. clothes with brand names, make-up). It is important to acknowledge other people’s status and treat them according to their rank in the hierarchy. It is important to be flexible, to change when things aren’t working. It is important to discuss conflicts directly, the sooner the better. It is important for family members to stick together and support each other. It is important to directly voice any criticism you have.
31 -
Circles of My Multicultural Self
6 15 min ! all " Hand-outs, pens
Objectives To identify what we consider to be the most important dimensions of our identity. To examine the stereotypes associated with that identity, To recognize how we feel about those characteristics: proud or painful? To have one's own perceptions challenged through others' stories To make a conscious effort to think more deeply about personality rather than stereotypes Instructions
• Show participants the Circles worksheet and fill it out with your own examples. Give them several examples of dimensions that might fit into the satellite circles: female, athlete, Romanian, musician, student, African, brother, middle class, etc.
• Write their names in the centre circle. They should then fill in each satellite circle with a dimension of their identity they consider to be among the most important in defining themselves. They should do so silently and as spontaneously as they can.
• Ask participants to pair up with somebody they do not know very well or divide the group up in pairs the way that you feel is best. Distribute one handout per pair.
• Next, find a comfortable spot and take turns to share two stories with each other: i) a story when they felt proud to be associated with one of the characteristics. ii) a story when it was rather painful to be associated with one of the chosen identifiers.
• Announce when pairs should switch speaker/listener Debrief In the bigger group ask individuals to share: Did you like this activity? Did you enjoy sharing your identity? Was it difficult? Did you learn something new about your partner? Can someone begin by sharing something interesting they learned about their partner? Allow time at the end for participants to talk more about whatever characteristic they shared. How do the dimensions of your identity that you chose as important differ from the dimensions other people use to make judgments about you? Possible Problems/Difficulties/Comments As with most activities, if you are willing to share your own experiences, participants are more likely to feel open to share their own.
Source: Adapted from Multicultural Pavilion, Awareness Activities, http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/education/multi/activities/circlesofself.html
32 -
Chapter 3 : What is Culture?
33 -
Iceberg Model of Culture
6 15 min ! all "
Objectives To explore what culture means and represents To understand the complexity and structure of culture To start participants thinking of their own examples of culture and interaction To share their own experiences To learn how Intercultural communication can be at different levels of complexity To see how discussion and exchange can promote deeper understanding Instructions Start with a brainstorming exercise: What are your associations with “culture“? Important: The co-trainer writes down the answers on the flipchart (whiteboard); however, s/he does not do so in a randomized manner, instead, s/he draws a subtle ”waterline“, representing the division of the 2 categories of the iceberg model and arranges the answers that the participants provide accordingly (for this, please familiarize yourself with the iceberg model explained below). Present the Iceberg Model of culture Use the results of the brainstorming in order to explain this model. If the participants came up with less than 4 items per category, add some additional items from the model below.
• Flipchart/Board • PowerPoint • Marker
34 -
Mini-Lecture: The Iceberg Model of Culture This is one of the most well-known models of culture. The idea behind this model is that culture can be pictured as an iceberg: only a very small portion can be seen above the water line. The tip of the iceberg is supported by the much larger part of the iceberg which is underneath the waterline, which is invisible. Similarly, in culture, there are visible parts (visible here represents the degree of awareness that people have about these parts), for example, architecture, art, cuisine, music, language, etc. These aspects of a culture are easy to spot and describe. Often – to no surprise, then – these are the parts of culture that are portrayed at international fairs and shows. However, the foundations of culture are more difficult to grasp: the history of the group of people that held the culture, their norms and values, their basic assumptions about space, nature, and time, just to name a few. The Iceberg Model shows that the visible parts of culture are just expressions of its invisible foundations. When we meet people from other cultural backgrounds, we may notice the visible parts of their „iceberg“, but we cannot immediately see what the foundations of these noticeable fragments are. This may lead to misunderstandings and intercultural tensions. Intercultural Learning then means to firstly become aware of the lower part of one’s own iceberg, and to be able to talk about it with others in order to understand each other better and explore common grounds and differences. Give a Definition of Culture “Culture refers to the learned and shared values, beliefs, and behaviors of a group of interacting people. (Bennett, 1992) In general culture is perceived as something man-made. Culture has been referred to as the software which people use in daily life. Being influenced so strongly by our own culture, it is impossible to observe or evaluate situations in an objective way. In order to hone our intercultural skills we need to be aware of our own culture, values, norms and rituals. It is not necessary, in fact, it is not possible, to be free of our cultural norms and behaviors. Nevertheless, if we are aware of them, then it is easier to understand norms and behaviors of other cultures. Debrief Now return to the Iceburg model. Select 4/5 items from the board one by one (ie. Clothing, Dating norms, cleanliness standards, timeliness etc). For each, ask the participants:
• How do you think this aspect affects interactions? Share your own Jacobs experiences of how these topics have affected your daily life.
• What topics are easier to approach? • How have you learned about people and built relationships both “above” and
“underneath” the “water level”? Note. Debrief should be the longest segment of this activity. Give participants time to answer, reflect, and share many of your own experiences from living on campus.
35 -
Black and White Movie
6 15 min ! all "
Objectives To recognizing our own blind spots when scanning our environment To see that everyone has a different perception To know that people at Jacobs may act differently because they have different goals that you Preparation Make sure the movie is working. Have it ready on the desktop, so that you can just start it. If you are using the powerpoint version, click on the video in order to start it. Split the group half. You can do this in a variety of ways, by having participants count out loud, making all those wearing jeans into one group, handing out candy, etc. Sometimes creative ways of dividing the group is refreshing. Instructions
• Tell the group you are about to show them a short video. On the video they will see two teams; one team is wearing white t-shirts and the other team is wearing black t-shirts. The members of each team are passing the ball to each other.
• One half of your group can count the number of passes the white team makes, and the other half should count the number of ball passes that the black team makes (a ball pass is defined as one team member throwing the ball to another team member).
• State clearly that the exercise requires silence and concentration and that they will receive a chocolate if they as a group can determine the exact number of ball passes of the team they have been assigned to (this cover story makes the focus more on the ball and heightens suspense). If you have seen the video before, people let the others guess, do not participate.
• Show the movie to the whole group. • How many passes did each team count? Did anyone see anything unusual? If the
black-team participants say “I saw a gorilla” you might still want to tease them and ask whether they saw a UFO, too. Ask the white-team participants whether they have also seen the gorilla (some will, but if they didn’t know the video before, most won’t have seen it).
• Let the group briefly discuss about the issue, then show the movie again to the whole group, this time without focusing on anything in particular: Everybody will see the gorilla.
Debrief Why did this happen? What does this have to do with intercultural interaction? Both groups have seen the same movie, but each has experienced and interpreted a different reality, based on its own values, behavioral codes and cultural experiences. If
Black & White Movie (file), speakers, laptop/projector
36 -
perception can change based on such a small thing, (being told to look at one group) imagine how much your perceptions are altered based on being in a particular culture all day, every day. During your time at Jacobs University you will come across many “gorillas”. Some will be very obvious to you and you might be surprised that others just don’t see them or “just don’t get it”. At other times, your fellow students will see “gorillas” that are invisible to you, as you were brought up to focus on different things. Possible Problems/Difficulties/Comments During the discussion after first showing the movie, it might happen that the people focusing on the people in black treat the other group as stupid or ignorant (“Come on, are you blind? You really haven’t seen it?”). Make clear that everybody judges against the background of ones’ own perception: we see the world as we want to see it and construct our own reality upon which we are able to judge things and people around us. Others miss what is obvious to you because they are focused on seeing things which you cannot see.
37 -
Read: Cultural Glasses – A Fairy Tale
6 10 min ! all "
Objectives To become aware that we all bring our cultural background with us To see how intercultural adaptation can be very complex To see there is no right or wrong way To review lessons of the section Instructions Read out the following fairy tale, or ask a participant who will read in a loud clear voice.
“Once upon a time there was a princess. Her name was Sunny and she lived in a kingdom called Sunalia. The special thing about the people of Sunalia was that they were all born with glasses on their noses – glasses with yellow lenses. And you could not take off these glasses. Hence, whenever they looked at the world, they would see everything immersed in a warm and bright yellow.
Then came the time when Sunny was old enough to get married. She chose the love of her life, Azul, the Prince of Azuro, and moved with him to his kingdom. All the people in Azuro also were born with glasses on their nose, but theirs were blue. When Sunny first came to Azuro, she saw everything in a different way than the Azurians, not blue, but yellow. They could not understand each other.
However, Sunny knew how to help herself. She went to see the old wise man who lived at her husband’s court and asked him to build her some blue glasses. In this way, she gradually learned to take on the Azurian way of looking at the world - but only partly, since, when she put on the blue glasses above her yellow ones, she suddenly saw everything in green!
It was not possible to take off her new glasses either. But now, Sunny had a better understanding for the Azurian point of view – although not a complete one – as well as of her own Sunalian culture.” Debrief
• How does this story relate to one’s time at Jacobs University? • What implication do the “green glasses” have for being at Jacobs? What implication
do the “green glasses” have for returning to one’s home country (e.g., re-entry shock, not fitting in anymore, alienation)?
• What skills should one possess, in order to see a foreign culture through the “right glasses”?
• If participants could construct their ideal pair of glasses, what might they look like? (e.g., magic glasses that can change the lenses depending where one is)
Certain values only apply for specific cultures, and that their own culture should not be the benchmark to evaluate and judge the other culture. It is not enough only to look through your own glasses to know a foreign culture. Jacobs University is a great play-ground and to practice one’s intercultural skills and to try out “new lenses”. There are no right or wrong lenses. Sources: AFS VB-Handbuch
Copy of the Fairy Tale
38 -
Read: Interculturality- the Jacobs Experience
6 10 min ! all "
Objectives To get a detailed picture of Jacobs intercultural exchange To reflect on the relation of theory to the Jacobs reality Instructions Read the following article or have a student read it.
Interculturality – the Jacobs University experience 5th April 2007 12:36am by Author (German Student) Every now and then everybody here at Jacobs University tells us that we are living in such a distinct intercultural environment: Be this Professor Welzel during the Civic Networks class, President Treusch at the opening lecture to the “Global Challenges” USC or even I myself. We all seem to think that this environment must give us
students a tremendous amount of soft skills in coping with people from different cultures. What is intercultural togetherness really about? Do you encounter it when sitting in class? Do you hear about it when you talk to your friends about your work load at the OtherSide on Friday night? Do we meet it when we tell our parents about how stressful the midterm period is? We do! Haven’t you noticed? Let me awaken your awareness. We always encounter tiny little parts of intercultural education in everyday life, mostly unconsciously. In Professor Welzel’s seminar last week, we drifted away from our original discussion topic as usual and somehow ended up debating about whether Jacobs University is spoon-feeding us or we are allowed a substantial degree of freedom. I think to myself, ‘what an unnecessary question.’ To me, it is quite clear that Jacobs University offers an excellent education, but apart from that, I don’t think it is really helping students grow; meals in the server three times a day, one doesn’t even have to know how to turn on an oven, beginning-to-end structured syllabi in every course, you only have to decide at what time of the day you want to do what reading, weekly multiple-choice quizzes and assignments. A German student fuelled the discussion adding that at his German high school everything was at least as free as it is here but without the time pressure: a similar amount of exams, these mostly essay or open-ended questions and never multiple choice ones. Lesser time pressure, so that digging deeper into an interesting topic did not leave you behind the syllabus for weeks, and also homework on a daily basis. Additionally, at home many Germans experience a very free youth, being allowed to consume alcohol at the age of 16, to elect their secondary school classes freely. Though since many of their parents work, they have to cook their own lunch. This is exactly the way I grew up too. From the German student’s and my point of vie, life here on campus is rather spoon-feeding and at the minimum equally free compared to what we have had before.
Copy of the Article
39 -
Obviously not all the people in the world went to a German high school or grew up in Germany. I learned a lot by asking. A student from Nepal tells me he is experiencing the freest time ever here in Bremen. School in his home country was much more structured, without the possibility to compose one’s schedule, life was without parties, he had to be home by 7pm and he did not know how to use a washing machine until he came here because his mother takes care of all the housework. A student from India nods in agreement: “It was similar for me growing up.” Seen from this viewpoint, life in Bremen offers a lot of freedom compared to life in their home countries and Jacobs is in no way spoon-feeding. If the students from India and Nepal hadn’t shared their views with me, I would still think that everybody here sees college life the way I see it, when their actually happen to be many different opinions about this. One must consider what experiences people have had before passing judgements on their opinion. I now know this, and will next time certainly ask more about the manner of things elsewhere, before wondering about why people from other cultures think the way they do. If you also encounter little instances of ‘interculturality,’ do write me about it so that we can together explore what living in an intercultural community is really all about. Debrief Why did the German student have this perspective? Do you agree with the student? Does asking always work to clarify our questions? Why not?
40 -
Mini-Lecture: Intercultural Competence
6 5 min ! all " PowerPoint
After introducing Intercultural Competence, the concept can be revisited at the conclusion of the Workshop (before the Kolb Learning Cycle ativity). Ability to communicate effectively and appropriately in intercultural situations based on one’s intercultural knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Intercultural competence requires that one is willing and able to:
• Acknowledge that one’s own cultural values, beliefs, norms, priorities, etc. do not necessarily match with those embraced by people from other cultures
• Acknowledge that cultural differences have an impact of how people feel, think, act, learn, relate, communicate, etc.
• Open-up towards intercultural learning and to engage with people from other cultures
• Identify which own and other behaviors might be guided by culture • Take multiple perspectives and understand how others might view the world • Listen, observe and use different channels of communication to achieve goals • Tolerate ambiguity and uncertainty • Cope effectively with acculturation stress • Adapt one’s behavior appropriately and effectively to a new cultural context
It might be helpful for participants, if facilitators fill these points with life with own experiences. What are typical examples of when they learned to display some of these intercultural skills? At what times was it difficult for them to live up to these standards?
Source: Deardorff, D.K. (2004), The Identification and Assessment of Intercultural Competence as a Student Outcome of Internationalization at Institutions of Higher Education in the United States, Dissertation at the Graduate Faculty of North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.
41 -
Chapter 4 :
Experience of Culture : Construction of Reality
42 -
Albatross Island
6 40 min ! 3,4 "
Objectives To experience your preconceptions first hand To cope with new explanations and perspectives that you did not see before To be observant To question or beliefs and find alternative explanations Preparation
• Create a group of four people, three girls and one guy. Depending on the gender of both you and your partner trainer, try to balance out the group, by asking volunteers for the gender members that you are missing.
• Inside the room put a chair in the middle of the empty area within the circle of participants.
• Put the cup of food (snacks provided) next to the chair. • Play from your computer the natural sounds music (track will be provided) • Ask the remaining students in the classroom to wait for a few minutes. The trainer
that remains with the group can explain that we will be taking a cruise to Albatross Island in a few moments
• Take the group outside and explain the instructions to them. Everything will be explained after the activity is over
Instructions
• The female students should put the given scarfs wrapped around their heads. • Enter the classroom, with the male student coming in the room first and the female
students following him in a lined order behind. • The male student should start tapping with his feet on the floor as he walks. He
should also start humming and clapping silently with his palms. The female students should follow the same pattern of movements and sounds once the male student starts.
• Walk by the line of the semi-circle and make one turn. Once the male student stops with any movement or sound, the female students should follow.
• The male student should sit on the chair, with his feet placed on the sheet of paper in front of the chair. The female students afterward should sit around him, with their knees on the floor.
• The male student says a sentence, in humming sounds, and the female students repeat it after him, bowing their heads closer to the floor.
• Then the male student touches the head of one of the female students, holds his hand on her head as she leans towards the surface of the floor, almost touching it. Then she sits back in an upright position. He repeats the same movements with one of the other female students of the group.
• One of the female students from the group gets the bowl with food and eats from it. She then hands it in the hands of the male student, who after taking the bowl eats from the food himself.
Pencils, Scarfs, Bowl, Nuts, Music, PowerPoint
43 -
• The male student gets up from the chair, and the female students follow him. He walks around in a circle again while tapping with his feet, humming and clapping with the inner sides of his palms. The female students repeat his movements. The group leaves the classroom.
• After this, you come back in the classroom, you ask the volunteer students to take their seats. You stop playing the natural sounds music and you put on the PowerPoint slides.
Debrief First ask the volunteers for their feelings. Then ask the whole group for their impressions. What do you think you just saw? Do you think the dress code has any meaning? Did you notice anything particular about the relation between the two genders? How do you perceive Albatrossians culture? Would you want to live there? Ideally participants have the following perception:
• Quiet, primitive people that communicate in an unidentifiable language. The different signs ie – humming, tapping with their feet and clapping with their hands, may represent traditions of the culture.
• The dress code, or more specifically the scarfs on the female students’ heads, leads to a discussion of religion, namely the Muslim religion and the resemblance.
• The relation between the two genders is unequal, namely that the man is being followed by the women, the women speak only after he has spoken. The women sit on the ground while the man is on the chair, showing some sort of hierarchy. The women try the food first (maybe to see if it is poisonous?) and only after the man eats from the same food.
Note. These opinions will be stated quite stereotypically in the perception of the culture. If other interesting opinions are given, take them into consideration while being careful that the actual message will NOT be revealed.
Explanation: After this, present the explanation PowerPoint slides and let the students read them themselves. In short the real story about Albatross Island is: They are peaceful people, they hum when they are content. Their most important deity is Mother Earth and it is a great privilege to be close to Earth. A man can only make contact to the Earth Goddess through a woman. Thus they touch the head of a woman to get a closer connection to the Earth Goddess. If a man wants to send a message to the Earth Goddess they first say the words to a woman and she transfers the message closer to the ground. The food in the bowl is an example of food that grows from the soil, therefore it is sacred. That is why the women eat the food first and only then the men can try it. The men have to protect the women, thus why they always walk in front of them. The women wear the scarfs to block the Sun from their heads, so that more sunlight would fall on the soil.
44 -
At Jacobs, you will encounter people from many nations, races, and religions. You will work with them on projects for your classes, you will sit next to them during your daily meals and many of them will become your close associates, friends, and maybe more than just friends.
Noticing their different cultural traditions, habits and behaviors may fall into some of your preconceived stereotypical views. These stereotypes may lead you to wrong assumptions and conclusions, and misunderstandings can easily follow.
• Try to understand the person’s culture as much as you can, and just put yourself in their position
• Imagine how you would feel if you would be stigmatized and misunderstood. • Nurture your relations and friendships by developing a deeper understanding
of your surroundings and broaden your own cultural views. • Grasp the opportunity to represent your own culture. • Do not judge a book by its cover!
Source: Adapted from Beyond Experience: An Experiential Approach to Cross-Cultural Education; Intercultural Press
45 -
Chapter 5 : Cultural Conflict
46 -
Seeing Stereotypes
6 10 min ! all "
Objectives Open a non-judgemental dialogue about existing stereotypes Introduce the psychological concept of a stereotype Address the benefits and harm that can be caused by stereotypes Consider constructive methods to address stereotypes Clarify that discrimination is not accepted on campus Instructions
• Introduce the Stereotype Song video, and clarify that we will simply observe. • Warn that somethings may be offensive and ensure that anyone feeling
uncomfortable is free to object or given the chance to leave the room. • Show the video.
Define Stereotypes. A stereotype is a rigid generalization, sometimes called hardening of the categories (Bennett, 1996). Stereotypes are direct expressions of beliefs and values. ~Stereotypes are “mental cookie cutters”— they force a simple pattern upon a complex mass and assign a limited number of characteristics to all members of a group. “Cultural stereotype” refers to the application of a previously held generalization to every person in a cultural group or generalizing from only a few people in a group. ~It is a normal reaction of every human being to defend their own culture and the values of the group. That is why it is easy to give labels to the rest of the world. We often find people stereotyped around characteristics of: age (“All teenagers love pop music”), sex (“All men only want one thing from women,” “All women are hysterical”), race ( “All Asians look alike”), nationality (“All Germans like Sauerkraut”) Debrief Can stereotypes be: negative ( “women are poor drivers“)? And positive ( “women are social“)? Whether stereotypes are positive or negative can also change depending on the person. For example “women are social” may also be taken as a negative thing by some people or in certain situations. They are also useful in understanding how beliefs and values associated with specific groups may change over time e.g: American attitude towards Russians:
• WW II („Fur-hat wearing vodka drinking comrades-in-arms“) • Cold War („Godless communists in an evil Empire“) • Break-up of the Soviet-Union („Poor, hungry victims of a disorganized and self-
defeating socialist system“)
Power Point, Video, Speakers
47 -
Culture Dimensions
6 15 min ! all " PowerPoint
Objectives To gain research-based knowledge about cultural differences To gain tools that replace stereotypical thinking Instructions
• Create an interactive brainstorm with the participants. Unless using the slides, this is a good outdoor activity.
• Introduce Hofstede: Hofstede’s Culture Dimensions The common beliefs we hold as stereotypes (positively or negatively formulated) seemed to have a kernel of truth. In 1986 Geert Hofstede surveyed IBM employees in 70 different countries and discovered 5 dimensions across which the employees actually consistently differed. . These dimensions have been scientifically researched and show some truth behind stereotypes, however, culture dimensions are formulated neutrally, without evaluating other people.
• Divide the class into two teams (A and B here). • Simple version:
o Present/read out your choice of 1-3 of the following pairs (slides/handbook). o Let Team A attempt to describe one orientation (eg. Monochronic) and
Team B describe the other (eg. Polychronic). See if the two explanations line up with each other.
o Then, clarify the meaning as explained here, and give an example from your time at Jacobs.
• Fun version: Role play.
o Have a volunteer, “Johann” (co-trainer or someone that doesn’t want to participate) sit in the center with a lot of ‘paperwork’.
Johann has proposed a Fundraiser Concert to raise money for the company trip to Ethiopia. Now he is busy trying to organize this event by the 15th of September.
o For your choice of 1-3 of the dimension pairs, Team A and Team B each
send a “Boss” to give Johann a message, from their assigned Orientation (eg. Traditional versus Innovative).
o Clarify any confusions that arise and make the dimensions clear.
48 -
Culture A
Collectivistic Individualistic Emphasizing collective effort and group identity versus highlighting individual rights and achievements
Formal Informal Valuing formal rules versus casual intimacy with others
Structured Flexible Valuing order, planning and organization versus (re-) adjusting to the needs/mood of the moment
Collaboration Competition Valuing sharing and teamwork versus promoting excellence through constant competition
Tradition Innovation Maintaining historical roots and values versus supporting new and different ideas
Monochronic Polychronic Focusing and one task at a time, scheduling versus multi-tasking, socializing and readjusting plans
Hierarchy Equity Respecting status and rank versus maintaining equal value of all people regardless of age, class etc.
Long-term Short-term Plan and persevere with consistency versus immediate gratification from work and relationships. Note. Culture dimensions only reflect a predominant tendency within a culture. This does NOT mean that every individual in that culture will think or behave in that manner. The cultural dimension only represents the mean, the peak of a normal distribution. There are considerable differences among the people within one culture. That is why two individuals from two different cultures, who are on the margins of their respective culture might have more similarities than two people with the same cultural background. Example: Monochronic and Polychronic cultures
Punctual Time-Flexible Punctual Time-Flexible People will typically tend to see other groups as more homogeneous and their own as more heterogeneous (e.g., Europeans will distinguish between Western Europeans, Eastern Europeans, Southern Europeans, etc. but refer to “Africans”, “Asians”, etc. in general. One reason for this is that people always have more information on and familiarity with their own group than with out-groups.
Sources: adapted from Executive Diversity Services (1999), “Your Values Meet the Team’s Values”, in Stringer, D.M. and Cassiday, P.A. (2003), 52 Activities for Exploring
Values Differences, Intercultural Press, Boston, MA, pp.157-159. Itim International (2012). Cultural Dimensions. Retrieved August 15, 2015, from
http://geert-hofstede.com/cultural-dimensions.html
Culture A Culture B
49 -
Round of Anti-Stereotypes
6 10 min !all "
Objectives
• To examine one's own identity and the stereotypes associated with that identity • Practice voicing against stereotypes • To understand that stereotypes are useful but should be flexible and not relied
upon. • Practice mental flexibility to hear others personal stories • Respect individual differences • Open dialogue by asking questions
Instructions
• Ask participants to once again take their sheets with the “Circles of Multicultural Self”
• Inform them that there will now be a “Round of Anti-Stereotypes” • Ask them to share a stereotype they have heard about one dimension of their
identity that fails to describe them accurately. • Find a way to give everyone a turn. • Start by reading your own statement. Stand up, one at a time, and to complete the
sentence "I am (a/an) ____________ but I am NOT (a/an) _____________." Provide your own example, such as "I am a psychologist, but I am NOT a crazy." Or “I am a Bulgarian but I don’t drink alcohol”
• Make sure that participants are respectful and listening actively for this step, as individuals are making themselves vulnerable by participating. Introduce it energetically and allow for silent moments and the activity can be extremely powerful.
Debrief
• How did it feel to express the anti-stereotype? • Are stereotypes ever true? • How can we find out without offending people? • Stereotypes may have a cornel of truth to them or represent a general tendency.
However, stereotypes will often be wrong when applied to a single individual. • We all use stereotypes: they are a mental short cut that often save us time. When
you catch yourself stereotyping at Jacobs University – and you will – take a moment whenever you can to reflect where your stereotype comes from, whether it truly applies to the given person, and whether it is helpful to use it in the given situation.
Note. There is usually some laughter when somebody shares common stereotypes such as "I may be Arab, but I am not a terrorist" or "I may be a German, but my room is always a mess.” Ask the group to comment on why they laughed. When participants are sharing their stereotypes, to allow for silences. People will be hesitant to share initially, but once the ball starts rolling, the activity carries a lot of energy.
Worksheet: Circles of my Multicultural Self
50 -
Chapter 6 : Adaptation
51 -
The U-Curve
6 10 min ! all "
Objectives To reflect upon Culture Shock, its characteristics, causes, signs To actively consider shock management techniques, ways of dealing with it. Instructions
• As a trainer, approach the whiteboard, and draw a line across, label it Time. • Now ask participants to show a range of ‘thumbs up’ to ‘thumbs down’ at certain
times. • Ask them questions for each phase. You may use some of the sample questions
provided:
Honeymoon How did you feel the day you arrived at Jacobs? How was your energy level? How do you feel to meet your roommate? To get a city tour? To meet your host family and go out together? At the initiation ceremony in your college? Crisis How will you feel after speaking to your family on Skype? How will you feel while trying to sign up for 6-7 classes for the semester? When the weather gets rainy and darker than home? When you need to finish the visa paperwork? If you don’t get to speak your own language for a week? How will you feel during midterms? Recovery After a weekend trip to Amsterdam? After the Jacobs celebration of your national holiday? When you successfully finish all you midterms? Adjustment To go around downtown and know the best restaurants/clubs? When your German is good enough to manage your own online banking? You know how to select all the classes you will enjoy next semester? Honeymoon at Home Going home for Christmas? Second Wave Crisis Coming back to class in February in the cold? It is time to choose whether or not to stay in Germany for the summer?
Power Point, Whiteboard, Marker
52 -
When the second year courses become more demanding? When your third year friends graduate and leave?
• For each response (based on the general answer of the group), mark the energy
level high or low above the line. Can add as many mini-questions as needed to get a positive/negative response.
• Finally, after several responses, draw a rough curve passing through the marked curve.
• Introduce the Culture Shock Curve, and describe how every little thing affects our adaptation process. The line is not a straight U-curve, but may have constant fluctuation.
• Make clear that the culture shock curve will look different for every individual – some might feel it a lot, others not at all, some might experience it late, others early.
• Show the Culture Shock Curve slide and give a brief explanation of it. • Stress especially, that ups and downs are normal in an acculturation process, and
that after every crisis there will be a recovery. • Reveal the Definition slide, ask what people feel about it.
Definition of Culture Shock Impact of moving from a familiar to an unfamiliar cultural environment Becoming separated from important people Involves certain stressors and a variety of responses Culture shock in no way only happens abroad, but can also happen once you get back home, since you and your perceptions, but also your relatives and friends might have changed and you first have to get used to each other again. Debrief This activity will be debriefed by the following activity Beat the Shock, by addressing how we can cope with culture shock.
53 -
Beat the Shock Brainstorm
6 15 min ! all " Whiteboard, Marker
Objectives To recognize culture shock its characteristics, causes, signs, To actively consider shock management techniques Instructions Ask the following questions and collect the responses on a Flipchart. Brainstorm by having participants call out/go around naming answers for each question in turn. Collect they responses on a Flipchart
o What are the causes of culture shock? o What are some signs or symptoms of culture shock? o What are some ways to cope with culture shock? o
After collecting and clarifying all their responses, add what you think is missing from the information provided here: Causes of Culture Shock Changes in climate Changes in relationships Inability to communicate Changes in routine Emotional disorientation Disorientation of values
Signs of Culture Shock Irritation over the local way of life Homesickness Boredom and loneliness Overall feeling of dissatisfaction Rising stress, distrust, and depression Physical illness, especially chronic headaches, hypertension
Coping Strategies Challenge: Maintaining a Healthy Work-Life-Balance
Challenge: Develop Rewarding Social Relationships
Challenge: Coping with Academia
Make sure you sleep and eat enough! Get out of your apartment! Pursue a hobby; join clubs, student committees, etc. - but don’t overdo it, your time is limited! Combine academic with social life! Don‘t stick on campus all the time!
Take your time – it takes a while until things fall into place! Make it an explicit aim to meet students from different origins! Ask questions to understand their values, customs, etc.! Seek fellow nationals whenever you feel the need - but avoid sticking with them exclusively! Remember that we all are the constructors of our own reality - treat the views of reality of others with respect! Different cultures have different rules of making friends – just be aware!
Don’t be surprised if you don’t rank at the top anymore - Jacobs is highly selective! Drop courses, if necessary (pay attention to the deadlines)! Don‘t procrastinate! Schedule your time! Utilize all Jacobs’ resources! Study alone and in groups!
Debrief This is a tool to cope in the next few months. Take a picture with your phone/camera, and offer to send it to them through the counseling center. Ask if there are any questions. Share your personal experiences!
55 -
Read: The Prophet and the Long Spoon
6 10 min ! all " Story
Objectives Exemplify the power of cooperation and helping each other Reflect on coping strategies Instructions Create a meditation setting and read out the Oriental Wisdom Tale or have it read out by a participant who can read loudly and clearly. The Prophet and the Long Spoon
A believer came to the prophet Elijah. He was motivated by the question of hell and heaven, for naturally he wanted to live his life accordingly.
“Where is hell-where is heaven?” Elijah did not answer him. Instead, he took the man by his hands and led him to a
large room crowded with many people, rich and poor, some wearing rags, some wearing expensive jewels. In the middle of the room, a big pot of soup stood over an open fire. It spread a wonderful aroma throughout the room. Around the pot, crowds of starving people fought to get their share of the soup. The man who came along with Elijah was amazed when he saw the spoons the people carried, for the spoons were as big as the people themselves. The hungry people greedily poked around in the pot. Although each one wanted his share, no one got it. It was hard to lift the heavy spoon out of the pot, and, since the spoon was very long, even the strongest men could not get it to their mouths. The more impatient people even burned their arms and faces, or spilled the soup on their neighbors. Scolding one another, they fought and hit each other with the spoons that they should have been using to quiet their hunger.
The prophet took his escort by the arm; They left the room and soon they were no longer able to hear the cries behind them. After a long journey through dark passages they entered a different room. Here, too, there were many people sitting around. In the middle of the room there was again a pot of hot soup. Each of the persons had a gigantic spoon in his hand, just like the one they had seen in hell. But here the people were well nourished. There were always two people working together. One dipped the spoon in the pot and fed his partner. If the spoon became too heavy for one person, two others helped so that everyone was able to eat in peace. As soon as one person had had enough to eat, it was another one’s turn.
The prophet Elijah said to the believer, “Now you have seen them both.” Debrief
• Which was heaven and which was hell? • What was the difference between the two? • When is cooperation helpful? • How can you get cooperation to happen?
• When is cooperation not helpful?
The story distinguishes between two opposite ways of coping - one helpful “heaven” and one unhelpful, “hell”. “Hell” depicts a situation where people in a community respond to a demanding
56 -
situation in a very selfish, hostile and destructive manner. “Heaven” shows people who assist and support each other and thus manage to cope without getting into such self-made troubles.
57 -
Chapter 7: Models of Integration
58 -
Fruit Models of Integration
6 15 min !all "
Objectives To learn theories of integration To consider their implications in real life To apply the concepts to the Jacobs context Instructions
• Warm up: a quick fun round where everyone must say “If I were a fruit I would be a…”
• Create three groups by having people count off in 1-2-3. Form the groups and sit together.
• Show the three prepared posters/or the images on the slides, and ask them to identify each one (details below):
o Fruit Platter o Fruit Salad o Fruit Sorbet
Give this brief explanation. Consider that these represented the Jacobs community. Whenever people come together to a new environment, there are different models to organize their daily interactions and living-together. If everyone at Jacobs were a different kind of fruit having to live together on campus, what would be the benefits (+) and the drawbacks (-) of each type of fruit arrangement?
• Now give one poster to each group (Sorbet, Salad, Platter) and ask each group to list/write some + and – on their poster.
• After 10 minutes, collect and have each group shortly present their discoveries.
The Fruit Sorbet In a fruit sorbet, different kinds of fruit are blended into each other, until they become one unified mass. This model of integration assumes that cultural groups should blend into each other and differences between people should disappear as much as possible. Typical statements: “The melting pot” “We are all the same” “We are all a big family living in a small village” “If only we get to know each other, we will all live in peace” They downplay differences and pay a lot of attention to “political correctness.” Possible Advantages: More social peace, less inefficiencies Possible Disadvantages: Less diversity, immigrants lose touch with their roots
PowerPoint, 3 Flipcharts, Markers
59 -
The Fruit Plate On a fruit plate, different kinds of fruit just exist next to each other. This model is of
different social groups living parallel to one another, interacting only on a superficial level, but in fact developing each their own infrastructure and social rules; immigrant quarters of large cities (e.g., Chinatown, Little Italy, Poles in Chicago, Turks in Berlin Kreuzberg). Neighboring groups are at best tolerated, but often seen with suspicion, each group secluding itself from the other groups.
Possible Advantages: Less culture shock for immigrants, less inefficiency within own group, immigrants keep strong connection to their roots of origin Possible Disadvantages: Little exchange, community doesn’t profit as much from existing diversity; danger of ghettos and discrimination
The Fruit Salad In a fruit salad you can clearly distinguish the different kinds of fruit; however, the
flavors and juice blend in with each other and create a taste that is different than each fruit taste for itself. In this model, each group is proud of its own achievements and habits, but appreciates the other groups. Besides in-group interaction, frequent and meaningful interaction goes on between social groups; people are open others’ perspectives and solutions. They do not have to take up, or like, everything the others are doing, nor do they give up their own cultural identity. They respect and empathize with others.
Possible Advantages: Makes the most out of diversity; immigrants keep strong connection to their roots of origin Possible Disadvantages: To live this model takes time and energy – which are resources that are sometimes scarce, also at Jacobs. It requires going the extra mile, to actively make contact with those who are different form you.
Debrief • Have you seen examples of any of this models: in your highschool? In foreign
countries?
• Which one do you prefer? At Jacobs we support the Fruit Salad model. It is not necessarily the best; one has to be aware that different models exist, and consciously adapt our own community.
• How might it be difficult to achieve the Fruit Salad model? (eg. sticking together in national groups, English-language, etc).
• What are some skills and strategies to develop an international community? (eg. participating in clubs, going to social events, presenting ones’ own customs, etc.)
• At different times, Jacobs students might adopt different models (e.g., Fruit Salad in
O-Week, but Fruit Plate when the midterm stress starts). We invite you to go the extra mile to actively seek interactions with people from other cultures, whenever time and energy resources or level of homesickness permit.
Note. These models of integration have been historically developed in multi-cultural communities, In former times the “melting pot” or “Fruit Sorbet” model was popular, in which immigrants are expected to assimilate to the dominant culture. In real life one will often find the Fruit Plate model, with larger groups of immigrants establishing quarters in town that are mainly inhabited by their fellow nationals (e.g., ghettos) – or with larger student groups establishing their own floors in the Colleges. The Fruit Salad model is a challenging ideal to realize.
60 -
Chapter 8: Conclusion of Part-One
61 -
Conclusion of Part One
6 5 min ! all " PowerPoint
Objectives To reorient ourselves to the learning objectives To pinpoint what lessons we have learnt so far Instructions
• Show the summary slide listing the chapters so far. • Ask one student to state what they learned for each chapter. Summarize the
learning objective (as suggested below) in your own words. • After this, show the PART II slide. We will address these chapters after a break.
Session I: Dive Into Diversity The part could be summarized by the Chinese proverb
A fish will not discover the water.
We looked over the edge of the fish bowl and find out more about our own culture and how it influences our daily life. Know Thyself We explored our own values, priorities, and how they differ from others. It is impossible to know all the cultures represented at Jacobs University. However, we can become experts on our own culture and understand of how it shapes our thinking, feeling, and behavior. This is the best possible basis for interacting productively with people from other cultures. What is culture? We tried to find out what culture is, how it influences our perception. We experienced how our upbringing can lead us to evaluate the same circumstances at Jacobs very differently. Experience of Culture We experienced how cultural preconceptions impact how we approach people, gather and interpret information. Cultural Conflict We tried to discover more about what stereotypes are, where they come from and their
Part One: Dive into Diversity
• Know Thyself! • What is Culture? • Experience of Culture • Cultural Conflict • Adaptation • Models of Integration
62 -
positive and negative aspects. We explored Cultural Dimensions as better tools to understand difference. Adaptation We brainstormed strategies to help us successfully manage culture shock and conflict. Models of Integration We glimpsed what an ideal international community might look like, and how to achieve it. Part Two: Thriving@Jacobs The second part then, claims,
Leaving the water can be exciting… but it may involve challenges!
Debrief
• What is one lesson you especially took from Part One? • What was your favorite activity? • Is there anything you found unclear/unhelpful? Why is that?
Finally, ask for a short feedback of what participants liked and didn’t like so far, and what their wishes and expectations are for the second workshop day
Part Two: Thriving@Jacobs
• Interpersonal Challenges • Academic Challenges • Looking Forward
63 -
Part Two Thriving@Jacobs
“Leaving the water can be exciting – but it may involve challenges“
64 -
Chapter 9 : Introduction of Part-Two
65 -
Ice-Breaker: One Duck
6 5 min ! all " Rubber Duck
Objectives To be prepared for the second part of the workshop To energize ourselves To explain the origin of the Jacobs Duck and its significance Instructions
• Present the slide with the words of the Duck Rhyme. • Stand around in a circle. • Pass around the duck, and for each pass you must say the next line of the following
rhyme: 1. One duck
Two legs Jumps into the pond Splish à
2. Two ducks Four legs Jumps into the pond Splish Splash à
3. Three ducks Six legs Jumps into the pond Splish Splash Splish….
• Build up speed as you pass around the duck. • If someone makes a mistake, they are out. The game starts again with “one duck”. • Continue playing until one person is left a winner.
Debrief
• All incoming students have received a rubber duck in their welcome package. • Why could the duck be the Jacobs mascot?
The duck is a great metaphor for intercultural competence, as it naturally adapts its behavior to its environment: it can swim in the water, fly in the air, and walk on the land. Intercultural competence is an art that can be learned and developed – and Jacobs is an ideal place to start.
• Rubber ducks can travel great journeys! 15 years ago, 29 000 yellow rubber ducks were washed overboard of a cargo ship in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Since then they have traveled 17,000 miles, floating over the site where the Titanic sank, landing in Hawaii and even spending years frozen in an Arctic ice pack and are now heading straight for Britain. Given that the toys are made of durable plastic and are sealed watertight, they have been able to survive years adrift at the mercy of the elements. Moreover, they have been invaluable to science as the have helped researchers chart the great ocean currents. And this is our wish to the incoming batch of students: when you graduate to be interculturally skilled ambassadors of Jacobs University, to resiliently travel the world, and to advance science and other important domains.
• Finally, an English proverb says “It’s a good day for ducks,” meaning that it is a rainy day. From this point of view, Bremen is certainly a great place for ducks as it does rain very frequently here in North Germany!
66 -
Workshop Overview
6 5 min ! all " PowerPoint
Objectives To introduce the topics of the workshop Part Two To explain the importance of Part Two To find our learning objectives for this part Instructions
• Take a look at the Calvin and Hobbes Slides and let them read silently. • Then introduce Part Two: After we spent the first part of the workshop exploring the
“water” we were raised in, it’s influences and some ideal tactics to cope with diversity. Now we apply what we learned to Jacobs.
Leaving the water can be exciting….
But it may involve challenges! Interpersonal Challenges We explore the domain of personal relationships and how we thrive based on what we have learned in the first part. Eg. developing friendships, intercultural communication, resolving conflicts, working in teams, romance etc. Academic Chellenges We will apply intercultural knowledge to the academic system at Jacobs. Eg. managing workload, meeting deadlines, transdisciplinarity, competition, creating a healthy work-life-balance etc. Looking Forward After sharing our tips and experiences, we give you the chance to reflect on your upcoming journey at Jacobs. There is time to address all your issues, worries, questions and concerns that might still be open. We will try to find answers and solutions together.
Part Two: Thriving@Jacobs
• Interpersonal Challenges • Academic Challenges • Looking Forward
67 -
After completing the workshop you will be prepared to face issues that come up, understand some underlying reasons, and find support if you need it. We hope to prep you to be academically successful and socially happy at Jacobs University! Calvin and Hobbes-Cartoon
68 -
Chapter 10 : Interpersonal Challenges at Jacobs
69 -
The Silent Painter
6 30 min ! All "
Objectives To experience consequences of communication issues Try to collaborate with others who have a different mindset Use our communication tools Instructions
• Prepare a table with a sheet of paper and a pen for every two participants (i.e., if there are 14 participants, you will need 7 tables).
• Split the participants in two groups and tell one group to go out of the room. Important: Ask them to go as far away from the door as possible, as you will otherwise run into difficulties when conducting the exercise. You can ask your co-facilitator to go out with them.
• Show the PowerPoint slides with the mouse to the participants who are left in the room and tell them the following cover story:
After the chapter on communication earlier, we want to make a short experiment on nonverbal communication. Imagine that you are from a country called Kagara and have visitors from Kigiri. In a moment, you will have to draw this picture (don’t say mouse!) together with a partner from Kigiri; As you do not have a common language, you will have to do it without talking. You from Kagara and your partner Kigiri only have one and have to share. Remember, in Kagara, drawing is supposed to be done with the right hand; Kagarians find it very weird if people do not draw with their right hand. You and your partner should draw this picture as well as possible: the picture that resembles the original best will receive a chocolate reward!
• After this, you send the Kagara group out and again ask them to go as far away from the door as possible. They are not allowed to talk with the Kigiri group.
• Now, you have to quickly close the door and change to the next slide, displaying the face of a man. Then you call the Kigiri group in and show them the PowerPoint slide of the face.
• The Kigiri group is told the same story as above, but in their cultures, drawing is supposed to be done with the left hand. The Kigiri people find it very weird if one draws with the right hand.
• Then you send the Kigiri people out and ask them to find a partner of the Kagara group and bring their partner back, but without using words. Again, you will quickly have to shut the door and change the PowerPoint slide, now displaying the visual illusion of both man and mouse.
• When the Kigiri-Kagara pairs come in, they are shown the third picture Head/Mouse for ~3 seconds. Then they are asked to draw the picture with one pen only and without talking.
• Ideally, participants will be affected by the picture they saw before. Both think that they are drawing the 3rd picture, but are in fact influenced by their own picture and imagination.
Pencils, Blank Sheets, PowerPoint
70 -
Debrief • How did you feel while drawing? What did you notice? • How did you manage to cooperate? • How did you communicate with each other? • How did you deal with the fact that the partner wanted to draw something else? • How did you deal with the fact that your partner was using the other hand?
Note. Many couples will only notice after the three pictures have been uncovered, that they had two different images in their head. The other one will be accused to draw badly or to be unable to observe and to reproduce what he/she has seen. In some unlikely cases, some participants will notice that the picture is different from the one they have seen before. However, this should not really matter, as for them, it will still be an exercise on non-verbal communication, and you can evaluate it accordingly.
• Present the following three slides (powerpoint) to discuss: 1. Style of Messages: Direct and Indirect 2. Communication channels: Verbal and Non-verbal 3. Speed of Building Relationships: Public and Private Sphere
1. What is the real message? (direct versus indirect communication)
Three businesswomen go to a restaurant for lunch break during an international conference in Dubai. They order three hamburgers and after the meal, the waiter asks each woman how she enjoyed her meal. The first lady said, “Well unfortunately the patty was quite overdone.” The second said, “I enjoyed the fresh baked buns. The patty was a bit burnt, but the sauce very tasty.” Finally the third said, “Great buns, the sauce was excellent.”
Cultures vary in how directly one gives a message or asking a question. Sometimes, one must recognize the answer from contextual cues beyond what is stated in words.
2. Communication is done via (slide): Verbal and Non-Verbal Channels
3. Recall the Fruit Models of Integration. Why is a Peach communication style
different from the Coconuts’? (depth of the public/private sphere)
71 -
Coconut cultures have a thin shell/range of topics they share with strangers, but once friendship is established, there is a sincere sharing of the ‘inner fruit’ with others. In cultures such Russia and Germany, people are initially more closed off from strangers, rarely smiling at, asking personal questions, or offering personal information to casual acquintances. But over time, as coconuts get to know you, relationships are built up and also tend to last longer. In peach cultures, there is a thick flesh in the public sphere, in USA or Brazil people tend to be friendly (“soft”) with new acquaintances. They smile frequently at strangers, move quickly to first-name usage, share information about themselves, and ask personal questions of those they hardly know. But after a little friendly interaction it takes more effort to bond with the ‘inner seed’ of a Peach.
Source: Bildungs-AG, SCI-D; Interkulturelle Begegnungen - Interkulturelles
Lernen, p. 101 Zaninelli, S. (2005). What happens when „Coconut“ and „Peach“ communicate
or: The world’s greatest misunderstanding. Retrieved August 15, 2015, from http://www.culture-contact.com/fileadmin/files/coconut_und_peach_engl.pdf
72 -
4 Ears Model- Range of Communicative Technique
6 35 min! groups of 3-4 "
Objectives Recognize the components of communication Apply model in different situations at Jacobs University Explore the impact of different contexts Consider one’s own communication style Consider ways to respond to certain messages Preparation
• Have the 4-Ears Handout prepared (8, one for each group). • Have the situation slips cut and prepared (from the sheet provided) (also 8).
Note. Before guiding this part, the trainer should make up his/her mind about the following questions:
• What concrete experiences did you make with multicultural encounters at Jacobs? • Any problems that traced back to cultural differences? • Any situations you perceive differently now, after learning some theoretical
background and living on campus? Instructions
• Present the slides of the 4-Ears Model and example.
4 Ear Worksheet, Situation Slips (cut), PowerPoint
73 -
Eg. A couple is sitting in their car stopped at a traffic light. The light turns green and the husband says to his wife, who is driving: The light is green.
• Divide the group into 8 sub-groups. • Ask which groups would like to work on which domain (2 groups each):
o Roommates o Family/Relatives at home o Professors and Administration o Romantic Interests
• Let the groups separate around the room and hand out one 4-Ears Worksheet separately to each group. Hand out the relevant situation slip (printed) to each group
Note. Do not let the groups see each other, or discuss with other groups until the end of the activity.In fact, the groups get one of the two following statements in their group. The hand-outs also contain domain specific follow-up questions:
o “I am feeling lonely and I am having a hard time.” o “I am having trouble doing my Math homework with my study group.”
• Give the groups 10 minutes to discuss and fill out both sides of the Worksheet.
Then allow each group present their answers at the end to the entire class. Also allow them to present their thoughts/advice on the reflection questions.
Note. Help groups stay on track with the time, telling them to move on to the next
question as needed. Debrief Allow each group to present their solution, and then their advice for communication in that Domain.
• Do others agree with these? Have they had a similar situation? • How is their interpretation of the (same) statement different from your group? • What is another issue you have experienced in this domain? (Trainers share too!) • Did you learn anything about your own or others’ cultures by a situation like this?
These problems may occur during their stay at Jacobs University. The multicultural life at Jacobs can be deeply enriching, with all the chances and opportunities it brings along.
74 -
We hope awareness can help you to support each other and yourself in the Jacobs community.
“Saying, 'I'm sorry' is the same as saying, ' I apologize.' Except at a funeral.” – Demetri Martin
Possible Problems/Difficulties/Comments As a trainer, facilitate this discussion, and offer new aspects of the problem when the group seems to agree on a point, and provoke a lively talk on intercultural problem solving. The trainer should share your own positive as well as negative Jacobs’ experiences. This discussion should be led in a very personal style, giving hints and recommendations, and leaving space for questions.
Martin, D. Brainyquote.com. 2015.
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/d/demetrimar414422.html#pD4TAA5EBB2C01hy.99
Von Thun, F. S. (2013). Miteinander reden 1: Störungen und Klärungen. Allgemeine Psychologie der Kommunikation. Rowohlt Verlag GmbH.
Factual''
Appeal'
Rela,onal'
Self1Revela,on'
Sender'
Reciever'
A"though(ul"response"would"be…"
"Was"the"message"direct"indirect?""
Advice"on"this"Speaker"• What"are"some"other"difficult"situa=ons"with"this"kind"of"speaker?"
• What"are"common"listener"concerns?""• What"are"common"concerns"for"this"speaker?"
• How"can"we"communicate"be@er"with"this"speaker?"
75 -
Roommates Your roommate ask if you want to play tennis on Saturday. You tell your roommate
that you will be going to stay in Hamburg at a German friends’ house over the weekend. You roommate tells you, “I am feeling lonely and am having a hard time.”
Roommates
You are enjoying some great new music you discovered online, when your roommate comes home looking exhausted. They say “I am having trouble doing my Math homework with my study group.”
Family/Relatives at home
Your parents call and remind you it is a traditional festival back home and they send their wishes. They also mention however, that your little brother is enjoying using your room since you have gone. You say “I am feeling lonely and am having a hard time.”
Family/Relatives at home
Your friends parents call while you are hanging out after class. They ask how the class was, and how are the others classmates. Your friend replies “I am having trouble doing my Math homework with my study group.”
Professors and Administration
A professor gives a bad review on a paper submitted by a student, but calls the student in to talk about it. When they ask what’s wrong the student replies “I am feeling lonely and am having a hard time.”
Professors and Administration
Before the midterms, a Professor is asking for feedback after distributing the grades for the homework. A student says “I am having trouble doing my Math homework with my study group.”
Romantic Interest
You eating dinner in the servery with someone you have recently become close to. You ask them how they are doing and they say, “I am feeling lonely and am having a hard time.”
Romantic Interest
You have become romantically involved with a friend in your major. However, with the exams coming up, you told him/her that you need more time to study, and cannot hang out. One evening they call you and say “I am having trouble doing my Math homework with my study group.”
76 -
Language Discrimination at Jacobs
6 10 min ! All " Video Clips (2)
Objectives To observe the language discrimination conflict To consider plausible solutions
Preparation Set up the video and speakers. Even with loudspeakers, the poor audio quality of the video and the accents of our actors will make it difficult to understand some of the dialogues clearly and most participants will have to read the accompanying subtitles.
Instructions Introduce the two video clips that portray situations that they might encounter frequently at Jacobs University. First show them the “Classroom Interactions” and then the “Servery Interactions”.
Debrief • What have you observed? • What could each person have done in this situation?
Often incoming students will be in disbelief that these situations really happen at Jacobs University and start finger-pointing at whose fault it was that these situations happened in this way. àDraw a circle like the one depicted below and invite participants to take a systemic perspective. That is, each community member influences the other with his or her behavior. It does not make sense to ask: “Who started?” or “Whose fault
was it?” At Jacobs, the entire community is responsible for the interactions
happening on campus and each member can do his or her part by being sensitive to the perspectives of others and/or by sensitizing others for ones own perspective – don’t expect others to be mind readers; like was demonstrated in the Black and White Video with the gorilla, many things that are obvious to you will go unnoticed by others.
• Give concrete examples of what you could say to the Professor/fellow students in each case.
• How does this relate to the Fruit Salad Model? Jacobs University is an English language Institution. However, Jacobs members come from over 85 different countries and for the majority of the community English is not a native language. Automatically switching to their native language when meeting fellow nationals is a human and automatic reaction and is usually not done with the intent of hurting or excluding others, it can have negative effects on others, as portrayed in the video clips.
77 -
Chapter 11: Academic Challenges at Jacobs
78 -
Theoretical Background Information
The following describes learning beliefs at Jacobs based on a study done by Professor Dr. Ulrich Kühnen, a professor here of Social Psychology.
The information will be helpful for you to gain a clear understanding; details from the research at Jacobs might be interesting as tidbits during the training. Copies can be offered to interested students. The Meaning of Learning across Cultures
Learning beliefs include often implicit assumptions about: • what is and should be the goal of learning • what processes learning involves • what emotions are evoked by success and failure in learning • what characteristics are possessed by the ideal learner and teacher
Previous studies in the field have investigated learning beliefs of US American and Chinese scholars. Three Hofstede dimensions (as introduced earlier), are the basis for distinguishing between “teacher-centered” and “learner-centered” classrooms.
• Power Distance refers to the extent to which members of groups or
organizations accept and expect that power is distributed equally versus hierarchically.
• Individualism versus its opposite, collectivism refers to the degree to which individuals are expected to be integrated and enmeshed with their groups.
• Uncertainty Avoidance deals with a society’s tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity. It indicated to which extent a culture programs its members to feel (un)comfortable in structured situations.
Simplifying, classroom cultures characterized by collectivism, large power distance and strong uncertainty avoidance are “teacher-centered”. Individualism, small power distance and weak uncertainty avoidance, on the other had, we label “learner-centered”.
Mind Orientation
• Socratic Tradition • The central tenet of education is the development of mental functions to understand
the world, develop personal skills and realize personal goals. • Independent inquiry should lead to questioning the known and to exploring and
discovering the new. • There is a strong focus on doubt. • Communication is an essential component of the learning process. • The learner’s role is quite active and self-generated knowledge is held in esteem. • Success in learning evokes pride, whereas failure leads to disappointment and
reduced motivation. The teacher’s role is primarily that of a knowledge provider. Virtue Orientation
• Confucian Tradition • Confucius’ core concept lies in the pursuit for any human being to become the most
genuine, sincere and humane person he or she can become. Self-perfection is, however, unobtainable by definition: the main focus for students lies in its pursuit
79 -
• Developing oneself morally and socially is an important learning goal. A good student possesses the virtues of diligence and perseverance.
• Learning is primarily regarded as an effortful and internal process. Only once the learner has achieved mastery over the learning material by internal rehearsal, can he or she engage in discussion about it.
• When they succeed, learners remain humble in order to continue the self-perfection process. When experiencing failure, they feel shame and guilt, not only for themselves but also for those who nurtured them.
• Failure therefore motivates the Chinese students to further improve themselves. • The ideal teacher is not only seen as a knowledge provider, but also as moral model.
The Jacobs Study Of course, these descriptions of learning beliefs and intellectual traditions are oversimplifications. Cultures and individuals are much more complex than the above descriptions suggest. However, mind and virtue orientation can be regarded as two important dimensions along which learning beliefs of students and professors may vary. A study was conducted on Jacobs University’s multicultural student body going beyond the US-Chinese comparison to study learning beliefs of students outside the Socratic or Confucian tradition. Mind and virtue orientation were assessed by participants’ agreement with several statements about learning, based on the model. • Faculty members were included in our investigation as well; students reported the
presumed learning beliefs of their faculty. We hence explored the discrepancy between students’ learning beliefs, their assumptions about faculty and the professors’ actual views on learning.
• Finally, we included outcome measures in our study: Do learning beliefs predict academic satisfaction and maybe even GPA?
To answer these questions, we conducted a campus wide survey of learning beliefs in which 70 percent of undergraduate students and 83 percent of faculty participated. Results • Jacobs University endorses the mind orientation items much more strongly than
the virtue orientation items. • Students from cultures that share the Socratic tradition endorsed mind orientation
items stronger than non-Socratic students and vice versa. • Finally, the more students’ orientations mirrored the faculty’s views, the more
they were academically satisfied. • The more satisfied the students were, the higher their GPA. Implications
• First, professors do have implicit beliefs about learning that can be described along the dimensions of mind and virtue orientation- irrespective of their scientific discipline.
• Their behavior in class as well as their perception of students’ behavior is influenced by these learning beliefs.
• Learning beliefs that differ from that of faculty may not necessarily be adaptive. It is therefore crucial for faculty members to be aware of their own assumptions of learning and to communicate them explicitly to students.
• It is important for professors to be aware that their conceptualization of their own role as teachers is not necessarily matching their students’ perception; eg. Professors may refuse for instance being moral models, yet that does not prevent them from being seen as such by some students.
80 -
• Of course, the same argument holds true for students: non-Socratic students observe their fellow Socratic ones engaging in strong debates with their professors and displaying behavior that seems disrespectful or rude. Imagine their confusion when they learn that this kind of behavior is even highly esteemed by faculty!
Sources Hofstede, G. (1986). Cultural differences in teaching and learning. International
Journal of intercultural relations, 10(3), 301-320.
81 -
Classroom Culture
6 10 min ! all " Powerpoint
Objectives To become aware of key differences in educational approach To locate your own opinions in relation to these approaches To understand what is standard/acceptable at Jacobs To discover common solutions to conflict Preparation
• Read the provided background information as Trainers. • Select and agree with your partner about which of the statements (below) you will
read out with the group. • Put all the chairs in the room aside and make enough space in the middle of the
room. Alternatively, you might consider going outside for this exercise (depending on the weather…). Changing the place helps keep the group motivated and awake.
• Present the two different classroom cultures (on your own or using the Slides). Instructions
• The two trainers stand in opposite corners of the room, thus creating an imaginary continuous line between them.
• One trainer reads one statement of the pair. The co-trainer than reads out the opposing statement (see below). The participants place themselves along the imaginary line between the trainers depending on whom they agree with more.
Note. Other version: You can also place signs around the room: strongly agree, agree, neutral, strongly disagree and disagree, which the participants then cluster around. Note. Pay attention that each trainer alternates with quotes originating from different
classroom culture approaches, so that participants don’t stand at the same spot all the time, but have to rethink about their position for each sentence.
• After each statement, ask a couple of participants to comment on their previous experiences, and explain their position. The trainers share their impressions.
Debrief
• All societies have their own pedagogical theories, preferences and styles. And these educational approaches themselves are shaped by social, political, economic, and historical developments. Students at Jacobs University are used to different approaches towards learning and teaching.
• At Jacobs University, they are faced with a mostly Western/American approach that is characterized by Professor/Student interaction, Discussion and presentations by students, emphasis on active participation and on the development of critical thinking.
• This approach is not the ‘best’ but is generally agreed upon by the community. • Make clear, these are ideal categories and that the Freshmen’s personal experiences
might be quite different. Teaching style varies considerably depending on the professor, the course, the school and the major.
82 -
Cheating Different cultures think differently about “cheating”. For instance, for many Eastern
Europeans it is normal to support each other in quizzes and exams– it would be seen as unsocial behavior not to do so; on the other hand, in Germany, cheating is rather seen as a sign of incompetence, value is put on the performance of the individual, so the individual is responsible for his own learning processes. Cheating is considered a dishonest way of achieving something.
Everybody had signed and agreed to the Code of Academic Integrity during the matriculation ceremony. Emphasize that instructors will hold a Western/German perspective on this issue and will not be lenient if they find somebody cheating. Language Skills
• Jacobs is an English-speaking university and that proper English skills are expected by everybody. However, students might be disappointed of the level of language skills that some fellow students, professors, or Admin.
• Accents: people should not be embarrassed to ask repeatedly if they do not understand something – often the other person might have the same difficulties understanding them!
• German: Acquiring German skills will also be helpful in their everyday life. It is almost impossible to find a job in Germany without at least basic German skills! Many alumni regret not having made use of their time at Jacobs to acquire German language skills.
• Don’t be shy to try out your German skills with the server, college or Admin staff (Student Records, Career Services, Financial Aid, Campus Activities, Counseling Center), or fellow students. Everybody will be happy to assist you and all Germans (like any other nationality group) will feel honored if you try speaking their language.
Resources
• Tutorials in the natural sciences • Courses on presentation skills, time management, public speaking by the Career
Services Office • Academic writing courses and correction of texts by Librarian • Academic English workshops • One-to-one presentation trainings by the Counseling Center • Time and Stress-Management trainings by the Counseling Center
Possible Problems/Difficulties/Comments: Freshmen will be eager to find out more about academics at Jacobs University and will want to hear as much as they can about your personal experiences. Leave enough time to answer all their questions and address all their concerns. They will see you as the expert: careful when criticizing and evaluating specific professors, courses or majors! Refrain from accusations and remain professional. Do not be afraid to refer them to the aforementioned support places with any questions that you do not feel comfortable with or cannot answer fully.
83 -
Quotes for Classroom Culture Exercise
The task of a good professor is to be a source of knowledge. S/he
does not need to motivate students or encourage them to
think for themselves.
A good professor should not only be knowledgeable, but also
arouse students’ interest and encourage them to think for
himself or herself.
Students should question new ideas, give their own opinion, and challenge their professors
with opposing views.
Students should treat their professors with respect, and not contradict them. It is foolish to challenge things that you have
not yet fully understood. In my previous school, we mainly worked and studied
individually. In my previous school, we often
worked in groups.
Students should actively participate in class. If they have
idea they want to contribute they should raise their hand and
share it with the class.
Students should listen to
lectures and focus on memorizing knowledge.
In my previous school, assessments were mainly based
on written exams.
In my previous school, assessments were based on
active participation, exams, and presentations.
Only a professor is able to evaluate students objectively. Fellow students can give
valuable evaluations. Copying homework from a friend
instead of doing it oneself or giving one’s own homework to
others for copying is asocial and harmful for your own personal
development. I would feel guilty if I helped somebody do this or if I did it myself. This is cheating and a sign of incompetence.
Copying homework from a friend instead of doing it oneself or
giving one’s own homework to others for copying is a legitimate
way to help out each other. I would feel bad, if I didn’t support a friend this way.
Refusing to show my notes to somebody else is asocial.
In my previous school, teaching was based on lectures, discussions and student
presentations.
In my previous school, teaching was mainly based on lectures.
Professors should be moral role models. Professors and students should
be equal partners.
It’s embarrassing for a professor to say “I don’t know”
It’s good if a professor can admit that s/he does not know
something. I would feel comfortable
addressing my professor or a staff member by his/her first
name.
I would feel uncomfortable addressing my professor or a staff member by his/her first
name.
84 -
Classroom Culture at Jacobs
6 10 min !all " PowerPoint
Objectives To be aware of teaching/learning style differences To gain theoretical tools for understanding these differences To see examples of these dimensions in academia Instructions
• Study Hofstede’s dimensions before hand, clarify what you don’t’ understand. • Introduce Hofstede and the cultural dimensions (slides provided). • You may use the slides for [Power Distance, Individualism/Collectivism, and
Uncertainty Avoidance], for [Teacher-Centred/Learner-Centered] or both. • Before explain, give the group a chance to offer their understandings or guesses at
what each term means. Hofstede’s Culture Dimensions: According to Hofstede (1986) culture has a deep impact on what roles are assigned to teachers and learners in a classroom setting. Three key ones are:
• Power Distance refers to the extent to which members of groups or organizations accept and expect that power is distributed equally versus hierarchically.
• Individualism versus collectivism refers to the degree to which individuals are expected to be integrated and enmeshed with their groups.
• Uncertainty Avoidance deals with a society’s tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity. It indicated to which extent a culture programs its members to feel (un)comfortable in structured situations.
A simplified classification of classroom cultures characterizes collectivism, large power distance and strong uncertainty avoidance as “teacher-centered;” Classroom cultures characterized by individualism, small power distance and weak uncertainty avoidance, on the other had, we will label “learner-centered”. Teacher-centered classroom cultures:
• Students are supposed to be respectful, non-questioning, expecting structure and hierarchy in the class room, greater emphasis on group membership, uncomfortable with ambiguity or to stand out; desire to save face of self and others = desire for social order and harmony, which obliges subordination of individual needs and desires in social contexts, motivation is less to express oneself as a person than to seek respect from the group.
• Personal feelings of students are irrelevant and improper in the classroom; students are not expected to be asked about their opinion, they are there to learn from the teacher and would not expect to come up with answer on their own. To be asked for ones personal opinion would be embarrassing. Learners may find it foolish to be questioned so early in the learning process. How can one challenge what one does not understand properly and how can understanding result from free-for-all questioning rooted in ignorance?
85 -
• The student’s role is to listen to lectures, take notes, read assignments, memorize content, and demonstrate the memorization in tests and papers.
Learner-centered classroom cultures:
• Process of generating knowledge is valued over knowledge accepted from others, including authorities. Emphasis on developing critical-thinking and problem solving skills as one of the highest priorities for the educational outcome. Emphasis on critical analysis, active participation in tutorials, teaching strategy of through question-and-answer approach.
• Private and public questioning of widely accepted knowledge is valued and students are expected to evaluate others’ beliefs and to generate and express their own hypotheses.
• The student’s role is to listen, take notes, read, think critically about content, express perspectives and criticism in class, actively participate in dialogue, demonstrate understanding, contribute to the development of knowledge.
Teacher’s Role Teacher-centered classroom cultures:
• Knowledge is considered to be a commodity to be transferred between teachers and students; teachers are providers and students are consumers of knowledge.
• Teachers are considered to be moral role models, also in their behavior and opinions that are not connected to the subject matter.
• The preferred teaching methods are lectures. • Preferred evaluation methods are written and oral exams.
Learner-centered classroom cultures:
• Teachers think that the ability to examine information critically is the goal of education, that content is dynamic and not fixed and that teachers and students are partners.
• Teachers frequently ask students about their own opinion and ideas on a topic. • Students and teachers are considered to be partners, both responsible for a good
learning outcome. • Preferred teaching methods are lectures, discussions in large and small groups,
application of theory, student presentations. • Preferred evaluation methods are written and oral exams, presentations, active
participation, papers, quizzes, group projects. Classmates might also be involved in the evaluation process.
Desired Learning Outcomes Teacher-centered classroom cultures:
• Orientation towards conserving knowledge, teaching approach emphasizes the reproductive ability of students.
• The respect of written knowledge and authority is the norm and critical analysis is not encouraged or required.
• Making efforts, respectful, and pragmatic acquisition of essential knowledge as well as behavioral reform are especially valued.
Learner-centered classroom cultures:
• The development and extension of knowledge is highly valued and encouraged; In tertiary education there is an orientation to extending knowledge.
86 -
• Teaching approaches adopted are designed to develop the analytical and speculative ability of students.
• Students are supposed to be able to apply concepts to new situations and to develop their critical analysis skills.
Debrief • Do these situations really happen? • How to cope if the class is not what you expected? • Do you feel it will influence your academic results?
Advice and Concerns: • Most students entering tertiary education for the first time need to develop
appropriate study skills, time management skills, independent learning and social skills.
• Learning is constructed: Students coming from a different system to the Western system might not recognize that they are being taught anything. If they come from an educational tradition that does not emphasize the process of generating knowledge (but rather, the product), they may not recognize a Western teaching style as legitimate. àWhat the professor thinks he is teaching might not be what students think that they are learning. àStudents might get frustrated and consider the professor to be a bad teacher.
• Students have complained that “the professors don’t teach anything” – however, this often is connected to a different approach towards learning.
87 -
Chapter 12 : Looking Forward
88 -
The Simmering Soup
6 20 min ! all "
Objectives To address specific concerns of the participants through the training To become aware of sources of help and support To understand that the experience of change/transition is complicated but common to all.
Instructions • Put a pot and a soup ladle in the middle and provide all participants with 1 piece of
paper (2 if you still have enough time or groups size is small). • Participants write down – with a legible hand-writing - one concern they currently
have , on the paper slip: The concerns can be anything starting from general fears (Am I smart enough to study here?) to concrete questions (Until what date can I still change my major?). These are the ingredients (challenges) of the Simmering Soup (experience). Make clear: these concerns will remain anonymous.
• Each participant puts his/her ingredients into the pot. Draw the chairs closer to the pot, and form an intimate circle.
• Ask someone to be the Cook and take the ladle and stir up the soup properly. • One participant at a time draws a paper slip from the pot and reads it to the group. • Participants may say a few words about their contributions, or remain anonymous.
You can paraphrase some participants’ explanations or ask questions in order to make sure that the nature of that challenge is being fully understood.
• Then that participant who drew the paper slip can make a suggestion of how s/he would tackle this concern. Other participants can also offer suggestions.
• Since most trainers have had to cope with the very same challenges themselves, the disclosure of own learned lessons is strongly encouraged. Since self-disclosure will signal your participants that adjustment difficulties are normal sharing your experience on coping strategies will have a role-model function.
Debrief • Transitions can be stressful! But at Jacobs University, you are not alone! As you saw
with the simmering soup, many others still have concerns as well. That is normal! • Most things will fall into place over time. Be patient and supportive with yourself.
Share with your fellow students what concerns you have and give and receive support among one another.
• Ask students who are in their 2nd or 3rd year here and learn from those who have come before you.
• You can also reach out to other people when you need support, e.g., Counseling Center, Resident Mentors, Student Service Center.
• It can be a sign of strength to ask for support and these people will love to support you – that is why they are here!
Pot, Pot ladle, Pieces of paper, Markers
89 -
The Time Line
6 15 min ! all " Tape
Note. This experiential exercise is a systemic therapy technique as mentally going back in time can increase our understanding of why we have become what we are, envisaging our future-self can enhance our intuitive knowledge about how to become what we want to be. Thus, a mental time line that connects the student’s past (prior to coming to Jacobs) with his present (phase of settling in) and future (feeling integrated and well adjusted), will promote the participants’ adjustment process at Jacobs. Objectives To collect oneself after a day of information To reconsider one’s position in relation to the past and future To prepare for the upcoming journey at Jacobs Instructions
• Give each participant tape that they can use to place a line across the room and mark different points in time. One for the past, one for the present and one for the future. Then, shortly explain the notion of this exercise as outlined above.
• Now, ask participants to draw their own time lines parallel to each other with enough space in between.
• Start their time journeys from the point on the line that is indicating the “here and now”.
• From here turn towards their past, close their eyes, and slowly, mentally and physically move back in time to where they had been 6 months ago.
• Upon arrival, turn around and remember the place and circumstances associated with that point in time. Use present tense while asking the following questions and let participants answer them quietly in their minds:
o Where are you? o What do you see? o Are there people around you? o How is your mood? o Thinking of your university plans - what is on your mind? o What are your hopes? o What are your worries?
During this exercise, always make sure that you provide enough time between your questions, enabling the participant to really associate themselves with their past images, thoughts and feelings!
6 Months ago Now Graduation
90 -
• After some time, slowly move back to the “here and now”, and turn around, so that they can see their past. Ask
o What has changed since then? o What have you achieved? o How do feel about your achievements? o What happened with your hopes? o What happened with your fears? o How do you feel about yourself?”
• Now turn around once more, this time facing their exciting future yet to come. “What are your hopes … concerning friendships ... concerning your courses ... concerning your professors ... concerning your hobbies?”
• Ask them to enter the time machine once again, and with closed eyes, slowly move to a spot between now and their graduation of which they intuitively think they will have adjusted and integrated well to Jacobs and their new surrounding.
• When everybody has reached their “point of well-adjustment” say “You might have found the people, you really like to spend time with ... they might belong to many different cultures, subcultures, or your own ... you might have found your own way to manage the workload ... you might have joined a club ... you might have joined a committee ... you might have not ... it might have been quite challenging to adapt ... it might have been fairly easy ... you had your own beautiful way to make yourself feel at home...”
• Finally, ask participants to open their eyes and walk back to the “here and now” to end their time journey were they started it 15 minutes ago.
Debrief After they have resumed their seats encourage them to share how they felt / perceived / dealt with that exercise, adding a few summarizing remarks such as:
• Everybody has his or her own and unique way of making him or herself feel at home at Jacobs University.
• Some aspects seem to be very different such as.... some seem to be a common …
91 -
Letter to Myself
6 15 min ! all "
Objectives To reflect on the learning in the workshop To take away goals and plans to implement To visualize a successful future at Jacobs Instructions Hand out letters and envelopes Ask participants to write a letter to themselves in which they answer the following questions:
• What did I learn during the workshop? • What was particularly surprising/insightful? • Which lessons would I like to implement during my first weeks at Jacobs University? • How do I feel about integrating in the Jacobs University Community now?
Think about your life in the future.
• How do I want my life to look life in six weeks? • What will things look like if everything goes well? • What concerns would be resolved?
• After the letters are written (5-10 minutes), put them into the provided envelopes, seal
them and address them to their own mailboxes and hand them over to their trainer. If they do not know their mailbox numbers yet, they should just write their name on the envelope.
• After six weeks, the Counseling Center (or the intercultural trainers) will send the
letters to the respective participants. They remain anonymous. • When receiving their own letters, participants can check which of their goals they have
already achieved (for the goals they weren’t able to achieve, the letter serves as a gentle reminder).
Sources: King, L. (2001) “The Health Benefits of Writing about Life Goals” and Lyubomierski, S. (2007) “The How of Happiness”
• Envelopes • Letters • Pencils
92 -
Chapter 13 : Conclusion of Part-Two
93 -
Conclusion
6 5 min ! all " Powerpoint
Instructions This was a workshop! Help your participants to sort their many impressions by giving a brief summary in your own words.
• The first part of this workshop was dedicated to theoretical approaches of culture and intercultural learning. We had a closer look at the “fishbowl” we were raised in and tried to figure out how our values, perceptions and stereotypes were shaped by our culture.
• In the second part, we looked at the challenges that arise through Culture Shock; we also looked at the Academic Challenges, and the Intercultural Challenges that students face at Jacobs University.
• With the Simmering Soup, we addressed issues, concerns and questions that you are still having at the moment.
We hope that everybody feels ready now to jump out of the water and discover the fascination that diversity at Jacobs University brings with it.
Kolb’s Full Circle
6 5 min ! all "
Objectives • To get one/two Clear take-home lessons • To give the trainers a quick understanding/feedback.
Instructions • Show the Kolb learning cycle slide, and explain giving a good example. Ie. à
• Hand out 2 Kolb cycle worksheets to each participant. • Give them a quick 5 minutes to fill out the worksheet. • Give more time as needed and answer questions.
Debrief
• Finally, ask if anyone would like to share one or two responses. • Thank them for their participation and wish them the best for their experiences at
Jacobs! You’ve been a great help!
Kolb, D. A. (2014). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Pearson Education.
Simple Explanation: http://www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html Animated explanation:
http://www.ldu.leeds.ac.uk/ldu/sddu_multimedia/kolb/kolb_flash.htm
Kolb Worksheet, Pens
94 -
Concep
tualiza-
on:/I/con
clud
ed/
that…/
Ac-v
e/expe
riencing:/
I/did…/I/tried…
/Plan
ning:/So/I/p
lan/to/do…
/
Observa-o
n:/I/realized
/wha
t/ha
ppen
ed…/
95 -
Useful Definitions
CULTURE: Culture refers to the learned and shared values, beliefs, and behaviors of a group of interacting people. (Bennett, 1992) In general culture is perceived as something man-made. Culture has been referred to as the software which people use in daily life. CULTURE SURPRISE: Reactions which occur shortly after arrival in a different culture when we see things that are different than we are used to. It usually occurs during the first few days of our visit as we initially become aware of superficial differences. Examples: people dress differently, signs are in a different language, nonverbal behaviors are different. CULTURE STRESS: The fatigue that occurs when we practice new behaviors in a different culture. It is a fairly short-term response to ‘stimulus overload’. This occurs when we begin to respond to the behavior of the ‘new’ culture. Examples: trying to drive a car, doing our own shopping, hearing comments about us in the local language. CULTURE SHOCK (Transition Shock): A state of loss and disorientation precipitated by a change in our own environment, which requires adjustment. It results from confronting values different from our own, and from the loss of the familiar network and environment. Culture shock is a normal, healthy psychological reaction to the stress of living in a different culture. We experience feelings of tension and anxiety because we have lost familiar cultural cues. Our actions do not always get us what we want. And our inability to communicate effectively with others is frustrating. Symptoms of culture shock are both physical and psychological. Symptoms can include: headaches, stomach aches, dizziness, rashes, nausea, irritability, insomnia or excessive sleepiness, depression, loneliness, withdrawal, paranoia, anger, aggression, hatred, fear, crying, and complaining. RE-ENTRY SHOCK: Reactions, which occur as a result of re-adaptation to our home culture. Often called ‘reverse culture shock’, the re-entry process has some things in common with culture shock but also has added the factor of surprise: we don’t expect our home culture to be so unreceptive to us, and to be so difficult to come back to. ENCULTURATION: Socialization involves conditioning and programming in the basic social processes of communication, including decoding (perceptual and cognitive) patterns and encoding (verbal and nonverbal language) training. The form of this training depends on the particular culture and is embodied in the process of enculturation. ACCULTURATION: Acculturation is commonly known as the continuous process by which strangers are resocialized into a host culture, so as to be directed toward a greater compatibility with or ‘fitness’ into the host culture, and ultimately, toward assimilation (i.e. the highest degree of acculturation theoretically possible). Source: All of the above definitions are from: Gudykunst, William B. and Young Yun Kim. Communication with Strangers: An Approachable to Intercultural Communication. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1984.
96 -
ASSIMILATION: Assimilation refers to the process of giving up one culture and taking on the characteristics of another. In the past, assimilationist view of ethnicity predominated and was not questioned. Pluralism is now viewed as an alternative to assimilation. Source: Gudykunst, William B. Bridging Differences: Effective Intergroup Communication. 2nd ed. Interpersonal Commtexts 3. Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 1991. ADAPTATION: Adaptation is a consequence of an ongoing process in which a system strives to adjust and readjust itself to challenges, changes, and irritants in the environment. The (adaptation) cycle triggered when discrepancies between the demands of an environment and the capabilities of a system emerge, creating disequilibrium, or stress. Source: Ruben, B.D. A System-Theoretic View. Intercultural Communication Theory. Ed. W. Gudykunst. INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE: Ability to communicate effectively and appropriately in intercultural situations based on one’s intercultural knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Intercultural competence requires that one is willing and able to… Acknowledge that one’s own cultural values, beliefs, norms, priorities, etc. do not necessarily match with those embraced by people from other cultures Acknowledge that cultural differences have an impact of how people feel, think, act, learn, relate, communicate, etc. Open-up towards intercultural learning and to engage with people from other cultures Identify which own and other behaviors might be guided by culture Take multiple perspectives and understand how others might view the world Listen, observe and use different channels of communication to achieve goals Tolerate ambiguity and uncertainty Cope effectively with acculturation stress Adapt one’s behavior appropriately and effectively to a new cultural context Source: Adapted from: Deardorff, D.K. (2004), The Identification and Assessment of Intercultural Competence as a Student Outcome of Internationalization at Institutions of Higher Education in the United States, Dissertation at the Graduate Faculty of North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC. STEREOTYPES: Stereotypes are direct expressions of beliefs and values. “A stereotype is a rigid generalization, sometimes called hardening of the categories.” (Bennett, 1996) Stereotypes are “mental cookie cutters“— they force a simple pattern upon a complex mass and assign a limited number of characteristics to all members of a group. „Cultural stereotype“ is the application of a previously held generalization to every person in a cultural group or generalizing from only a few people in a group. NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION: Nonverbal communication includes all behavior that modifies, adds to, or substitutes for spoken or written language. Most nonverbal communication is determined by cultural context.
97 -
References AFS (1984). Orientation Handbook Vol. 4, p.14. New York: AFS Intercultural Programs Inc. AFS Interkulturelle Begegnungen e.V. (1998) Vorbereitungshandbuch. AFS Interkulturelle Begegnungen e.V. (2007) Handbuch für die Große Nachbereitung. Bildungs-AG, SCI-D; Interkulturelle Begegnungen – Interkulturelles Lernen, p. 101. Council of Europe, Intercultural Learning. T-KIT. Crites, S. (1986). Storytime: Recollecting the past and projecting the future. In T. R. Sarbin (Ed.),
Narrative psychology: The storied nature of human conduct (p. 152-173). New York: Praeger.
Deardorff, D.K. (2004), The Identification and Assessment of Intercultural Competence as a Student Outcome of Internationalization at Institutions of Higher Education in the United States, Dissertation at the Graduate Faculty of North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.
Executive Diversity Services (1999), “Your Values Meet the Team’s Values”, in Stringer, D.M. and Cassiday, P.A. (2003), 52 Activities for Exploring Values Differences, Intercultural Press, Boston, MA, pp.157-159.
Greyson, Lauren (2007), “Breaking the Silence”, Pulseoftheworld.com April 19, 2007, retrieved from http://pulseoftheworld.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1176981021& archive=&start_from=&ucat=4& on August 22, 2007.
Gudykunst, W. B. (1991). Bridging Differences: Effective Intergroup Communication. 2nd ed. Interpersonal Commtexts 3. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Gudykunst, W. B., Yun Kim, Y. (1984). Communication with Strangers: An Approachable to Intercultural Communication. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
Hamlin, S. (1988). How To Talk So People Listen. New York, NY: Harper & Row. Hofstede, G. (1986). Cultural differences in teaching and learning. International Journal of
Intercultural Relations, 10, 301-320. Hübner, Christine (2007), “’Interculturality’ – The Jacobs Experience”, Pulseoftheworld.com April 5,
2007, retrieved from http://pulseoftheworld.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id= 1175758615&archive=&start_from=&ucat=4&do=opinion on August 22, 2007.
Hübner, Christine (2007), “Interculturality and Eating Habits”, Pulseoftheworld.com May 5, 2007, retrieved from http://pulseoftheworld.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1178420996&archive=&start_from=&ucat=4&do=opinion on August 22, 2007.
IJAB e.V., transfer e.V. u.a Zusatzqualifikation “Coaching in der internationalen Jugendarbeit“. King, L. (2001) “The Health Benefits of Writing about Life Goals” and Lyubomierski, S. (2007) “The
How of Happiness” Kolb, D. A. (2014). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development.
Pearson Education. Maroshek-Klarman, U. (1996). Miteinander. Erziehung zur Demokratie, Tel Aviv, p. 51-53. Martin, D. Brainyquote.com. 2015.
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/d/demetrimar414422.html#pD4TAA5EBB2C01hy.99
Multicultural Pavilion, Awareness Activities. http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/education/multi/activities/circlesofself.html Retrieved October 18th, 2005.
Nelson, Mackenzie et al. (2013) “Consent Workshop”. Jacobs University. Ochberg, R. L. (1988). Life stories and the psychosocial construction of careers. In D. P. McAdams &
R. L. Ochberg (Eds.), Psychobiography and life narratives (pp. 173-204). Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
Pedersen, P. (2000). A Handbook for Developing Multicultural Awareness. Alexandria: VA. Peseschkian, N. (1986). Oriental Stories as Tools in Psychotherapy. New York: Springer. Ruben, B.D. A System-Theoretic View. Intercultural Communication Theory. Ed. Gudykunst, W. Stringer, D.M. and Cassiday, P.A. (2003), 52 Activities for Exploring Values Differences, Intercultural
Press, Boston, MA. Sugarman, L. (2003). Life-Span Development. New York: Psychology Press. Triandis, H.C. (1994), “Sorting Values”, in Stringer, D.M. and Cassiday, P.A. (2003), 52 Activities for
Exploring Values Differences, Intercultural Press, Boston, MA, pp.113-116.
98 -
Von Thun, F. S. (2013). Miteinander reden 1: Störungen und Klärungen. Allgemeine Psychologie der Kommunikation. Rowohlt Verlag GmbH.
Zaninelli, S. (2005). What happens when „Coconut“ and „Peach“ communicate or: The world’s greatest misunderstanding. Retrieved August 15, 2015, from http://www.culture-contact.com/fileadmin/files/coconut_und_peach_engl.pdf
Itim International (2012). Cultural Dimensions. Retrieved August 15, 2015, from http://geert-hofstede.com/cultural-dimensions.html
