A workshop: exploring how intercultural
competences can be incorporated within
the curriculum
Zabin Visram, Course leader / Senior Lecturer
University of West London
Ingrid Kanuga, Senior Lecturer University of West
London
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5 minutes: on Research
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15 mins: Discussion on how to maximise the benefits
multicultural group work brings.
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15 mins: all groups present their findings
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5 minute concluding remarks
This session
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The process of globalisation has initiated movement of
students seeking the best possible education.
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We have seen a rise in the number of international
students attending our universities.
Globalisation and Higher
Education
3
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“We are now emerging into an age when different
civilisations will have to learn to live side by side in
peaceful interchange, learning from each other, studying
each other’s history and ideas, art and culture, mutually
enriching each other’s lives. The only alternative in this
overcrowded little world is misunderstandings, tension,
clash and catastrophe”.
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Pearson (1955)
The Challenge
4
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“The only alternative in this overcrowded
little world is misunderstandings, tension,
clash and catastrophe”.
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History tells a story
Why the tensions?
5
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Through this process of socialisation students have
learnt cultural rules on how to behave in society.
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Bourdieu (1990) Habitus - essentially this is a set of
fixed subconscious ideas about how society works
and how class shapes it.
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Society provides a set of shared norms and values
which are unwritten and unspoken but internalised by
the given culture, potentially unaware of their
existence (Bourdieu 1990).
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Background and Theories
6
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How society
tolerates deviation form norms
differs (Bourdieu
1990).
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Although we can act with free will and take a stance against
societal norms, many are unaware of them and continue to act
in the way they use to (Bourdieu 1990).
•
At a
micro-level Habitus has created societal norms and a
sense of belongingness which influences how students
negotiate within the multicultural group work
process and allow
for co-construction of meaning (Lave and Wenger 1991).
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When this delicate balance of
what is acceptable within social
norms is disrupted
within the group work process, tensions can
arise.
Background and Theroies
7
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We asked international students to reflect on their experiences in group-work process.
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Here are some student voices:
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Nepal: our education systems is very different we are not encouraged to challenge ideas,
teacher talks, students listen. Although this is changing as we are getting teachers from
Switzerland.
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Girls are generally encouraged to be quieter in our culture. Makes it difficult when we are
asked to talk in group our opinions.
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In our country if you have a group leader you don’t challenge them, accept their decision
regarding the group-work process. Like a king.
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I would question anything I disagreed with and fight my point.
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In our country punctuality is not an issue, its relaxed can arrive late for a meeting.
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Performance is important - I need targets for group-work, otherwise its risky – wont meet the
deadline.
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In my country everything is left to last minute.
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I'm shamed if I say something wrong in group – others will laugh.
Study
8
9
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helps students prepare to work effectively in a culturally
heterogeneous groups; sharing culturally diverse
knowledge and development of intercultural competence
(De Vita 2000; Popav
et al
. 2012);
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perform higher in team project tasks in comparison to
monoculture group work (De Vita 2000).
Benefits
10
How can educators develop
intercultural competences
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A workshop: exploring how cultural norms and values impact the multicultural group-work assessment process
PEACE Education teaching strategies
Fountain (1999)
Strategies to help to build awareness and
tolerance
.Anti-Bias Strategies
Lin et al (2008)
To help build Critical Cultural
Consciousness
Camps
‘Solidarity Camps in Rwanda. Making houses from bricks. This brings together people from all
ethnicities and community service.
Peace Camps in Lebanon brings young people together form all ethnicities for study of history of the country.
Summer camps in Egypt bring children from all socio0cultural norms to focus on the theme ‘dealing with differences’.
Internalised Dialogue
Teachers reflect on their curriculum so
they design lessons so they are more
inclusive.
Sports and recreation programmes
Focus on building team working skills and
decision-making in Burundi and Rwanda.
Field-Based Practices
Here teachers - teach students from
cultures that are different to
themselves.
Allowing them to
become more
Travelling theatre
Burundi, Mozambique and Rwanda
Uses art, drama, song and dance in the
Kukatonan programme. Allows young people to express themselves and serve community.
Service Learning
Kaye (2004 as cite by Lin et al 2008) says:
a
service learning project
can be classified in 4 ways:
1)
direct service
: the service directly
affects an
individual
2)
indirect service
: student s provide
service to community
rather than an individual 3)
advocacy
, intention to
create awareness
on an issue
4)
research: students have to research on a topic
of
interest on
multiculturalism
Service learning enables students to confront
culturally different stereotypes and beliefs. ,
raise the
level of multicultural consciousness and increase their
ability to negotiate with different cultures
Travelling theatre :
Service Learning
12
Librarians Croatia has
programme to
train librarians on education for
development and how to use library
activities such as storytelling and
discussions to promote tolerance.
Librarians
13
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I conducted some focus groups with international
students regarding Multicultural group-work.
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Please note: The aim of the workshop is only to bring
about awareness that there are differences in cultural
norms. The aim is to better understand these norms
and values, not to stereotype cultures. Also other
factors affect the group dynamics: age, experience,
gender etc.
14
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How can intercultural competences be incorporated within
H.E?
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Questions
15
