HEIS Newsletter - March 2016 (Plain Text Version)
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In this issue: |
ARTICLES BOOK REVIEW: AN OPTIMISTIC APPROACH TO THE CHALLENGES OF INTERNATIONALIZATION
In Chapter 4 of Fostering International Student Success in Higher Education, a faculty member in Business is quoted anonymously, saying “I try to evaluate them relative to their background, but I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to actually change the class to accommodate the ESL students” (p. 64, box). This conservative mindset is based in assumptions from a bygone era when international students were relatively rare in U.S. universities. Such unwillingness to make adjustments in the face of obvious change is all too common today in spite of data indicating that the number of international students in universities across the country is at an all-time high and will continue to rise. The internationalized classroom poses two main sets of challenges. One is linguistic and involves finding ways to integrate, engage, and assess students who are still learning English without “watering down” course content, an oft-expressed fear (Pérez-Peña, 2014). The other problem is cultural: how to help internationally mobile students adjust to American academic and social norms (English learners may be “internationally mobile” (citizens of countries outside the United States who have crossed national borders to study) or “foreign” (of non-U.S. origin but having residency in the United States; UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2014). These issues often overlap, as in the case of the current majority group, Chinese students, who are learning both English and American culture (these accounted for 31% of internationally mobile students in the academic year 2013–14; Institute of International Education, 2015). In other cases, such as English-speaking students from India (the second largest group, 11.6% of the total), language may not be a major obstacle, but cultural differences may present significant barriers to learning and social integration. With Fostering International Student Success in Higher Education, Shapiro, Farrelly, and Tomaš aim to provide some relief to educators unsure of how to accommodate an increasingly multilingual and multicultural student population and, by extension, to the students themselves. All three authors are instructors in higher education with backgrounds in linguistics and second language development, making them well qualified to identify potential sources of difficulty for both teachers and learners. In fact, one of the greatest strengths of the book is its sustained focus on everyday classroom practice. Rounding out at only 117 pages, the book is deceptively slender, the writing concise. The first chapter lays out the motivations, and most important, the philosophy of the book. Having identified a key question as yet unanswered by many institutions, "Whose job is it to ensure that international students have the academic, linguistic, and social support that they need to be successful?" the authors, tellingly, refer first to the rights and second to the responsibilities of the students themselves. "We believe international students have a right to equitable treatment by their institutions, including inclusive teaching practices, appropriate support resources, and nonpunitive policies" (pp. 4–5). The students' role, in turn, is to communicate their needs and avail themselves of the supports offered to them. In other words, teaching to the native-English speakers and hoping the rest will find their way will not cut it. In Chapter 2, the role of culture in the classroom is explored. Short but illuminating anecdotes illustrate how cultural background informs the behavior of both students and teachers. Questions for reflection encourage teachers to examine their own experiences with foreign culture and consider how outsiders might perceive or fail to pick up on much of what Americans typically take for granted, such as concepts of intellectual ownership and expectations of direct communication or assertive behavior. Concrete suggestions such as "make an effort to learn students' names," "be explicit about expectations," and "contextualize 'pop culture' references" may seem obvious to the authors' fellow TESOL professionals, but are sorely needed across institutions. Combined, these guidelines should help to increase transparency and produce more highly bonded learning communities. They ought to be considered best practices regardless of the makeup of the student body. Chapters 3 and 4 describe how applying the principles of second language acquisition (SLA) can inform better teaching to both native and nonnative-English-speaking students, as well as presenting well-thought-out strategies for planning assessments that are accessible to all students. The beauty of this book is in the way it continually emphasizes the value of thinking critically about one’s own teaching. While their primary concern is making classrooms more inclusive and welcoming to international students, the authors remind the reader again and again of how these strategies will make the learning experience better for all students, regardless of cultural or linguistic background. For example, a brief sidebar on page 57 encourages teachers to consider how typical, open-ended assignments such as essays or presentations could be improved by making the instructions more explicit. The body of the book concludes with a chapter on ways to empower international students both by bringing sources of institutional support to their attention and also by drawing on them as resources in the classroom. A series of anecdotes here is genuinely touching, providing support for the idea that students can rise to the challenges of questioning their own assumptions and recognizing the value of exposure to different perspectives. Finally, a brief but densely packed series of appendices offers sample activities, assessments, and rubrics that can be easily adapted to a wide range of instructional contexts. All are designed with both domestic and international students in mind. This book should be of use to both teachers faced with diverse student populations and administrators working through setting institutional policies in answering the challenges of the internationalized university. The greatest strength of this book is the positive spin it puts on the increasing internationalization of U.S. education, which has so often been approached with either wringing of hands or shrugging of shoulders. Shapiro et al. provide much-needed encouragement and consistently down-to-earth guidance that can be put into practice immediately in any classroom, for the benefit of all involved. References Institute of International Education. (2015). International students in the United States. Retrieved from http://www.iie.org/Services/Project-Atlas/United-States/International-Students-In-US Pérez-Peña, R. (2014, March 11). Universities try a cultural bridge to lure foreign students. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/12/education/universities-try-a-cultural-bridge-to-lure-foreign-students.html UNESCO Institute for Statistics. (2014, May 5). Global flow of tertiary-level students. Retrieved fromhttp://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/Pages/international-student-flow-viz.aspx Kathryn Jergovich has taught English learners at universities in both the United States and China. She currently teaches English for academic purposes in the American Language Program at Columbia University and the American Language Institute at New York University. |
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