Learning in a new culture and in an intercultural environment Xiangyun Du & Lars Peter Jensen

Overview Confronting culture Intercultural issues in teaching and learning Intercultural group discussion Presentation

What are the things confronting when entering a new country? Is there anything 2 learn bout this

Things that have been taken for granted in one culture might be unknown in another Parents Not for you maybe but it was for my parents!!!!!

Meeting cultures – Cultural shock Please write 3 words For foreign students: What were your most impressive observations on arrival of AAU/DK? For Danish students: What were your most impressive observations on arrival of another country?

Intercultural communication - values and meanings A Danish kindergarten teacher worked at a kindergarten in Greenland. A real story she experienced: One day a boy’s mother was picking up him from kindergarten. He did not want to go home with her and behaved very badly. The mother pretended to leave kindergarten without him. She might expected the boy to go after her, however, he picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at his mother and hit her on the back of her head. Surprisingly, the mother turned round and cried ‘oh, how clever you are that you can throw stone so far and so precisely. Come on, we must hurry home to tell Dad. He will be very proud of you.’ Rasmussen & Bank-Mikkelsen 2000: 8)

Intercultural communication - Power of language Please work in pairs, talking to different people using the script which follows… The script: A: ‘Hello’. B: ‘Hello’. A: ‘You are late’. B: ‘I know’. Try to do it completely differently each time.

Intercultural communication - non-verbal language Symbolism Manners and body language – eye contact, distance, etc. Rasmussen & Bank-Mikkelsen 2000: 8)

Intercultural communication - cultural understanding How would you read this ad of pills? (Herlitz 1989:38)

Intercultural communication - cultural understanding ‘The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said.’ (Peter F. Drucker American Educator, b.1909) Solution (Herlitz 1989:60)

Intercultural communication in teaching and learning Why is culture an issue? Development of intercultural competencies for future engineers Establishment of international program

Developing intercultural competencies for future engineers Globalized context Interdisciplinary knowledge Lifelong learning Effective communication Analytical skills Designing and conducting experiments Application of mathematics and science knowledge Diverse capabilities Intercultural competencies Team work Identity and solve applied science problems Characteristics of a communities of practice are cultivated in the historical, social and cultural context. Learning as personal growth and development process – being and becoming through interaction with others in the social context Project management Social, environmental, and ethical concerns National Academy of Engineering, The Engineer of 2020, 2004 EUR-ACE (Accreditation of European Engineering Programmes and Graduates, http://www.feani.org/EUR_ACE/EUR_ACE_Main_Page.htm - ABET: http://www.abet.org/  

Intercultural environment in PBL

Challenges and identified problems 1 Miscommunication arises due to Use of second language (English) as a means of communication Learning and working styles Personality

Challenges and identified problems 2 Different beliefs on/ways of learning – different expectations Knowledge Answers Opinions? Educational background

Nobody knows the exact answers until the project is finished Challenges and identified problems 2 Different beliefs on/ ways of learning Nobody knows the exact answers until the project is finished Students are responsible for managing their own learning Learners are creating new knowledge Studying in a PBL environment, Denmark

Challenges and identified problems 3 Can group work be an efficient way of learning? Will they believe me because I am a girl?? NO, I can’t get up anyway YES, we can meet at 8 tomorrow morning It is my turn to talk? If we don’t follow the supervisor’s suggestion, will he allow us to pass? Listen to me, I am very experienced He complains of my garlic, but he has coffee and carrots all the time!!! They don’t understand even such easy things!!

Foreign students’ perceptions Challenges and identified problems 4 Different expectations between students and teachers Danish lecturers’ perceptions The lecturers’ role: Enter into a dialogue refrains from giving answers moves activity onto students The students role: Participation in formulation of course content commitment and self- management Foreign students’ perceptions The lecturers’ role: Transferor Is responsible for course contents and organization The students role: Receivers Reproduction of knowledge at examination (Reimann & Ulsig 2005)

Challenges and identified problems 5 New student life Housing? Cooking? Shopping? New Life in Denmark Transportation?

Doing project in groups meeting Life Brainstorm Report writing Exam Presentation Doing project in groups Subgroup work Compromise Discussion Disagreement

I was a new student like you 7 years ago… I don’t understand the lecturer What on earth the supervisor wanted me to do? I was a new student like you 7 years ago… So difficult to do a project in group work! I am Depressed!

Study environment in some countries… Big class, little room for individual ideas ’There is still one more seat in the wall’ http://www.cnsphoto.com/

Same materials year after year… (Karl Smith, UMN) Same materials year after year…

Memory is more important than application skills for high scores…

Transferred knowledge will be returned after exams

Room for creativity?

My story: being a student in China 6:30 Get up in dorm 6:30-7:00 Morning Exercise

7:00 Breakfast in Canteen 7:30 – 8:00 Morning Reading

8:00 – 9:50 Morning Lectures 10:10 – 12:00 Morning Lectures

14:00-16:00 Afternoon Activities Lectures Supervision Library Laboratory

16:00-18:00 Leisure time

Evening Activities – study individually

Exams Written form Hard tasks Textbook knowledge based Scores matter

Good Good Study, Day Day Up! Study hard - high marks - diploma - good student

Student’s reflection `I have never worked in a group in my educational life… In group work, I preferred to listen when some students discussed intensely, because I could not understand why it was a question to discuss. Sometimes I could not follow their ideas or thinking. I need to change and actively work in the group.´ (Chinese female master student)

Is ethnicity the only reason that Muslim Is ethnicity the only reason that makes us different? Young girl Philosopher Animal doctor butcher farmer artist wolf

Is culture something we are born with? (Jensen 2005:18) ’I got culture from mom’s breast breeding’ Is culture something we are born with?

Learning from each other vs. cultural integration Self vs. others Acceptance vs. adaptation (Jensen 2005:72) You are so big. You can not stay here! Come back when you become smaller!

PBL in International programs, AAU, Denmark Cultural reflections PBL in International programs, AAU, Denmark Different backgrounds in educational culture Doing PBL in ‘the right’ way! Root of PBL in DK - Tradition of group work in Denmark - Critical thinking - Emphasis on - Collaboration and participation - Lower power gap - Close link between industry and university A new culture to be established

What can we benefit from international programs? Group exercise Discussion in intercultural groups Products presented in posters Poster presentation around walls