Building Community in Classes with Many International Student Stories Alisha Stanton, Allison O’Grady, Bridget Arend, Ethel Swartley, Juli Parrish, and Ping Qiu

Agenda Welcome and Overview of the Session Introductions Identity-sharing Activity Short Video Clip “Writing Across Borders” Small Group Discussion Key Takeaways & Strategies Questions?

World Café Set the context Create a Welcoming Environment Reason why community is being brought together Create a Welcoming Environment Consider how your physical set-up contributes to creating a welcoming atmosphere that encourages people to be themselves. Try to Begin With Compelling Real-Life Questions or Topics Topics that ”travel well” and foster a collective energy The group may explore a single question or use a progressively deeper line of inquiry through several conversational rounds. Encourage participation – even if its just simply listening Listen for Patterns and Insights Look for themes, patterns and insights that connect to the larger perspectives and real world contexts Connect Diverse Perspectives and Share Collective Discoveries Creating a picture of wholeness that is visible to the group. Allow for silent reflecting and group exchanges to discover connections

Practical Strategies to Incorporate Expectations for Learning Get to know your students (names, bkgd) Be explicit about rules and expectations Ask the class to reflect on learning process Talk slowly and clearly, give definitions Group Projects Assign diverse groups, rather than allowing students to self-select Keep the groups stable to build community Develop guidelines and ground rules Class Discussions Promote Smaller conversations or use writing prompts to give students time Allow time for brainstorming or reflecting. Consider sending questions ahead of time. Grammar/Writing Determine the importance of grammar/style vs. content and critical thinking. When grading, point out any issues up front and let students revise from there. Don’t edit for them.

Strategies

Questions?

Thank You for Coming! Contact Information: Alisha Stanton: Alishastanton2@gmail.com Allison O’Grady: Allison.Ogrady@du.edu Bridget Arend: Bridget.Arend@du.edu Ethel Swartley: Ethel.Swartley@du.edu Juli Parrish: Juli.Parrish@du.edu Ping Qiu: Aliceqiuping@gmail.com