Fostering intercultural learning: moving forward Directorate of Human Resources Fostering intercultural learning: moving forward Dr Valerie Clifford Vclifford@brookes.ac.uk

Challenges What are we doing about it? What are we achieving? Where do we go next? A research agenda

Challenges Strength of the peer group Staying in our comfort zone Perceptions of the implications of working with other cultural groups: who does ‘all’ the work, language, conceptualisations Different value systems Different world views Trying to shift western world views grounded in our lived experiences through intellectual activity Willingness to take risk Local, national and global levels and intersections. Women at swimming pool in 60/70s, discussing closure of local hospital -national policies-£10m spent on war in Iraq. CCCap- Zoe and Asian firm Theories don’t work in local contexts, all theories make assumptions that not valid in the local context How does this relate to your courses, your teaching?

What are we doing about it? Taxonomy of intercultural competence Analysing why local and international students do not mix easily Preparing students for their Study Abroad experiences Getting students to prepare international resources for each other Facilitating cross-cultural conversations among staff and students Encouraging interaction in class Facilitating opportunities for students to work together Using real data sets from their own countries to give studies relevance and generate cross-cultural discussion Exchanging knowledge between universities and businesses Direct engagement with non-western world views Sharing critical incidents, reflective learning strategies. Local, national and global levels and intersections. Women at swimming pool in 60/70s, discussing closure of local hospital -national policies-£10m spent on war in Iraq. CCCap- Zoe and Asian firm Theories don’t work in local contexts, all theories make assumptions that not valid in the local context How does this relate to your courses, your teaching?

What are we achieving? Clarity about what inter-cultural competence is Understanding why it is problematic Facilitating staff and student interaction Giving students voices Building resources Engaging students with diverse perspectives Using a range of pedagogies and assessment strategies

Where do we go next? A research agenda How do we shift world views especially if we are trying to do it ‘intellectually’ rather than through lived experience? How do we encourage staff to take risks? How do we make ‘feeling uncomfortable’ worth it? How do we encourage staff to engage in professional development in this area? What might that professional development look like? How can we begin to build collaborations between ourselves? … Local, national and global levels and intersections. Women at swimming pool in 60/70s, discussing closure of local hospital -national policies-£10m spent on war in Iraq. CCCap- Zoe and Asian firm Theories don’t work in local contexts, all theories make assumptions that not valid in the local context How does this relate to your courses, your teaching?