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

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

3. 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

4. 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.

5. Strategies

6. Questions?

7. Thank You for Coming!
Contact Information:
Alisha Stanton:
Allison O’Grady:
Bridget Arend:
Ethel Swartley:
Juli Parrish:
Ping Qiu: