My colleagues and I recorded the presentation for the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) which is taking place entirely online due to the Corona Virus. Please watch the 17-minute video. We delve into our learning approaches and what kinds of assignments you can easily include in your syllabus. We share some keys to success for intercultural pedagogy and cross-cultural online conversations. I talk about ground rules for online communication, active listening, how to approach challenging topics.
The presentation came about from our research on language and culture courses at Ohio State in which professors are intentionally scaffolding their students’ learning toward cultural differences. We are assessing students’ intercultural awareness with the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) at the beginning and at the end of the courses we are studying to measure any gains in their intercultural awareness. We also assess students’ perspective-taking and communication skills in cross-cultural conversations.
There are several courses at Ohio State in Italian language and Turkish Studies which my colleagues and I are studying and teaching. Assignments in these classes are geared toward reflection on self as cultural being (Gay, 2010, p. 69) and an understanding of diverse cultural perspectives. Students learn how to tell the difference between a generalization and a stereotype and are taught to think about their own history as they learn about historical events in Turkey – a reflection on self while learning about an “other” is critical for gaining intercultural awareness. Please watch the presentation to learn more about us and the work we are doing!
