Education, internationalisation and cosmopolitanism: some considerations

1
ISANA Conference 2006

• Education, internationalisation and
  cosmopolitanism some considerations
• Gavin Sanderson
• BEd, BEd Hons, PhD Flinders, MEd (Int Ed)
  Monash
• Senior Lecturer in Academic Development
  (Internationalisation), Learning Connection,
  UniSA

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Todays schedule

• 1/ John Biggss (2003) three levels of teaching.
• 2/ Towards a cosmopolitan outlook. The inward
  journey of personal discovery and the outward
  journey of discovering others.

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What is internationalisation?
The process of integrating an international,
intercultural, or global dimension into the
purpose, functions or delivery of post-secondary
education (Knight, 2004, p. 11)
4
Figure 1 The depth breadth dimensions of the
reach of internationalisatio
n in Knights (2004) definition
Depth dimension of the reach of
internationalisation
Source. Sanderson, 2006, p. 149
5
Figure 2 The true extent of the depth dimension
of the reach of
internationalisation (Source. Sanderson, 2006, p.
149)
Limits of Knights (2004) depth dimension
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The Profile and its qualifications
Q1 General. Q2 Issues related to using a
non-native language of
instruction. Q3 Factors related to dealing with
cultural differences. Q4 Specific
requirements regarding teaching and
learning styles. Q5 Using media and
technology. Q6 Specific requirements connected
with the academic discipline and
diploma recognition. Q7 Knowledge of foreign
education systems. Q8 Knowledge of the
international labour market. Q9 Personal
qualities.
66 of Profiles criteria
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The international classroom
Teaching approaches and strategies which are
traditionally driven by national perspectives and
needs might no longer be wholly sufficient for
the novel teaching and learning environment of
the international classroom. (Teekens, 2000, p.
5)
8
John Biggs the fly in the ointment?
Figure 3 The focus in cross-cultural teaching
(Source. Biggs, 2003, p. 124)
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Level 1 teaching assimilate
Based on stereotypes What are the stereotypes of
international students? ( and Australian
students?) Learning problems attributed to
students Students must assimilate into the local
system ? A deficit model of education
Figure 4 The typical Australian male (Source.
Mezger, 1992, p. 22)
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Level 2 teaching accommodate
Based on the teacher adjusting to the
characteristics of the students ? Multi-grid
reference ? curricula ? Teachers have
culture-specific knowledge
Minor-to-radical adjustments to curricula ? A
deficit model of education
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Level 3 teaching educate
Based on the teacher meeting the learning needs
of the students ? Curricula are constructively
aligned ? The only justifiable approach to
teaching students
Biggs (2003) says ethnicity is beside the point
(p. 134). ? Teach better, and youll address
the problems presented by ISs international
students (p. 138).

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Level 3 teaching educate
Figure 5 Explaining social taboos (Source.
Mezger, 1992, p. 37)
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But what about
Teaching with an awareness of cultural diversity
is simply good teaching (Prosser and Trigwell,
1998, p. 170). What to do lah?

14
Figure 6 Country index scores for Hofstedes
cultural dimensions (Source.
ITIM Culture Management Consultants, 2003)
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Table 1 Key differences in schooling between
low high PDI societies
(Source. Hofstede, 2001, p. 107).
Australia (Low PDI) Malaysia (High PDI)
Teachers treat students as equals Students depend on teachers
Students treat teachers as equals Students treat teachers with respect, even outside class
Student-centred education Teacher-centred education
Students initiate some communication in class Teachers initiate all communication in class
Teachers are experts who transfer impersonal truths Teachers are gurus who transfer personal wisdom
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Examples of suitable teaching strategies
Inculcate students into Australian academic
culture Establish names (including
pronunciation) early in the semester Provide
opportunities for students to use their English
writing skills for non-assessment tasks Provide
explicit expectations about assessment Provide
clear instructions for oral presentations Provid
e opportunities for success. For example, allow
students time to discuss issues in pairs or small
groups before speaking to the whole group Use a
staged assessment schedule to enable students to
build skills.
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But are these just for international students?
Inculcate students into Australian academic
culture Establish names (including
pronunciation) early in the semester Provide
opportunities for students to use their English
writing skills for non-assessment tasks Provide
explicit expectations about assessment Provide
clear instructions for oral presentations Provid
e opportunities for success. For example, allow
students time to discuss issues in pairs or small
groups before speaking to the whole group Use a
staged assessment schedule to enable students to
build skills.
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Level 3 teaching
Is it possible to make culture invisible in the
classroom from the point of view of a strict
interpretation of teaching? Do good teachers
look beyond stereotypes? Interculturality
perhaps the best practical and achievable outcome
for those wanting to aspire to Biggss (2003)
Level 3 teaching.
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What are we talking about?

• Cross-cultural? Multicultural? Intercultural?

Interculturality is primarily concerned
with issues of identity and engagement and
contains both a culture-general (and)
culture-specific component (Liddicoat, 2003, p.
19).
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Interculturality
Begins with knowing yourself (culture-general
enquiry) Before we can recognize the Other,
we have to know ourselves well (Stromquist,
2002, p. 93).
Only when we have clearly defined our own person
and identity are we able to understand other
identities (Breuer, 2002, p. 15).
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Interculturality
A degree of confident self awareness is not
necessarily to be seen as a conservative force in
society. It can be a pre-condition for a
sustained program of social or economic revival
(Milner, 1996, p. 17).
Respect for the other presupposes that a person
has considerable self-awareness (Djebar, 2002,
p. 229).
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Interculturality
If one is to understand others, one must first
understand oneself (International Commission on
Education for the Twenty-First Century, 1996, p.
93).
Harmony with others depends on knowing ourselves
and our cultures (Pedersen, 1988, p. 74).
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Interculturality
The best thing we can do for our relationships
with others is to render our relationship to
ourselves more conscious (Hollis, as cited in
Cranton, 2001, p. 74).
In order to learn about another culture, we need
to learn about our own (McLaughlin Liddicoat,
2005, p. 6).
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Interculturality
and the exhortation from Socrates to know
thyself
25
Cosmopolitanism
Whilst considerations of ethnicity are beside
the point in teaching international students at
Level 3 teaching, it can be argued that the
teachers are ultimately comfortable with cultural
difference. They have good intercultural
sensibilities. Compared to Level 1 teachers, they
exhibit a cosmopolitan disposition.
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A cosmopolitan outlook
I am a citizen of the world Diogenes(around
350BC)
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Definition of cosmopolitan
Belonging to, or representative of, all parts of
the world Free of national prejudices
international in experience or outlook (Manser
Thompson, 1995, p. 289).belief in a
cosmopolitan outlook (Manser Thompson, 1995,
p. 289).
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Cosmopolitanism
Feeling at home in the world (Gunesch, 2004, p.
256).An intellectual and aesthetic sense of
openness towards people, places and experiences
from different cultures, especially those from
different nations (Tomlinson, as cited in
Matthews Sidhu, 2005).
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Cosmopolitanism
Grounded, or rooted, cosmopolitanism.the
global me local people who are neither limited
to their particularities nor doomed to an empty
we-are-the-world universalism (G. Pascal
Zachary, 2000, p. xv).
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References
Biggs, J. (2003). Teaching for quality learning
at university (2nd ed.). Maidenhead Open
University Press. Breuer, R. (2002). Freedoms
twin. In S. Stern E. Seligmann (Eds.), The end
of tolerance? (pp. 11-16). London Nicholas
Brearley Publishing. Cranton, P. (2001).
Becoming an authentic teacher in higher
education. Malabar Krieger Publishing
Company. Djebar, A. (2002). Return to Islamic
roots? In S. Stern E. Seligmann (Eds.), The end
of tolerance? (pp. 228-232). London Nicholas
Brearley Publishing. G. Pascal Zachary. (2000).
The global me why nations will succeed or fail
in the next generation. St Leanords Allen
Unwin. Gunesch, K. (2004). Education for
cosmopolitanism? Cosmopolitanism as a personal
cultural identity model for and within
international education. Journal of Research in
International Education, 3(3), 251-275. Hofstede,
G. (2001). Cultural consequences comparing
values, behaviors, institutions and organizations
across nations (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks Sage
Publications
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References (cont)
International Commission on Education for the
Twenty-First Century. (1996). Learning The
treasure within report to UNESCO of the
International Commission on Education for the
Twenty-First Century. Paris UNESCO
Publishing. ITIM Culture Management
Consultants. (2003). Compare your home culture
with your host culture. Retrieved 3 May, 2005,
from http//www.geert-hofstede.com/hofstede_dimens
ions.php? Knight, J. (2004). Internationalization
remodelled definition, approaches, and
rationales. Journal of Studies in International
Education, 8(1), 5-31. Liddicoat, A. (2003).
Internationalisation as a concept in higher
education perspectives from policy. In A.
Liddicoat, S. Eisenchlas S. Trevaskes (Eds.),
Australian perspectives on internationalising
education (pp. 13-26). Melbourne Language
Australia Ltd. McLaughlin, M., Liddicoat, T.
(2005). Teachers professional learning in the
context of intercultural language learning.
Babel, 40(1), 4-12, 38. Manser, M., Thomson,
M. (Eds.). (1995). Chambers combined dictionary
thesaurus. Edinburgh Chambers. Matthews, J.,
Sidhu, R. (2005). Desperately seeking the global
subject international education, citizenship and
cosmopolitanism. Globalisation, Societies and
Education, 3(1),49-66.
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References (cont)
Mezger, J. (1992). Bridging the intercultural
communication gap a guide for TAFE teachers of
international students (2nd ed.). Hobart
National TAFE Overseas Network. Milner, A.
(1996). Defining Australia in Asia. In G. E.
Jones (Ed.), Cunningham Lecture and Symposium
1995 Australia in its Asian context (Vol.
Occasional Paper Series 1/1996). Canberra
Academy of Social Sciences in Australia. Pedersen
, P. (1988). A handbook for developing
multicultural awareness. Alexandria American
Association for Counseling and Development. Pross
er, M., Trigwell, K. (1998). Teaching in higher
education. In B. Dart G. Boulton-Lewis (Eds.),
Teaching and learning in higher education (pp.
250-268). Camberwell ACER Press. Sanderson, G.
(2006). Examination of a profile of the ideal
lecturer for teaching international students.
Adelaide Flinders University. Stromquist, N.
(2002). Globalization, the I, and the Other.
Retrieved May 29, 2003, from http//www.tc.columbi
a.edu/CICE/articles/nps142.htm Teekens, H.
(2000). Introduction. In H. Teekens (Ed.),
Teaching and learning in the international
classroom (pp. 5-7). The Hague Netherlands
Organization for International Cooperation in
Higher Education (NUFFIC)