Transcript What are the things confronting when entering a new culture?

Learning in a New Culture
Learning in an Intercultural Context
Xiangyun and Lars Peter
[email protected]
October 11th, 2005
What are the things
confronting when
entering a new
culture?
Things that have been taken for granted in
one culture might be unknown in another
• Parents
Things that have been taken for granted in
one culture might be unknown in another
• Hotpot
Agenda



8:15 - 9:15 Presentation by Xiangyun
- My story – learning in a new culture
as a foreign student
- Reflection on cultural background
- Intercultural communication
9:30 – 10:45 Intercultural group
discussion and preparation for poster
presentation
10:45 – 12:00 Poster presentation
PHD project on
Learning engineering
in PBL – gendered practice
WHO AM I ?
Doing
research on
intercultural
teaching and
learning
Helping foreign students
learn how to learn
in PBL, Denmark
Routine
Student life
School -home
Study hard
Active in class
My Personal Growth
A good girl
In the eyes of
teachers
From a ‘good’ student in China
to a teacher in an Engineering University
Hard work – good performance
- Good student – diploma
Became a teacher
I want to see the world!
I want to learn new things!
An international master
program in RUC, Denmark,
where I experienced PBL as a
student
Specialization of
Gender & Engineering
Education in Linköping, Sweden
Life was
not easy!
What on earth
the supervisor wanted
me to do?
I am
Depressed!
So difficult to do a
project in group work!
Difficulties in Getting In the New
Learning Culture –With Lectures
Problems in Project Work
Why? How?
What?
The project is
your own baby!
-With Supervision
What
Shall I
do?????
Will they
believe me
because I am
a girl??
If we don’t
follow
supervisor’s
suggestion,
will he allow
us to pass?
He complains of
my garlic, but he
has coffee and
carrots all the
time!!!
Problems in Project Work
-With Group Work
It is my turn
to talk?
NO, I can’t
get up anyway
YES, we can meet
at 8 tomorrow
morning
Listen to me,
I am very
experienced
They don’t
understand such
easy things!!
Am I stupid?
Am I different?
Why?
Main Barriers in learning Come from
Culture Differences
Communication
• Language
• Social customs, attitudes, norms, and values
Knowledge background
• lack of knowledge others grow up with
• different understanding of the same thing
Rethinking
about NEW
New
country
Learning in
a new
culture
New
study form
New
Environment
Learning Environment I was used to in China
 Teacher-centred
 Fixed contents
 following authority
(teachers and textbooks)
 Big class – little
discussion
 Principles and
regulations
 Learning by heart
 Scores and ranks-based
assessment – motivation
(ranking system)
Learning Environment I was used to in China
How do Chinese Learn
Students are expected to
- Learn what and how rather
than why
Principles
- Follow superiors’ experiences
and suggestions
- Behave well
- Be diligent
Uniforms
No interruption to teachers
No speaking in a lecture unless when asked personally
No challenge and criticism to teaching contents and teachers
Not to make teachers lose face
Learning Environment in Denmark
in My Eyes
 student-centred (group
work and varied teaching
methods)
 Contextualized contents
 learning by doing
 smaller classes
 warmer class climate
 more ways of assessment
than multiple choicecentred exams
What I have learned - ‘Survival’ Strategies
To open up my eyes and mind
To be active and initiative
- chances are created
To be patient
- to ask ‘why?’ before getting offended
and complaining ‘how!’
To ask ‘stupid’ questions
How do you understand
culture and
cultural difference?
Cultural Differences 1
- Different ways of
doing the same thing
Cultural differences 2
– different strengths and weakness
Example: Secret plan for harmonising EU
Plan A:
• Salaries like in Switzerland
• Taxes like in Luxembourg
• German cars
• English country style as
standard housing
• French wine
• Italian food
• Belgium beer
• Austrian skiing facilities
• Public authorities like in
Denmark
Plan B:
•
Polish salaries
•
Danish Taxes
•
Spanish cars
•
East German housing
•
German wine
•
Norwegian food
•
French beer
•
Dutch Skiing facilities
•
Public authorities like
in Italy
Intercultural
Communication 1
Impact of globalisation
• Future engineers are
expected to know cultures
and have social concern
‘entering into management and
co-operative contexts with
people of different
educational cultural
background’ - Danish Ministry of
Education
• Companies will look for
engineers with international
perspective…
Intercultural Communication 2
Cultural stereotypes
 Western World in the
eyes of Chinese :
• Individualism
• Free
• Open and straight
French: Romantic
American: free
German: principled
British: reserved
Italian: warm
 What is the stereotype
of Chinese in your
impression?
Intercultural Communication 2
Cultural stereotypes
 How do you think about Danish culture?

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Danish in my eyes:
Friendly-indifferent-warm to outsiders
Committed and responsible in work
Self-principled and contextual flexible
Collaborative in work but self-concerned
individualism in private life
Fair
Honest
Enjoying life
Value-driven
Intercultural Communication 3
Theory
Cultural
Factors
Cognition
Behavior
Affect
Contextual
Factors
Intercultural Communication 3
miscommunication and
conflicts
•Miscommunication arises
when behaviour of a person
from one
culture is judged within the
framework
of another culture
Positive communication
Intercultural
Communication 4 -Understanding cultural differences
- to Learn from cultural differences
An example of
Cultural difference
In concern with
Student life
Student Life in China
6:30 Get up in dorm
6:30-7:00 Morning Exercise
7:00
Breakfast in Canteen
7:30 – 8:00 Morning Reading
8:00 – 9:50
Morning
Lectures
10:10 – 12:00
Morning
Lectures
14:00-16:00 Afternoon Activities
Lectures
Laboratory
Supervision
Library
16:00-18:00 Leisure time
Evening Activities – study individually
Exams
Written form
Textbook knowledge based
Hard tasks
Scores matter
Good Good Study, Day Day Up!
Study hard - high marks - diploma - good student
Housing?
Shopping?
Cooking?
New Life
in Denmark
Transportation?
Lectures
Practice
Study in Aalborg
University,
Denmark
Supervision
Doing project
In groups
Group
meeting
Exam
Report
writing
Life
Brainstorm
Doing projectPresentation
in groups
Subgroup
work
Discussion
Disagreement
Compromise
Spare time
activities
However,
please
note that
Cultural
Differences
Are only one
of the
Reasons that
Make us
Different…
Muslim
Young girl
Philosopher
Animal
doctor
farmer
butcher
wolf
artist
Intercultural Group
Discussion
Reflection on your own
experiences
To understand
and learn from
cultural
differences