Teaching Guidelines for Face to Face Multicultural Classrooms

TEACHING GUIDELINES FOR FACE TO FACE MULTICULTURAL CLASSROOMS

Work in Progress

December 13, 2013

Contributors: Martha Garcia-Murillo, Renee F. Hill, Sarah Inoue and Carsten Oesterlund

SITUATION: GREATER DIVERSITY IN THE CLASS The number of international students in American universities has increased dramatically. This means that we now know many more ethnic groups represented that go above and beyond our traditional notions of ethnicity.

Classroom recommendations:  Plan your course with the multicultural classroom in mind, making sure that your syllabi, course assignments, examples, stories, and potential classroom dynamics bring the richness of that classroom to life.  Get your classroom roster ahead of time to give you an idea of the different people and the ethnicities represented to help you in the design of your course.  Learn the names of students and their correct pronunciations  Take advantage of the rich cultural knowledge, prior experiences, and personal stories of your students to add a global/ethnic/gender dimension to your class. Making everybody appreciate the rich stories that we bring. (Moule, 2005)  At the beginning of the semester when you are doing introductions you may consider a icebreaker that has a cultural component. You may ask students about holidays in their countries or traditions, foods, or differences with the US.

SITUATION: LACK OF PARTICIPATION Explanation of the problem A common problem when communicating with people from other countries is language. There are some words that cannot be easily translated from one language to another. It is not easy to communicate across cultures because most of us are afraid and apprehensive about making mistakes, and if that apprehension is not managed appropriately, it can lead to hostility (Sanchez, 1992). Communication across cultures is complicated because of the expectations that each individual has about social relations. For example, in collectivist countries like China or Japan, individuals have traditionally been subordinate to the group. Because the group is so important in collectivist cultures, individuals from those cultures might avoid conflict and prefer not to be confrontational, even when they are not happy about a situation. For example, to maintain a good relationship, Chinese people will often be supportive and give compliments, even when they object to a situation (Lu & Wan, 2012). Communication across cultures is further complicated when individuals from high and low power distance cultures interact. In high power distance cultures, hierarchy is very important. A person’s status can be determined by age, gender, experience, income, occupation, education, land ownership or the “family name.” It is therefore not unusual for some individuals from high-context and high power distance cultures to remain silent in a group, especially when they are not certain about the conventions and they don’t want to offend anybody.

Classroom recommendations  Indicate at the beginning of the semester that everybody is expected to participate/contribute and explain how in the US people are expected to present their opinions, ask questions/clarifications and be fully engaged in the classroom.  When you ask a question give the students a minute or two to write their answers and then proceed to “cold call” some of them, particularly those who are less willing to participate.  Have students work in pairs. Pairs are a good size for groups because there are only two people and introverted students are forced to speak because there are no other members to do so.  You may consider having students making short oral summaries of the reading material to make them comfortable speaking in class.  Repeat things. This can be difficult when you are teaching, but sometimes by just repeating something a non-native English speaker may better understand.  Apply principles of universal design whenever possible: Visual, audio, and written versions of the key points you want the students to understand  If a student is having trouble understanding let the student know that there are resources: Slutzker Center, Writing Center, Tutoring Center.

SITUATION: VOLUNTARY ISOLATION Explanation of the problem Humans share a universal desire for certainty and predictability, a need for support and a sense of belonging to help them cope better with the uncertainties and the unpredictability of life (Illingworth, 2011).

Benefits to the students of having wider social capital These social networks bring benefits to the individual because of the resources that we can acquire through other people. These include: (1) information, (2) influence through intermediaries, (3) confirmations of trustworthiness, and (4) reinforcement of promises and commitments (Lin, 2002). These resources can help us to achieve our goals. Social capital is valuable because it creates ties for cooperation and reciprocity. It is through these networks that we can acquire access to a wider range of information from different sources of different types (Granovetter, 1973)—for example, information that can support our search for a job, obtain a promotion, or find suppliers or partners for a business.

People rich in social capital tend to be happier, healthier and safer (Illingworth, 2011).

Classroom recommendations  On the first day of classes mix the students so that people from the same nationality are not seated together.  When you assign group work try to mix students of different backgrounds/nationalities or if they are doing the groups themselves tell them that the group has to have people from different backgrounds/nationalities.  When you do in-class activities also try to mix the students so they get to know more of their classmates.  Recommend the students to attend the Slutzker’s Mix It Ups which happen every week at the shine at the beginning of the semester (http://international.syr.edu/programs- and-activities/mix-it-up%20.html) as well as their English conversations groups, http://international.syr.edu/programs-and-activities/english-conversation-groups.html) and their Connections program which assign mentors to new international students (http://international.syr.edu/programs-and-activities/Connections/mentors.html)

SITUATION: LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OF AMERICAN CULTURE Instructors often assume background knowledge of American history and cultural references.

Classroom recommendations  Indicate to the students at the beginning of the semester that they should be free to ask if they don’t understand a reference made about American history or culture.

SITUATION: DIFFICULTIES WITH ENGLISH COMPREHENSION English comprehension is often a common problem with International students because they have not yet had the experience to operate entirely in English. This lack of understanding can severely impair their learning. It also doesn’t help that many of us use idioms or we speak quite fast.

Classroom recommendations  Incorporate checks for comprehension by asking students to rephrase what you said.  Asking students “what questions do you have?” as opposed to “do you have any questions?”  Allow time for people to think when you ask a question. You may want to ask them to write the questions on paper. Give them time and then ask specific students. Don’t be afraid to cold call international students. It will give you an opportunity explain the material again taking into consideration whatever confusion you detected.  Create an expectation of participation where you indicate to the class that you expect everybody to participate at least once every class and make sure that you actually enforce it. This will then make international students realize that it is part of the class.  Record at least audio of your class and post it on the class website. This will allow students that are having English comprehension problems the ability to re-listen to the lecture and not fall behind.  Recording of lectures has become easier now that we all have mobile phones with recording capabilities. You may be able to put it in a pocket and plug a microphone.  Give students study guides to help them focus on the key material.  Post your PowerPoint slides  When working in groups use pairs instead of large groups so that everybody can participate. In larger groups it would also be helpful if you mix people so you don’t have a groups composed of a single ethnic group.  Ask people who you know have a different background to give you examples from their own countries. Give them time to think and write their answers so they are better prepared to give an answer.  Apply principles of universal design whenever possible: Visual, audio, written, etc.  If you find that students are underperforming meet with them individually to find and foster their strengths. In my case I had a student from Nigeria who was quite shy and reluctant to participate.He was not doing well in my class at all. I asked him to come to see me and found out that he had outstanding knowledge of world and American history. From that point on I took advantage of opportunities to ask him to contribute on issues related to history, which he happily did.  Repeat questions asked by other students just in case others did not hear it.

PROBLEM: PLAGIARISM Explanation of the problem1 A study done by Parr (Parr, 1936) identified several factors that contributed to cheating among college students. He found that students who supported themselves had a higher incidence of cheating (53%) compared to those who did not support their own studies (34%). It appears from these results that the pressure to do well is greater when you are paying for your studies, and this can drive you to violate academic rules.

Students who engage in many activities in addition to their normal course load had a higher incidence of cheating than those who did not have too many other commitments. Students who took part in more than four activities outside of class cheated 57% of the time, compared to 36% of those who engaged in only one activity (Parr, 1936). This could mean that when students get too busy, they may not have enough time to study or do their assignments. This lack of time and adequate planning may lead them to cheat to get the work done.

Finally, students who got lower grades were also the ones who cheated the most. The statistics on cheating were as follows: A grade group 18%; B grade group 35%; C grade group 44% and D

1 This entire section comes from my book on Leadership and Culture (Garcia-Murillo, 2013) grade group 58%. It appears that students who see that they are not doing well try to improve their grades through cheating. Nonetheless, this does not seem to have helped their grades (Parr, 1936).

Another study tried to identify the reason why students committed plagiarism; these were: time management problems; the desire to get good grades; and a lack of preparation regarding proper ways of quoting, paraphrasing, citing and referencing the material they consulted (Park, 2003).

Classroom recommendations  Have a conversation about academic integrity, why it is important, and the rationale of those policies.  Remind them about the academic integrity tutorial they took for 601.  Ask students about the policies in their own countries and why they may differ with those of the US.  Have a conversation about consequences of poor decisions both in academic and professional settings. In an academic setting if a student is found cheating, he/she may be risking getting an even lower grade or, in the worst case, being expelled from the university. Violation of these policies can lead to a negative reputation that can affect the students’ academic and professional life. The risks are, of course, the sanctions that the student will get if someone discovers that they cheated and loss of trust. (Garcia- Murillo, 2013).  Remind the students of the messages and guidelines you have given them in your syllabus about academic integrity. Make sure they know where you stand and what is at stake.

PROBLEM: “HOT MOMENTS” In multicultural classrooms we are often unaware of the type of information other people have been exposed to in their own countries. This can lead to statements that can offend other ethnic groups or remarks that can be interpreted as racist. Classroom recommendations  If you encounter a situation where somebody made a potentially offensive remark about an ethnic group, take advantage of this “hot moment” to make it an opportunity for everybody to learn from the experiences of others.  If appropriate to the class subject you could ask the students to write a short reflective essay about the issue.  In these encounters “Help them to learn something substantive from the experience -- about themselves, about others, about possible positions, about the topic as a whole, and about how to voice their thoughts so that they can be heard, even by those who disagree” (Warren, 2006).

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Figure 1. Some Important Differences between the Academic Cultures of China and the United States China United States Potential Impact on Academics/Campus Life Conception of Self Collectivist: higher Individualist: self- Limited class value placed in own reliance, self- participation: not cultural group and promotion, value wanting to appear individual modesty. freedom from immodest; less imposed constraints. willing to risk behavior displeasing to group; will not respond to posted activities or even individual invitations. Educational The Confucian The American system Problems in Framework system focuses on emphasizes responding to extensive creativity, exploring “why?” Unfamiliarity memorization new ideas with group work; without any challenging existing discomfort with self- requirement to concepts or theories. expression. Skill in challenge or theorize memorizing can on what the student collide [[?]] with has memorized. academic integrity policies. Social Relationships Formal and Informal, egalitarian. Confucian respect for hierarchical. Most Social hierarchy is professors can comfortable in a present but less severely inhibit class context in which visible and de- participation. position and rules for emphasized. behavior are known. Harmony versus In keeping with Willing to discuss Impact on class Confrontation Confucian and controversial topics, dynamics and Communist Party criticize, confront, interaction. Seldom teachings, avoid and advance a willing to admit open criticism, personal view blame when controversial topics, regardless of the confronted. or confrontation. status of person “Saving face” is being challenged. important. Rule of Law Hold greater faith in Have great faith that Rules can be personal laws, regulations, circumvented to relationships than in policies lead to fair achieve goals. written policies or outcomes and must regulations. thus be followed or changed through rule-governed processes. Academic Honesty System rewards A belief in Willing to risk scores on meritocracy and a violating policies on standardized exams cherishing of original academic honesty —however those thought. Strict belief scores are attained. in citing sources. Focus on the Focus on process. product. Role of Silence San si er xing (think Silence in the Seldom participate if twice before you presence of others is not part of the grade; speak). Meditation is rare and seldom given time by encouraged; prompt uncomfortable. teachers to give their speech is considered Focus on opinion (lack of time hasty. Student interactional or of an inclusive silence is a sign of competence in atmosphere to respect for teacher. academic settings. support students This is more Silence is viewed as afraid of loss of face pronounced in lack of preparation, to participate). situations where competence or [[confusing in student’s status respect. parentheses]] appears ambiguous or if a student feels unwelcome. Source: Modified from Stevens, S. G. (2012). Chinese Students in Undergraduate Programs: Understanding and Overcoming the Challenges. wRAP UP, 9(1), 1-9.

http://www.nafsa.org/uploadedfiles/NAFSA_Home/Resource_Library_Assets/Networks/ACE/C hinese%20Students%20in%20Undergraduate%20Programs.pdf Good description of the issues for/of Chinese undergraduates and some of the ways this impacts a college campus. http://www.sandiego.edu/esl/cultures/cultures.html A collection of information on some of the cultures in San Diego. This is designed for teachers and tutors of ESL and focuses on challenges in K-12 education, but still has some interesting tips.

From the diversity toolkit at the National Education Association site: http://www.nea.org/tools/30402.htm

The University of Michigan has a nice set of instructions for teaching international students http://crlt.umich.edu/internationalstudents.

Harvard and Stanford Universities have some interesting tips for teaching a multicultural classroom: http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/html/icb.topic58474/hotmoments.html - about dealing with “hot” moments - moments when something is said in class that may offend some people. http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/html/icb.topic58474/TFTrace.html - a tip sheet for dealing with a diverse classroom - it’s okay, but assumes a) that the professor is white, and b) doesn’t mention international students. www.engr.psu.edu/awe/arpresources.aspx Greg Walton (Stanford) - Imposter Syndrome in all students. Have them write an essay to a future student explaining the process of fitting in at the school. This simple task helps them feel that they fit in better.

REFERENCES

Garcia-Murillo, M. (2013). Leadership and Culture. Jamesville, NY: Crysalus. Granovetter, M. S. (1973). The strength of weak ties. American Journal of Sociology, 78(6), 1360-1380. Illingworth, P. (2011). Us before me: ethics and social capital for global well-being. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. Lin, N. (2002). Social capital: A theory of social structure and action. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Lu, W., & Wan, J. (2012). On treating intercultural communication anxiety of international students in China. World Journal of Education, 2(1), 55-61. Moule, D. a. (2005). Cultural Competence: A Primer for Educators. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth Park, C. (2003). In other (people's) words: Plagiarism by university students--literature and lessons. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 28(5), 471-488. Parr, F. (1936). The problem of student honesty. The Journal of Higher Education, 7(6), 318-326. Sanchez, M. (1992). Communicating Across Cultures. The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, 3, 6-6. Warren, L. (2006). Managing hot moments in the classroom. Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning. 2013, from http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/html/icb.topic58474/hotmoments.html