Teaching Interculturally - Hardcover

Lee, Amy

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1620363798 ISBN 13: 9781620363799

Publisher: Routledge, 2017

Synopsis

How can I simultaneously support students' critical engagement with course content and develop their intercultural awareness?

Most faculty have multiple diversities present in any given classroom or academic program― whether from an influx of international students or an increase of students from low-income, first generation, and/or racial/ethnic minority populations― and are concerned about how to maintain a rigorous curriculum and ensure that all their students succeed, given disparate backgrounds and varying degrees of prior knowledge.

This book provides faculty and instructors with a theoretical foundation, practical tools, and an iterative and reflective process for designing and implementing an intercultural pedagogy. The authors bring to bear the expertise of their various disciplinary backgrounds to offer a responsive, integrative framework to develop and continually refine a pedagogy that both promotes deep disciplinary learning and supports intercultural outcomes for all students.

The authors offer a framework that is flexible enough to be responsive to the experience, environment, and particulars of a given teaching and learning situation. The text incorporates narrative text by the authors, as well as first-person reflections, classroom activities, and annotated assignments that illustrate the dynamic process of intention, experiment/implement, critique, and refinement that characterize pedagogy and intercultural interaction.

The authors bring to bear the expertise of their various disciplinary backgrounds, a deep knowledge of effective pedagogical practice, and their experience and grounding in intercultural practice: Amy in composition/writing studies, Mary Katherine in international education with rich experience as a faculty development trainer, and Bob and Catherine, respectively, an historian and a family scientist.

This book is intended both for individual reading as well as for collective study in learning communities.

About this title

About the Author:

Amy Lee is a professor at the University of Minnesota. Her PhD is in English/Composition Studies. Her scholarship focuses on teacher-education for postsecondary faculty with a goal of supporting equity, diversity, and inclusive excellence in college classrooms. She has published 6 books in this area and a number of articles. Amy has taught a range of graduate and undergraduate courses, including first year writing and basic writing; U.S. literature; multicultural education; doctoral seminars in composition theory and research methods, and critical pedagogy. She has served in program- and department-level leadership positions at multiple public universities, and received university teaching awards from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and the University of Minnesota. She is currently earning an M.B.A in executive leadership.

Review:

"Great ideas for how to engage students in ways that encourage and use their diversity as a part of the learning process, and how to assess student knowledge and skills in ways that acknowledge and honor diversity. Includes first-person case studies from several professors." (Taryn Vian, Clinical Professor of Global Health Boston University School of Public Health 2018-05-04)

“According to [this] timely new book, we cannot ignore the increasing cultural diversity of our students. This is true even in technical and scientific courses: ‘...you are teaching in and experiencing intercultural classrooms regardless of whether you want to, whether you are aware of it, and whether you think it is your responsibility or relevant to your discipline’. In other words, this is not a book that asks, ‘Is culture affecting my readers or users?’ Instead, it goes further: ‘How do I design and communicate effectively in this intercultural environment?’ This is a tough question, and in a refreshing nod to practicality, the authors set out a developmental process instead of a ‘to do’ list. According to them, putting the theory of ‘intercultural pedagogy’ into practice requires time, dialog with others, cultural humility, and critical reflection. This all requires conscious effort that comes about through an iterative series of failures, reframing issues, repeated observations, and refinement.” (Technical Communication 2018-02-05)

"Now more than ever, the college classroom ought to be a place where students from diverse backgrounds engage productively in difficult conversations, yet few faculty are trained to facilitate this challenging work. Teaching Interculturally is a thoughtful and practical guide that is grounded in theory but with many concrete examples of classroom challenges, activities, and assignments. This book will be a great asset to faculty communities and to graduate courses on pedagogy. (Aeron Haynie, Executive Director, Center for Teaching and Learning Associate, and Associate Professor of English University of New Mexico 2017-05-24)

"Teaching Interculturally takes the research on high-impact practices to a higher level. The authors offer the specifics of a high-impact, cognitive justice based pedagogy that speaks to the multi-dimensional, lived reality of students attending college in contemporary times. Student success enthusiasts can benefit from a much-needed focus on the crucial role faculty play in developing an intercultural framework that underscores reflective practice, as well as intersectional aspects impacting equity and inclusion. In the end, the book offers hope that faculty can indeed develop an intercultural, critical approach that prepares students to meet the world as it is and to skillfully act to transform it." (Laura I. Rendón, author of Sentipensante Pedagogy: Educating for Wholeness, Social Justice and Liberation (2009, Stylus Press) 2017-04-26)

“We need more people who recognize that differing perspectives exist, that differing foundational assumptions are possible, and that there’s value in critically evaluating ideas, problems, and structures from multiple angles. We need people who can recognize how and why our communities and cultures came to be the way that they are – and who can learn to function effectively within and, at times, to ethically act against those ideas and structures. Teaching Interculturally is a foundational text for that important work." (Peter Felten, Center for Engaged Learning Elon University 2017-04-26)

"One of the book’s bold claims is that to practice authentic, deliberate intercultural pedagogy, instructors must unlearn preconceived notions of diversity and socialized assumptions about teaching and learning. But here’s the rub: discomfort, disruption, and humility are unavoidable prerequisites to the transformative faculty development often missing in our uneven, well-intended efforts to create inclusive educational environments. With research, theory, case studies, practical suggestions, and reflective exercises, the authors provide accessible tools for revising our development approaches, making them mindful and lasting in effectively preparing faculty to teach interculturally." (John Zubizarreta, Ph.D., Carnegie Foundation/CASE U.S. Professor of the Year Columbia College 2017-03-17)

"The authors strike an admirable and concise balance between theory and practice. They aim to “disrupt” current teaching norms with a 'commitment to make intentional, informed decisions that enable our courses to engage and support diversity and inclusion'. In their second chapter, they emphasize three values toward this end: (1) the pursuit of equity and inclusion in classrooms, (2) pedagogical humility while recognizing the developmental nature of expertise, and (3) the importance of reflection and revision. These values are modeled through the rest of the book.

With numerous case studies and bracketed "Invitations for Reflection,' this slim volume practices a pedagogy of its own and is well-suited for individuals and groups seeking opportunities for practical and meaningful reflection on intercultural pedagogy." (Reflective Teaching 2018-09-14)

“Amy Lee and her colleagues offer pedagogical techniques that support diversity, equity, and intercultural development. I believe both experienced and novice faculty members will find value in the framework and discussion questions provided by the book.

The second part of the book focuses on how to move from self-reflection to action. In my opinion, this is the highlight of the book, focusing on the case studies of Bob and Catherine and showing how they used their self-reflection and their commitment to teaching interculturally to change their teaching practices. These cases studies are detailed, in-depth examinations of Bob and Catherine’s practices, and the authors don’t hesitate to share their own struggles or discuss areas where they are still working to improve.

The book ends with an encouragement to pursue productive discomfort in one’s classroom in order to allow space for intercultural learning. This includes a list of practical strategies for the classroom as well as revisiting the cases of Bob and Catherine to see how they made space for productive discomfort. Overall, the reader leaves feeling encouraged and supported in changing their practice to meet the needs of a diverse range of students. I strongly recommend the book to those interested in intercultural pedagogy.” (Teachers College Record 2018-01-10)

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1620363798
• ISBN 13: 9781620363799
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 148