Internationalizing Teacher Education in the United States

Beverly D. Shaklee, Ed.D.Director, Center for International Education

George Mason UniversityCollege of Education & Human Development

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Expanded views of diversity to include international global viewpoints

Professional development experiences that lead to inter-cultural competence for faculty and students

Foreign language & intercultural communication requirements

Use of curriculum, technology and other resources to expand the ‘view from Virginia’ in relation to the world

Four target areas

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Primarily from western or westernized nations Primarily English speaking < 10% another

language Primarily prepared in western models of teacher

education Primarily prepared to teach in the English medium Primarily female: ratio is 3 to 1 Primarily Caucasian Primarily live away from the school community

U. S. Teachers

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ComparisonsTeaching Practices

Areas of potential conflict

Western Perspectives Personal Control Change Time/Control Equality Individualism Self- Help Competition Future Orientation Action/Work

Other Countries Fate Tradition Human Interaction Rank/Status/Hierarchy Group’s Welfare Birthright Inheritance Cooperation Past Orientation “Being”

Cushner, McClelland,Safford 2013

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Virginia, 135 school districts = 1,250,852 students

36.7% are on free/reduced lunch 14.4% speak a language other than English

at home 7% receive ELL services

41% classified as ‘minority’ 11% were born internationally 22.9% are under the age of 18

Our students

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What are ways in which your professional development programs or teacher education programs attempt to bridge the gap between teachers and students?

With a partner

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“ It is often hard to learn from people who are just like you. Too much is taken for granted.

Homogeneity is fine in a bottle of milk, but in the classroom it diminishes the curiosity that ignites discovery.”

Vivian Gyssin Paley

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Schools and Classrooms School Culture Student Culture – norms, traditions, religion

and values Teacher Culture

“Best” predisposed to regard diversity as interesting

“Worst” diversity = deficit “Seldom” is diversity seen as exciting and

enriching* Cushner, McClelland, Safford, 2012

Where Cultures Intersect

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Many good teachers are wishing that the diversity they see in September will somehow fade away as the class becomes a group.”

Sara Lawrence Lightfoot

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Teachers who are prepared for multicultural settings normally focus on diverse domestic population, which may include some students who have recently immigrated…it is not clear how the knowledge and skills used with national students apply to international students or their families.

* Levy, 2007

Multicultural-International

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Social justice

MMEDomestic US

Civil Rights Era

Race Socio Economic Status

New “American” Populations

IEPost WW I League of Nations

Peace ActivismCross-national

Social Justice Mobility Globalization

International - multicultural

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Cross-cultural experiences Knowledge of diverse cultures Understanding of globalization Intercultural Communication skills Enhanced ability to work with and learn from

people different from themselves Shared belief in values that support

diversity, equity and global connectedness* Merryfield, 2001

Expanding views

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STATE State of Virginia – what does it mean to be a

citizen? NATIONAL United States of America – what does it

mean to live and contribute to a democratic society?

INTERNATIONAL The World – what does it mean to be inter-

dependent with the world? What is my responsibility?

International

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There is a chance that international curriculum and practices will be seen as only for high performing schools creating an opportunity gap.

There is research that indicates children in low-performing schools that internationalize the curriculum “students perceive themselves as modern day explorers” raising their motivation and performance (Asia Society, 2008).

Low-Performing Schools

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The focus has been on preparing our students for the 21st Century – for a global and inter-connected world.

Who is preparing the teachers? Programs ‘dance’ around terms such as social

justice, culturally responsive classrooms, global citizens…

There is much language but little practice. There is little implementation in teacher

education programs.* Shaklee & Baily, 2012

Teachers

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How do you foster the inter-cultural competence of your administrators and teachers?

How do you study the values, roles, traditions of the international students you serve?

What is the role of international parents in your school?

How have you moved beyond “food, festivals and fun” approach to culture?

In small group

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Able to manage the stress associated with intercultural interactions

Able to communicate verbally and non-verbally across cultures

Able to establish and maintain positive new relationships across cultures

* (Brislin & Yoshida, 1994)

Becoming inter-culturally competent

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U.S.A. & U.K = okay Japan = money

Russia = zero Brazil = insult

An Example: Okay?

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Affective – respect, openness and curiosity is a pre-requisite to developing

Cognitive - cultural self-awareness, culture-general as well as culture-specific knowledge

And Skills sets such as: Listening, observing, and interpreting

Deardorff, 2006

Pyramid of Intercultural Competence – Initial

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All of which are needed prior to being able to develop a more enhanced behavioral repertoire of:

flexibility, empathy, adaptability, and more culturally competent communication

and interaction

Pyramid of Intercultural Competence (Deardorff)

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Ultimately, people who are inter-culturally minded move from the avoidance or tolerance of difference to a respect and appreciation of difference, and from an unconscious ethnocentrism to a more conscious awareness of their own and others’ cultures (Bennett, 1993).

Inter-culturally minded

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Instead of being conscious of what not to do to avoid racism, sexism, and other prejudices, they understand what they can do to create respectful, productive intercultural relationships.

Inter-culturally effective people, thus, are proactive in nature and seek out diverse perspectives and contributions when making decisions and taking actions (Cushner, 2012).

Inter-culturally competent

Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (Bennett)

Where do your teachers stand?

How do you help them?

Ethnocentric

◦Denial

◦Defense

◦Minimization

Ethnorelative

◦Acceptance

◦Adaptability

◦Integration

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Emerges out of one’s cultural upbringing that is carried throughout one’s life and relations with others.

Identity motivates and colors the social dynamics of teaching as well as pedagogical approaches used to teach.

If a teacher does not reflect on the aspects of culture upon his/her identity the ramifications on students can be immense.

Romano & Cushner, 2007

Cultural Identity of a Teacher

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Openness to other ways of living, of speaking and of interacting

Propelled to be curious and then to search Non-judgmental, understands that

comparisons lead to judgments Able to go beyond comfort zone of the

familiar Able to tolerate ambiguity Able to understand and empathize with a

diverse range of people Able to speak another language fluently

To be an inter-culturally competent teacher

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Strategies to enhance

Conversational Partner Cross-cultural pairing to better understand another

culture Meet six to eight times during the term (online) Discussions range from reading newspapers

together to family to “how to get things done” Sharing at a general level/level of comfort Changes in substantive knowledge of culture,

personal understandings and interpersonal relationships (Wilson & Flournoy, 2007)

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Curriculum development teams Recognize teachers may have come from

pedagogical approaches that are “tell & show” & highly westernized

Design teams that can scaffold teacher’s ability to become a “curriculum maker”

Focus then becomes on perpetual inquiry and research in order to create learning around specific concepts and designing activities to foster those concepts

Strategies to enhance

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Foster study abroad or joint international student teaching placements for candidates

Fulbright Teacher Programs – http://fulbrightteacherabroad.org

Foster immersion programs within another culture

Foster teacher education study abroad Foster World Language for Teachers

Strategies to Enhance

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An inter-culturally competent faculty National standards for teacher education that

expand our boundaries Teacher candidates – high academic standards Different clinical experiences Internationalized coursework that includes

knowledge of cultural heritage, intercultural competence, immersion in a significantly different culture, world language skills

What does it take?

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To have Children of the 21st Century

Are we preparing teachers for the 21st Century?

We must first have teachers of the 21st Century

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Byram, M. (2008). From foreign language education to education for intercultural citizenship: Essays and reflections. Chapters 1 and 3 (pp. 5 – 18, 43-54). Buffalo: Multilingual Matters. Byram, M., & Feng, A. (2005). Teaching and researching intercultural competence. In E. Hinkel (Ed.) Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning (pp. 911-930), Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Cushner, K. & Brennan, S. (2007). Intercultural Student Teaching. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield,

Lunenberg, M., & Willemse, M., (2006). Research and professional development of teacher educators. European Journal of Teacher Education, 29(1), 81-98.

Dooly, M., & Villaneuva, M. (2006). Internationalisation as a key dimension to teacher education.  European Journal of Teacher Education, 29(2), 223-240.

Duckworth, R. L., Walker Levy, L., & Levy, J.  (2005). Present and future teachers of the world’s children: How internationally-minded are they? Journal of Research in International Education, 4, 279 - 311.

Fox, R. K. (2012). Critical languages: Working with world language students in the classroom. In B. Shaklee and S. Bailey, (Eds.), Internationalizing U.S. teacher education. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. 

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Fox, R., & Diaz-Greenberg, R. (2006). Culture, multiculturalism, and world language standards: Toward a discourse of dissonance. European Journal of Teacher Education, 29 (3), 401-422.

 Goncalves, M., & Andrade, A. (2007). Connecting languages: The use of the portfolio as a means of exploring and overcoming frontiers within the curriculum. European Journal of Teacher Education, 30(2), 195-213.

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Lam, W.S.E (2006). Culture and learning in the context of globalization: Research directions. Review of Research in Education, (Special Issue on Rethinking Learning: What Counts as Learning and What Learning Counts) 30, 213-237

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Shaklee, B. (Spring, 2011). Leading for Diversity. InterEd: The Journal of the Association for the Advancement of International Education,Vol., 38 (112), 22-24.

Shaklee, B. and Baily, S. (Eds.) (2012). Internationalizing Teacher Education in the United States, Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Education Publishing Group.

Vasquez, O. (2006). Cross-national explorations of sociocultural research on learning. Review of Research in Education (Special Issue on Rethinking Learning: What Counts as Learning and What Learning Counts) 30, 33-64.

Wang, E., Lin, E., Spalding, E., Odell, S., & Klecka, C. (2011).  Understanding teacher education in an era of globalization. Journal of Teacher Education, 62(2), 115-120.

Wiseman, A., & Fox, R. (2010). Supporting teachers’ development of cultural competence through teacher research. Action in Teacher Education, (32) 4, pp. 26-37.

DOI: 10.1080/01626620.2010.549708  Zhao, Y. (2010). Preparing globally competent teachers: A new imperative for

teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education, 61(5), 422-431.

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American Council on Education, http://www.acent.edu Asia Society, http://asiasociety.org/education-learning Global Issues Network, www.global-issues-network.org Global Teacher Education,

www.globalteachereducation.org Kidz Connect, http://www.kidzconnect.org Longview Foundation, www.longviewfdn.org Student News Action Network,

http://newsaction.tigweb.org Teacher Education Goes Global,

www.teachereducationgoesglobal.org

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