Developing Intercultural Competence And Transformation

Enrollments in international education programs are projected to grow exponentially as students, parents, and university personnel seek to prepare future leaders who can live and work effectively in a global environment. What do we know about the outcomes of such programs, and how can educators become more intentional about designing, and assessing, the impact of such courses? How can we help students achieve the intercultural growth and transformation that they may envision as they set forth on their international sojourn?International education provides opportunities for students to grow personally, and to learn in a rich and intense educational environment. The outcomes of such opportunities emphasize not only traditional academic competence, but also changes in motivations, attitudes, self-identity, and values. It is these latter, co-academic, concepts that are the focus of this book. Its goal is to give solid substance to the growth and transformation approach to study abroad. It defines the central concept of intercultural competence, sets it within the framework of transformative learning theory, and offers ideas and strategies for facilitating its development. In doing so, it goes far beyond traditional emphases on the achievement of such formal skills as foreign language acquisition or specific knowledge of course content in national literatures, arts, or history.This book provides study abroad educators with a theoretical framework and examples of practice to craft more meaningful activities that will make a long-term difference in the quality of student experiences, and set the stage for transformative change. If we plan to send a million students a year to study abroad within the decade, we need approaches to maximize student growth outcomes in an efficient and effective way. It is also relevant for anyone engaged in courses in adult education, college student services, comparative and international education, international business, intercultural relations, and service learning that involve study abroad, and that raise corresponding issues of curriculum design.

Intercultural Competence in Higher Education features the work of scholars and international education practitioners in understanding the learning outcomes of internationalization, moving beyond rhetoric to concrete practice around the world. Devoted exclusively to exploring the central learning outcomes of internationalization efforts, this edited volume contains a refreshing combination of chapters and case studies from interdisciplinary and cross-cultural contributors, including: cutting-edge issues within intercultural competence development, such as intersectionality, mapping intercultural competence, and assessment; the role of higher education in developing intercultural competence for peacebuilding in the aftermath of violent conflict; facilitating intercultural competence through international student internships; interdisciplinary and cross-cultural contributions from over 19 countries including Japan, Russia, Serbia, South Africa, and Vietnam; the latest research and thinking on global, intercultural, and international learning outcomes, with a unique emphasis on newer voices. Intercultural competence has become an essential element in international as well as domestic education. This text provides the latest thinking and research within the context of internationalization, presents practical case studies on how to integrate this into the preparation of global-ready students and will be of interest to postgraduate students, international education administrators, and practitioners, as well as scholars and researchers in a variety of disciplines who have an interest in intercultural and global competence.

In Working in a Multicultural World, Nardon offers a comprehensive framework for understanding intercultural interactions and developing skills for successful intercultural situations.

"This book presents a structured yet flexible methodology for developing intercultural competence in a variety of contexts, both formal and informal. Piloted around the world by UNESCO, this methodology has proven to be effective in a range of different contexts and focused on a variety of different issues. It therefore can be considered an important resource for anyone concerned with effectively managing the growing cultural diversity within our societies to ensure inclusive and sustainable development. Intercultural competence refers to the skills, attitudes and behaviours needed to improve interactions across difference, whether within a society (differences due to age, gender, religion, socio-economic status, political affiliation, ethnicity, and so on) or across borders. The book serves as a tool to develop those competences, presenting an innovative adaptation of what could be considered an ancient tradition of storytelling found in many cultures. Through engaging in the methodology, participants develop key elements of intercultural competence including greater self-awareness, openness, respect, reflexivity, empathy, increased awareness of others, and in the end, greater cultural humility. This book will be of great interest to intercultural trainers, policymakers, development practitioners, educators, community organizers, civil society leaders, university lecturers and students -- all who are interested in developing intercultural competence as a means to understand and appreciate difference, develop relationships with those across difference, engage in intercultural dialogue and bridge societal divides"--

This book presents students’ reflections on their intercultural student experiences, and utilizing the UNESCO Story Circle methodology, illustrates how such reflection can aid the development of intercultural competence (IC). The volume features a broad range of first-person narratives that showcase the diversity of student experience encountered whilst studying abroad in a variety of cultural and institutional settings. Engaging with issues in relation to identity negotiation, stereotypes, cultural difference, and communities of support, the text demonstrates application of the UNESCO Story Circle approach in developing IC. Further, vignettes are analyzed and guiding questions are offered to structure readers’ reflection and discussion to facilitate further honing of intercultural competencies. The volume promotes IC amongst individual educators, trainers, international students, and community members and provides guidance in addressing international students’ wellbeing more broadly. This text will benefit scholars, academics, and students in the fields of higher education, multicultural education, and intercultural communication. Those involved with international and comparative education as well as student affair practice and higher education administration will also benefit from this volume.

Intercultural higher education has the potential to enable diverse students in diverse contexts to lead lives they have reason to value in a multicultural and globalizing world. The internationalization of higher education has become a significant site of change, driven by, and contributing to, globalization. So much so that global higher education has the potential to increase collaboration or conflict across the borders of human diversity. As educators seek to better understand and develop the ways in which our universities provide appropriate learning, Developing Intercultural Practice brings perspectives from international education communities together to provide clear guidance on the effective enhancement of these dimensions of academic practice. Exploring the emergence of the post-national university and situating academic development as critical practice, Developing Intercultural Practice considers how globally distributed, multicultural students and faculty, at home, overseas, and online, can develop reciprocal and collaborative learning. Chapters cover areas such as: Internationalization, intercultural, and equitable practice Academic development and internationalization Deficit modelling and the value of diversity Norms and rituals of academic cultures Modelling intercultural academic development Developing Intercultural Practice is essential reading for faculty developers, leaders in learning and teaching, and all academics concerned to ensure their practice is relevant to their students and the worlds into which they will graduate.

It is now widely recognised that learning a language should not just involve linguistic competence but also intercultural competence. It is also clear that intercultural competence can be developed through related subjects such as geography, history, mother tongue teaching. This book takes this as a given and provides practical help for teachers who wish to help their learners acquire intercultural competence in the ordinary classroom. It contains descriptions of lessons and materials from a wide range of classrooms in several countries and for beginners to advanced learners.

As the world becomes more globalized, student populations in educational settings will continue to grow in diversity. To ensure students develop the cultural competence to adapt to new environments, educational institutions must develop curriculum, policies, and programs to aid in the progression of cultural acceptance and understanding. Multicultural Instructional Design: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications is a vital reference source for the latest research findings on inclusive curriculum development for multicultural learners. It also examines the interaction between culture and learning in academic environments and the efforts to mediate it through various educational venues. Highlighting a range of topics such as intercultural communication, student diversity, and language skills, this multi-volume book is ideally designed for educators, professionals, school administrators, researchers, and practitioners in the field of education.