Transcript What is Grammar? - Anglia Ruskin University

Teaching International Students from Diverse
Groups
Rebecca Rowntree
[email protected]
Importance of International Students
20% of our campus-based students are from outside the
EU and we educate an equal number of students both
on-site and off-site.
Goal 10, Corporate Plan 2012 - 2014
What’s the problem? How can we help?
•
•
•
First, I’m really worried how to get well along with my tutors.
Although my IELTS is 6.5 and I have already known more than
5000 words, I don’t know how to appropriately express myself and
to be polite. I’m afraid I will do something wrong because of my
ignorance.
I’ve no confident to communicate with each others, especially
native speakers, because I am very hard to catch up their words.
My biggest concerns are ability to understand books written in
English, and some lecture speak too fast so maybe I can’t
understand fully.
What’s the problem? How can we help?
•
•
•
•
Time management because Western study style different to Asian
study style.
To make sure about my academic writing whether will be efficient
enough or not.
Worry about my dissertation that someone jokes me.
I’m a bit worried about the terminal examinations, I don’t know the
form of our exams. And I think maybe writing essays would become
the other difficult part for me. I really need a period of time to get
used to writing this kind of texts.
What’s the problem? How can we help?
•
•
My biggest concern is conversation. Joining
discussions is still difficult issue for me, including to
understand other students talking quickly, to arrange my
opinion and response correctly. I need more practice, if
you could; I would like you to make time to consult.
The first one I really worried about is making new
friends here. Most of the time we cannot use English as
well as our mother language so it is a little bit difficult to
communicate with other student, like having a group
talk.
What’s the problem? How can we help?
• My major is media studies which is a discipline made up
of multi-information processing, editing and mass-media
research. I felt that the most difficult part is to get to
know the real media application in our daily life. It is not
easy to do academic research out of university. I’m really
worried about how to start my own academic research in
the field of media studies.
“ One reason why international students are frequently
characterised as passive and silent in lectures is that
they are using every ounce of their energies in trying to
keep up with what is happening.”
Jude Carroll: Teaching International Students – Improving
Learning for all 2005
Making lectures accessible
•
•
•
•
Students record lectures
Power point available on VLE prior to lecture
Define any specialist vocabulary or jargon
Explain relevant background to help comprehension of
key aspects
• Summarise the important information at certain stages
during the lecture
• Conclude my summarising main points and highlighting
‘take home’ messages
Opportunities for group work in seminars
• Spend time creating a safe learning environment
• Classroom contract
• Make expectations about preparation for and
participation in seminars clear
• Give international students enough time to formulate
their answers
• Ensure that students of the same nationality are not
sitting together
• Briefly summarise the discussion from time to time
Explaining assessment expectations
• Raise awareness of independent learning
• Detailed explanation of the purpose and structure of the
assessment
• If appropriate make examples available
• Highlight assessment criteria on the VLE
1-1 contact
•
•
•
•
Office hours
E.mail contact
Correct form of address – first name
Referral to appropriate department
Encouraging good academic practice
• Clear explanation and examples of the importance of
referencing
• Tasks that require analysis and evaluation of texts so
that focus is on critiquing rather than comprehension
• “Rather than focus on what the students should not do in
terms of plagiarism, I try to focus on what they should be
doing.” Academic tutor in Teaching International
Students: Strategies to enhance learning. Sophie
Arkoudis.
• Referral to study skills
Where to find support
•
•
•
•
•
•
Study skills – Upskilling
- Drop-in sessions
- Library workshops
International Office
Counselling service
Student support
To consider
• Stereotyping – deficit view
• Diverse educational expectations – same as home
students
• Stakeholders
• “We have students from 116 different countries. These
students contribute to the richness of the learning
community, bringing with them their own languages and
cultures. To work in such an environment is stimulating
for staff and students alike, and it helps us to develop in
many ways by challenging our preconceived beliefs
about the world.”
•
Terry Lamb, lecturer in Education at Sheffield University.
From: Alone in the Crowd. Lewis& Reinders. 2005
References
• Teaching International Students: Strategies to enhance learning.
Sophie Arkoudis. CSHE. The University of Melbourne.
• http://www.cshe.unimelb.edu.au/resources_teach/teaching_in_practi
ce/docs/international.pdf
• Raising awareness of the barriers facing international students in the
UK and the need for two-way adaptation. Paul Murphy. Glasgow
International College
• http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/internationalisation/Iss
ue5_Murphy
• All Alone in the Crowd. Marilyn Lewis and Hayo Reinders. The
Times Higher Education Supplement
05 July 2005