Transcript International educators: Are they inter

International educators: Are
they inter-culturally competent?
Beverly D. Shaklee, Ed.D.
George Mason University
MAIS November 2013
International Educators: what do we
know?
 Primarily from western or westernized nations
 Primarily English speaking
 Primarily prepared in western models of teacher
education
 Primarily prepared to teach in the English medium
 Little is known about their socio-economic status,
world language skills, ethnicity or areas of
exceptionality
 Shaklee, 2012
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Teaching Identity
 Emerges out of one’s cultural upbringing and
is carried throughout one’s lifetime;
 It motivates and colors the social dynamics of
teaching;
 The pedagogical strategies selected; and,
 “Moves what ever happens in the classroom”
(Freire, 1998)
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Scant Research however…
 International students often score higher than their
teachers in assessments of ICC (DeJaeghere and Cao,
2009; Grossman & Yuen, 2006; Mahon, 2006)
 Teachers, who are the classroom leaders, have less
well developed intercultural communication
competence than their students (Cushner, 2012).
 “if a teacher does not reflect on the impact of culture
upon his or her identity, the ramifications for students
can be immense” (Romano & Cushner, 2007, p. 217).
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Inter-Cultural Competence
Knowledge of a culture does NOT make one culturally
competent. One can have knowledge of a culture and
yet not be able to successfully navigate and
communicate within that culture ( Bennett, 2009)
What is intercultural competence?
 The capability to shift cultural perspective and adapt
behavior to cultural commonality and difference.
(Hammer)
 Developing an understanding and sensitivity to the
views of others as well as a sense of connectedness.
(Cushner & Brennan)
 Appropriate and effective management of interaction
between people who represent different or divergent
affective, cognitive or behavioral orientations toward
the world. (Spitzberg & Changnon)
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Skills needed to be inter-culturally
competent
 Understanding that others hold deep perspectives that
may be significantly different from your own.
 Transcending traditional ethnocentrism to build an
ethnorelative orientation toward others.
 Developing the capacity to communicate effectively in
both verbal and non-verbal modes.
 Acquiring interpersonal skills to work effectively across
cultures.
 Understanding the adjustment that accompanies
international transitions. (Cushner & Brennan, 2007)
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With a partner
 Take a minute to reflect:
 With a partner share one story of ‘adjustment’ that
you had to make coming to teach in an international
school setting.
 What was most compelling in your experience?
 How was it similar or different from your upbringing?
 What did you learn from your experience?
 How did it influence your teaching?
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Hammer, Benne t & Wiseman, 2003
How did you respond?
Monocultural
Intercultural
 Denial – comfortable, maintain
separation
 Polarization – defend your
culture, stereotypes, deny
your own culture
 Minimization – Everyone is
alike, I see no ‘differences’,
“we’re all human”
 Acceptance – Awareness of your own
cultural values, culture is complex,
curious about other cultures, learning
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 Adaptation – value alternative cultural
perspectives, can take another
perspective with culture, intentionally
can change behavior &
communication styles to be effective

Hammer, Benne t & Wiseman, 2003
A Reflection

In India, you see something new every day. That's what everyone says, and it's true.
Not just new shops or new people or new signs, but new happenings and situations. Like the
day I saw a man washing a rooster. Every day, your mind is blown away by something new.
Today I realized, however, that for everyone else in India, I am one of those new things they
see every day.
And just as my reaction varies to the new things I see - from awe to disgust to bewilderment
and more - I've started to catalog the reactions I receive from others when they see me.
 Happy smiles from children who run up and say, 'Hello!'

Wrinkled noses and a disapproving, 'tsk tsk tsk' from a neighbor lady as I walked from the
elevator to my car in a floor-length dress to go out for the evening.
Frazzled waiters for whom neither of us can understand each others' English.
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A reflection
 These reactions are what create culture shock for foreigners in any new
country. We always talk about what we feel as the foreigners
surrounded by locals. It often elicits intense emotions - ideally we fall in
love with a place and its culture, but at times we also find ourselves in a
constant battle with our surroundings.
 Yet stepping back and watching locals react to me somehow removes
the emotion and it becomes an exercise in understanding. Not simply
understanding what they think of me, or of foreigners in their country,
but on a much deeper level it opens a window to a greater understanding
of my own self-awareness.
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Used with permission
Intercultural Competency As Developmental
(Deardorff, 2006, 2009)
DESIRED EXTERNAL OUTCOME:
Behaving and communicating effectively and
appropriately (based on one’s intercultural
knowledge, skills, and attitudes) to achieve
one’s goals to some degree
DESIRED INTERNAL OUTCOME:
Informed frame of reference/filter shift:
Adaptability (to different communication styles & behaviors;
adjustment to new cultural environments);
Flexibility (selecting and using appropriate communication
styles and behaviors; cognitive flexibility);
Ethnorelative view;
Empathy
Knowledge & Comprehension:
Cultural self-awareness;
Deep understanding and knowledge of
culture (including contexts, role and
impact of culture & others’ world
views);
Culture-specific information;
Sociolinguistic awareness
Skills:
To listen, observe, and interpret
To analyze, evaluate, and relate
Requisite Attitudes
Respect; openness to intercultural learning; curiosity & discovery orientation
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Requisite Attitudes
Listen & Observe
Respect
Openness
Curiosity and Discovery
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With a colleague
 When new teachers are recruited, how are attributes of
intercultural competency addressed in the interview?
 When new teachers arrive what kind of intercultural
awareness and preparation activities are they engaged in?
 As new teachers begin to teach in your school what kind of
cultural mentors are available?
 How do you assess intercultural competency with your
faculty and staff?
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Knowledge & Skills
Skills
Knowledge & Comprehension
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Cultural Self-Awareness
Cultural Specific Information
Sociolinguistic Awareness
Developing deep
understanding and knowledge
of culture
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Listen, observe and interpret
Analyze, evaluate and relate
Reflective practitioner
Leading to:
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Adaptability
Flexibility
Empathy
Ethnorelative viewpoint
Outcomes
 Teachers who behave and communicate effectively and
appropriately based on their intercultural knowledge,
skills and attitudes.
 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)
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Are international
teachers inter-culturally
competent?
*The data is unclear and assumptions are
unwarranted.
*Western teacher education programs
often focus on multicultural education
within the nation’s context but not
intercultural competency for
international education.
*Some international schools have
substantive professional development on
intercultural competence and many have
none.
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In closing…
 Teachers (all) need an opportunity to develop their
skills and attitudes to become interculturally
competent.
 Schools should provide opportunities for:
 The development of cultural self-awareness
 Understanding of the cultural context of the
school/community
 Knowledge and scaffolding from a cultural mentor
 Engagement in deepening intercultural understanding
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Selected Resources
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Cushner, K. (1998). Intercultural education from an international perspective: An introduction. In K.
Cushner (Ed)., International perspectives on intercultural education. (pp. 1-14). Mahwah, NJ, USA: Lawrence
Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Cushner, K. (2011). Intercultural research in teacher education: An essential intersection in the preparation of
globally competent teachers. Action in Teacher Education, 33(5/6), 601-614. doi:
10.1080/01626620.2011.627306
Cushner, K., A. McClleland, P. Safford (2012). Human Diversity in Education: An Integrative Approach (7th ed).
New York: McGraw Hill.
Deardoff, D. (2004). In search of intercultural competence. International Educator, 13 (2), 13-15.
Heyward, M. (2000). Intercultural literacy and the international school. International Schools Journal, 19(2),
29-36.
Olson, C. & Kroeger, K. (2001). Global competency and intercultural sensitivity. Journal of Studies in
International Education, 5(2), 116-137.
Shaklee, B. and Baily, S. (Eds). (2012). Internationalizing Teacher Education in the United States, Lanham,
MD: Rowman & Littlefield Education Publishing Group.
Shaklee, B. and Merz, S. (2012) Intercultural communication competency for international educators.
International Schools Journal, Vol.XXXII (1), 13-20.