9-11 July 2014Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria

International ConferenceDiversity in Organizations, Communities and

Nations

Culture-sensitive teaching and learning in a diverse and divided society: the case of

a college on a journey towards internationalization of higher education

Helena Desivilya Syna, Geke Kalovski, Ilana Lavy, Liora Ore,

Dalit Yassour-Borochowitz

The Max Stern Yezreel Valley CollegeISRAEL

International ConferenceDiversity in Organizations, Communities and Nations, July 9-11, 2014,

The structure of the presentation

Background: research framed in international TEMPUS/IRIS project on HE

Research Rationale and Aims

Conceptual Framing of the Research

Initial Findings (Mapping the Nature of the Encounters and Tracing Faculty’s Positions)

Concluding Thoughts: Insights, Queries and Future Directions

Framing the research in the context of IRIS/TEMPUS project

YVC a partner in EU Project aiming:

To foster academic international relations in Israeli public colleges

promoting the quality of education

expanding international research

fostering innovation

Participants and Partners: 8 public colleges in Israel and European partners (Austria, Holland, Germany, Italy, Poland, UK)

One of the objectives: internationalization of curriculum (pedagogy and content)

Framing the research

Case Study – Learning Community/Research Group on Culture Sensitive-Competent Teaching and Learning

Musicians Engaging Diversity in a Global and Divided World (Herbie Hancock Imagine Project)

International ConferenceDiversity in Organizations, Communities and

Nations, July 9-11, 2014, Vienna University of Economics and Business

Research Rationale

"The question is again before us today as we confront

an economic and political integration on the scale of the planet: shall we be, intimately and subjectively, able to live with the others, to live as others, without ostracism but also without leveling? The modification in the status of foreigners that is imperative today leads one to reflect on our ability to accept new modalities of otherness…" (Kristeva 1991: 1-2).

July 9-11, 2014

International ConferenceDiversity in Organizations, Communities and Nations

Vienna University of Economics and Business

Research Aims

To study teaching-learning patterns in academic institutions within a context of diverse students' population and a divided society

To examine faculty’s perspectives re: impact of socio-political, cultural context on learning and teaching of diverse students in a divided society

To explore faculty’s perceptions re: coping with the complexities of culture sensitive teaching-learning in a diverse and divided society

July 9-11 2014

International ConferenceDiversity in Organizations, Communities and Nations

Conceptual Framing (1)

Grounded in action-science approach: interfacing research with praxis

Integrating social-psychological and constructivist conceptual perspective

social psych.: individual limitations in processing the social world

constructivist: construction of power by social institutions

Philosophy of International Education: the ‘Cosmopolitan’ Self in the Era of Globalization?

July 9-11, 2014

International ConferenceDiversity in Organizations, Communities and Nations

Vienna University of Economics and Business

Conceptual Framing (2)

Diversity: focuses on markers of social identity generating intergroup stereotypes, prejudice and acts of discrimination (Ely & Roberts, 2008; Ramarajan & Thomas, 2010)

Conceptual Framing (3)Mechanisms Underlying the Effects of

Diversity

Dimensions of Diversity

Variety (differences in perspectives -information, knowledge and expertise) +

Separation and Disparity (differences in position, control over valued resources) –

Faultlines – hypothetical dividing lines causing intergroup polarization, salience of categorization, in-group favoritism (Tajfel & Turner, 1984; Van Knippenberg et al., 2011)

Conceptual Framing (4)Integration of Explanations: divided

society (protracted inter-group conflict)

divided society - “mutually contradictory assertions of

identity in which one identity is validated or defined by suppressing another identity, making it difficult to presuppose any reciprocity of interests among groups (Schaap 2006: 266–7)

protracted national conflict - extreme example of a

divided society with the most accentuated long-term legacies

Salient faultlines - bias blind spot intertwined with social construction of power (majority-minority)

Conceptual Framing (5): Philosophy of International Education in the Global Era

Variety of Perspectives

Ethico-political responsibility: “ability to confront asymmetries that the local caused to others or undergoes due to uneven power [uneven life potentials] within and out.” (Papastephanou, 2011, p.604)

Culturalist cosmpolitanism – approaching global and local politics employing cultural difference and cultural identity perspectives

Ethno-relativistic learning and teaching (Trahar, 2013)

Conceptual Framing (5): Philosophy of International Education in the Global Era

Liberal cosmopolitanism: “a context-sensitive cosmopolitanism is expected to reshuffle particular identities in such a way that the self may be made to feel at home everywhere and, at the same time, fully at home nowhere.” (Papastephanou, 2011, p. 598)

Liberal paternalism: What otherness can be accommodated in a mixed up world?

Educational imperialism: “Colonizing and Decolonizing knowledge: internationalization a cover for – creeping westernization.” (Trahar, 2013, p.11)

Research Questions/Issues

What is the impact of socio-political and cultural context on learning and teaching of diverse students in the complex context of a divided society?

What is the nature of faculty members’ encounters with cultural diversity and social divisions in their teaching/learning experiences?

What is the faculty members’ approach and role in these encounters?

How to incorporate cultural sensitivity and political context in teaching and learning?

Methodology

Action-research: mapping the phenomena, initiating and implementing action and follow-up on action

Research Tool: Individual semi-structured interview

Participants: 20 faculty members in a public academic college

Semi-structured individual interview: key questions

Have you encountered in the course of your work as a lecturer/instructor/teaching career issues related to cultural differences, differences in cultural background? Can you describe the nature of these issues?

How do cultural differences and diversity affect learning, the relations among students and between students and the lecturer/instructor?

How do you deal with issues related to diversity/cultural differences?

What ways/methods would you suggest to use in order to promote culturally sensitive teaching and learning?

Initial Findings (1): My encounters with cultural diversity and social divisions

Direct/Approaching-Inclusive

“you can see students in the same classroom who come from different worlds: one woman who comes from the most liberal family where she can do anything she wants; can live with her boyfriend…and she does not understand in what parallel planet a woman sitting in a row above is living […] she has to marry older man so that he can pay her tuition” (Y.)

“We have Jewish/Sephardic women, Arab women and from former Soviet Union […] Diversity is an asset: enriches learning, it is a privilege to be part of it for the faculty, especially teaching groups that undergo intense and significant transformations: young Sephardic women and young Arab women.” (Z.)

Sneaking/Posing Internal Identity Conflicts

“It is quite clear that when they sit in two separate groups, I always feel that the Arab students don’t follow they come unprepared and this annoys me as an Arab woman; wake-up, study, be serious […]When they come to me with requests I feel I am more harsh with them than with the Jewish students […] As an Arab I know more about the Jews than vice versa… festivities, music, literature, I know a lot and the other way around they don’t know.” (A.)

Initial Findings (2): My encounters with cultural diversity and social divisions

Hidden/Posing Internal Identity Conflicts

“They (Arab students) fear mixing with Jewish students as this can interfere with their work on tasks; they do not know how to talk with the other.” (J.)

Direct/Contentious-Confrontational

There are some situations where my interactions with the students are not simple because I am trying not to give high grades easily and on the other hand I try not to pose a too heavy obstacle to give a passing grade […] Students come to me and fight for points and here the cultural background is very salient […] There are students who try at all costs to squeeze from me a few points […] Some immediately consent to my opinion (Arab students) […] Those who try more are the more civilized, coming from ‘cultured’ families. (I.)

Invisible/Avoiding

“I think that in my department there are no diverse learning patterns, when a student has to do an assignment in statistics, math or micro-economics, it really doesn’t matter to me how he learns.” (S.)

Initial Findings (3): My position in cultural diversity and social divisions encounters

Ethico-Political Responsibility/Ethno-Relativism

“Students from marginalized groups have low self-efficacy; we should help them to sound authentic voices […] She has difficulty to open her wings as she does not feel it's her place, her language…She has to learn a new language (academic) but also preserve her own. The question is from which standpoint you learn the new language – at the equal level and then you have curiosity and a sense of power with the new language or you learn it as something strange for you which comes to you from above and you won't be able to control it…” (Z.)

“My role as a lecturer in academia is to turn students into professionals , not merely content-wise but first and foremost to empower, engage people, turn them to intellectuals, create bonds; build relations […] The key is trust […]

Encourage expression of exceptional/unique, nonconformist opinions/ideas[…] It is a component in my role definition – to expose the students to diverse ideas/cultures etc.” (Y.)“

Initial Findings (4): My position in cultural diversity and social divisions encounters

Culturalist Cosmoplitanism

“The students represent all the tensions there are in the general population[…]

We need to market it…To encourage this type of collaboration to work in diverse teams to connect…In my course on public health we go to Um- el- Fahem, to Sahnin…This has become a tradition…” (J.)

Educational imperialism or liberal paternalism

“People who came from, I mean who have families where education was higher, they read more books, for them to read a book is more important, they know how to listen to classic music, not just folk music […] Western culture…in our times this is the culture that sustained […] This is a more precise language, more eloquent […] The students who come from the lower culture are trying new things but get frustrated very fast, don’t persevere […] I give examples from my culture, this is more convenient to me, Western Culture[...] I do try to explain in their language but not to make it too simplistic…” (I.)

Initial Insights

Variety of Encounters with Cultural Diversity and Social Divisions in Teaching/Learning Direct, Hidden, Sneaking, Invisible Approaching-Inclusive, Posing Internal Identity

Conflicts, Contentious-Confrontational, Avoiding.

Reflections of Different Perspectives on Philosophy of International Education in Faculty Members’ Positions Contingent upon personal, professional

background, personality and individual credo (awareness and reflexivity of academic staff)

Future Directions

Delving deeper into the nature of faculty’s encounters and positions –identifying enablers and blockers (comparison with a technological college)

Examining students’ perspectives

Implementing action-promoting best practices: faculty training, redesign of curriculum and pedagogies, revisiting college policies

Concluding Thought: A Query

“…glimpse of what we might be, of our best selves, and of an impossible world in which you give everything you have to others, but lose nothing of yourself.“ (Ian McEwan, “Saturday”)

Where are educational institutions on a journey towards accomplishing the formidable mission (ethico-political responsibility):

creating safe and enriching learning spaces?

promoting dialogue among diverse students?

enhancing meaningful expression of different voices?