Teaching with a Global Perspective

Practical Strategies from Course Design to Assessment

Dawn Bikowski, Talinn Phillips

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9781138577572
• eBook ISBN: 9781351266581
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Classroom Management

This important book answers the growing call for US institutions to internationalize, create global citizens, and better serve diverse populations. Faculty are increasingly tasked with simultaneously encouraging a more inclusive worldview, facilitating classroom environments that harness the potential of students, and advising students who may need an array of university services or speak English as an additional language. Teaching with a Global Perspective is an accessible, hands-on tool for faculty and instructors seeking to facilitate global classroom environments and to offer diverse students the academic, language, and interpersonal support needed for success. Rich with practical features including Classroom Strategies, Assessments, Case studies, Discussion Questions, and suggestions for further reading in bibliographies, chapters address:

• developing a working understanding of global learning and inclusivity;
• identifying opportunities and barriers to helping students grow as global citizens;
• building confidence in teaching with a global perspective;
• facilitating courses and in-class participation that promote global and inclusive learning and communication between diverse populations;
• designing curricula, courses, assignments, and assessments that foster global and inclusive learning and support students with varied needs; and
• providing facilitative responses to students' academic work.

Teaching with a Global Perspective bridges an important divide in discussions about globalizing curricula by developing readers' content knowledge while also helping them to develop more effective global communication strategies.

Part I

Foundations for Teaching with a Global Perspective

Chapter 1

Preparing to Teach with a Global Perspective

Introduction

In this chapter, we introduce foundational concepts for helping all students as they progress through higher education and develop a global perspective. The book’s foundation springs from an awareness that “the university should not be distant from the tremendous problems the world faces nowadays” and should be actively engaged in both local and global spaces (Boni & Walker, 2013, p. 2), as well as evolving in order to maintain relevance and even competitiveness in an ever-changing world economy (Stein & Lambert, 2016). Thus, developing a global perspective means providing transformative experiences for students (Killick, 2015, p. 4) that build an ethic of inclusivity into civic engagement and social responsibility. These concepts apply to both diverse and mainstream students. Our underlying assumption is that students don’t have transformative experiences simply by co-occupying space and international students don’t inherently possess a global perspective. To support our students effectively, faculty must realize how their own experiences have informed teaching practices, since “our personal identities influence our professional practices” (Latino, 2016, p. 33). Thus, in this chapter, we discuss internationalization, global learning, inclusivity, global citizenry, and teaching with a global perspective.

By the end of this chapter, you should be able to: •define key terms and discuss topics associated with a global perspective and their application to your context; •identify approaches that allow you to teach with a global perspective; •discuss challenges and opportunities that global learning and internationalization initiatives bring to your campus; and •identify and discuss challenges that students from various backgrounds might face in the mainstream academic culture found in many university classes in the developed world.

Classroom and Self-Assessment

Before reading this chapter’s Key Concepts, begin by reflecting on your students’ experiences and readiness for developing as global citizens. We also ask you to rate your own readiness to support them and teach with a global perspective. For ideas on how to assess students’ knowledge and values, see the Preface. Note where you would rank your students and if their perspective seems to develop over time. This information can be used to direct your work in this chapter.

Assessing Your Students’ Readiness to Succeed as Global Citizens

While some courses lend themselves to helping students develop as global citizens more than others, what opportunities do students have to explore their own assumptions about diverse groups within your courses? Are there opportunities you might be missing? If students enter our courses at a different level than we expect, how does this affect course content and learning outcomes?

By the time students leave my class/department, they:

0	demonstrate very little awareness of global issues, diversity, or the role of culture and background in human behavior; have no experience with or are uncomfortable interacting with a range of people, nor do they appear to desire that interaction; are not aware of institutional academic expectations.
✫	demonstrate minimal awareness of global issues or diverse populations; show minimal awareness of or desire to learn about their own cultural biases and norms and are uncomfortable with cultural differences or people with diverse viewpoints; are minimally aware of institutional academic expectations.
✫✫	demonstrate awareness of how background affects behavior, yet are uncomfortable communicating in unfamiliar environments; recognize new perspectives about their own culture’s rules and biases and are interested in learning more; don’t only look for sameness and are comfortable with new perspectives; are moderately aware of institutional academic expectations.
✫✫✫	demonstrate awareness of global issues and interconnectedness and can explain how their own backgrounds affect their interpretations (e.g., of conflicts, triumphs, expectations, or systems of logic); seek out diverse populations and respond to biases appropriately, including shifting their own perspectives as needed; are aware of institutional academic expectations.

Example of a student at the two-star level: An undergraduate in a course discussing the global supply chain demonstrates awareness of how culture can affect human behavior, such as raising child labor as a concern in pricing and international business ethics. Less informed classmates remain silent on the issue or fail to see these connections.

Example of a student at the three-star level: An undergraduate in a Math class with an international teaching assistant (TA) is open-minded about learning from the TA and advocates for the TA in conversations with biased classmates.

Being a global citizen is thus active and should go beyond in-class discussions into real-world experiences. Students who have been provided with few opportunities to develop their own understanding of inclusivity and a global perspective will likely encounter greater difficulties in developing one during their higher education experience and will therefore require greater institutional support.

Assessing Your Readiness to Teach with a Global Perspective

As an educator, how comfortable are you working with students (e.g., during group projects, class discussions, field or lab work) to help them succeed and develop as global citizens?

In my own teaching, I:

✫	am not comfortable helping students interact with people who are different from themselves or from me, or who are not aware of academic expectations. I am not sure that this is even my responsibility.
✫✫	want to help students succeed and interact more with diverse groups but am not sure what to do or look for. What types of behaviors indicate that students are unaware of academic expectations or are feeling left out? How do I know if they are comfortable with the complexities of encountering new perspectives, or if they are interested in learning more? How can I help, given my already limited class time?
✫✫✫	can generally identify when students are struggling or feeling left out, or if they are having difficulties collaborating or confronting their own biases and valuing new perspectives; I can employ strategies to help students interact more positively and begin to develop as global citizens.

Example of a faculty member at the three-star level: A faculty member is sensitive to class dynamics and realizes that some students are biased against the international TA. They employ strategies to allay students’ concerns and demonstrate the worth of the TA to the class while at the same time helping the TA maximize success in the classroom.

This chapter builds on these concepts and provides strategies to help faculty a) support students as they develop as global citizens, b) support struggling students who may be at risk, and c) workshop some of these concepts with colleagues.

Key Concepts

Teaching with a global perspective may seem ambiguous to newcomers because it differs so widely based on context and can be implemented at the institutional, departmental, or course level. One professor might foster a global perspective by planning a trip abroad so that students can apply their disciplinary knowledge in a global context. In another class, asking students to read case studies from non-US contexts or watch an international film might be perfectly reasonable activities to foster a global perspective. Certain key concepts do apply across all situations, however, as educators seek to meet the needs of their specific students. This section provides a brief introduction to these concepts, moving from the overall topic of the internationalization of higher education initiatives to global learning, a key strategy many universities utilize to meet internationalization goals. The concept of inclusivity, which prioritizes approaches that support learning for all, is key to teaching with a global perspective. Global citizenry follows and outlines characteristics representative of this mindset. Faculty are encouraged to reflect on their own background and experiences in these areas, as well as the needs and opportunities students bring to class.

Internationalization of Higher Education

Internationalization initiatives are large and complex processes that institutions undertake in response to globalization and “on-going change across the global-local nexus” (Killick, 2015, p. 4). The effects of globalization on higher education are similar to its effects in business, the economy, or information technologies, with universities increasingly being asked to justify decisions based on market factors or on their ability to attract international students and faculty or encourage international projects or partnerships. From this increased interaction arises the concept of the global citizen.

Higher education has responded to these global trends by engaging in internationalization initiatives. Projects generally have three pillars: a) student and faculty mobility, b) internationalization of the curriculum, and c) strategic partnerships and collaborations. The term has evolved over time, particularly to emphasize the importance of opportunities being available for all, not just an elite few. De Wit, Hunter, Howard, and Egron-Polak (2015, p. 29) provide this updated definition:

The intentional process of integrating an international, intercultural or global dimension into the purpose, functions and delivery of post-secondary education, in order to enhance the quality of education and research for all students and staff, and to make a meaningful contribution to society.

This definition highlights the goal for internationalization to lead to a better society, as well as the reality that it will likely not occur in an institution without a strategic commitment to this goal. There is an increased awareness that all courses can be internationalized (Leask & Bridge, 2013), for example through demonstrating how a discipline has been influenced by world issues. Critics have noted, however, that internationalization efforts are not always successful (see Lilley, Barker, & Harris, 2015).

International students bring many benefits to campus (e.g., diversity of perspectives; innovation; increased revenue, research, and patent applications), but campuses also experience extra s...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Index of Classroom Strategies
• Part I Foundations for Teaching with a Global Perspective
• Part II Curricula, Course, and Assignment Design
• Part III Assessment and Feedback
• Conclusion
• Index