International higher education communities are complex places. The challenge of preparing students ‘to function in an international and inter-cultural context’ (Knight & de Wit, 1995:13) is one which few students and still too few academics seem to have taken seriously (Volet & Ang, 1998). This article will illustrate some ways in which encouraging and inviting cross-cultural teaching and learning dialogues can result in more inclusive learning environments that are productive and enjoyable for all participants.

Acknowledging diversity

The international postgraduate students that I work with are highly educated, professionally experienced people who may have developed their knowledge in contexts with different academic values from those in the UK and will be working in a language which is not their first. Biggs (2003) urges a move away from focusing on the differences between people towards the similarities in their experiences. Yet the ‘hybrid identities’ which Marginson and Mollis (2001:596) claim are assumed by many international students and academic staff resonate closely with my own experience. I am finding that by articulating the differences between us, these ‘hybrid identities’ can then be embedded successfully into learning approaches which focus on exchanging, reshaping and critical appreciation of the range of different knowledges and practices encountered. Such approaches are more inclusive because they emphasise ‘the appreciation of cultural diversity and cultural similarities’ (Ofori-Dankwa & Lane, 2000:497) rather than indulging in assimilative practice which ‘stresses adjustment to the dominant culture’ (Ofori-Dankwa & Lane, 2000:498).

Speaking together

The first few moments of any group gathered together for a specific purpose are crucial in establishing the kind of atmosphere within which the future life of the group can develop and its tasks carried out successfully. Creating an atmosphere of openness where people feel encouraged to set their own learning agendas and to participate in discussion so that they can learn from each other’s experiences has always been important to me.

In seeking to establish such quality learning relationships from the outset, I have always planned the first session of my courses to include a range of activities where students are encouraged to move out of their ‘comfort zones’ to get to know those from different cultural backgrounds. A consistent theme, however, in my personal conversations with some international students has been their struggle with the English language. Some students, who are self-conscious about their spoken English, have told me that they are hesitant about speaking up especially in the early stages of the course. These students find it threatening when they are asked to discuss their responses to unfamiliar concepts in a language that is not their first even though they readily discuss those concepts outside the class in their social groups. I am seeking to respect their acknowledged shyness about their spoken English by facilitating in the early part of the course, discussions of ideas with people with whom the students share a similar first language. Students are also encouraged to form learning groups to discuss the focused readings set between each session. These activities help students to identify together, the appropriate English words and expressions so that they can feel confident to express their ideas in the classroom and to offer opinions on how those ideas impact them in their own context.

Students whose first language is not English also want opportunities to interact with native speakers and thus, it is important to facilitate small group activities where there is a mix of native and non-native speakers so that each can learn from the other. Students feedback that such learning approaches help them develop confidence, lessen their feelings of homesickness (to which many of them are very understandably prone) (Volet & Ang, 1998) and feel included in the learning environment.

Personal tutorials

One Taiwanese student suggested that speaking and questioning in a larger group would be easier for many of his colleagues if they had first shared their opinions and questions with me in an individual conversation. He encouraged me to see that although I offer tutorials and comments on written work in progress, Taiwanese students find it difficult to put themselves forward. He suggested that I direct each student to have an individual tutorial with me, as this would help him or her to feel ‘very special’ and to feel that I cared about him or her: “It would help them to build their basic relationship with you. For Taiwanese people, relationships are important.”

Relationships with students are important for me too. But I build these relationships based on the principles of autonomy (i.e. students needing help will take the responsibility to ask). Studies conducted with international postgraduates reflect a similar conflict between students recognising themselves as independent adult learners yet wanting much more guidance from their British tutors than they feel that they are getting:

One’s unspoken demands for more pedagogic control somehow feel infantile, or in bad taste, and one feels vaguely uncomfortable about them but can never discuss them because of the local culture, which is taken for granted and unquestioned. (Wu, 2002:389)

I am now taking more ‘pedagogic control’ and questioning my ‘local culture’ of belief in learner autonomy—a belief that can, in turn, lead me to present myself as more of a resource for students rather than a transmitter of knowledge and to resist the authority vested in me as a tutor by many international students, especially those from Confucian heritage cultures (CHC). Actively finding ways to encourage participation from the more reticent students while ensuring that they are not silenced is an important recognition and use of my authority that can lead to all students feeling included rather than excluded.

Both international and home students welcome my efforts to encourage transcultural discursive practices. This indicates that students do take the challenges of functioning in an international context seriously. It may be that as tutors, we have an overriding need to assimilate and accommodate rather than to engage in a more critical consideration of our dominant pedagogical practices which can lead to a more genuinely inclusive learning environment.

References

Biggs, J. (2003). Teaching for Quality Learning at University: What the Student Does. (2nd ed.). Buckingham, SRHE, Open University Press.

Knight, J. & de Wit, H. (1995). ‘Strategies for Internationalisation of Higher Education: Historical and Conceptual Perspectives’, in de Wit, H. (Ed.), Strategies for Internationalisation of Higher Education: A Comparative Study of Australia, Canada, Europe and the United States of America. Amsterdam, EAIE.

Marginson, S. & Mollis, M. (2001). ‘“The Door Opens and the Tiger Leaps”: Theories and Reflexivities of Comparative Education for a Global Millennium’. Comparative Education Review. Vol. 45, No.4, pp. 581–615.

Ofori-Dankwa, J. & Lane, R.W. (2000). ‘Four Approaches to Cultural Diversity: Implications for Teaching and Learning at Institutions of Higher Education’. Teaching in Higher Education. Vol.5, No.4, pp. 493–499.

Volet, S.E. & Ang, G. (1998). ‘Culturally Mixed Groups on International Campuses: An Opportunity for Inter-cultural Learning’. Higher Education Research and Development. Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 5–23.

Wu, S. (2002). ‘Filling the Pot or Lighting the “Fire?” Cultural Variations in Conceptions of Pedagogy’. Teaching in Higher Education. Vol. 7, No. 4, pp. 387–395.