A Review of Tools for Teaching in an Educationally Mobile World by Jude Carroll

Lin Ge

University of Regina

The internationalization of higher education has become the main strategy for dealing with the trend of educational globalization (Altbach & Knight, 2007; de Wit, 2002; Ge, 2019; Knight, 2008,). Internationalization of higher education refers to “incorporating the international and intercultural dimensions into the process of higher education development and delivery” (Knight, 2003, p. 2). In response to the trend, many national higher education institutions have paid more attention to the international exchange of education in terms of international student recruitment, scholarships, and mobility programs, and as a result the number of globally mobile tertiary education students has tripled over the past few decades. As for higher education institutions, finding ways to build up timely motivations, targets, and institutional strategies has become a top priority. University educators, as pivotal agents in the educational process, should be viewed as the main promoters and practitioners of the educational mobility. Nevertheless, in most cases, these educators occupy a complicated and contradictory position because they must also be subordinate to fixed teaching programs and the overarching educational hierarchies (subject to principals and senior administrators) (Ge, 2019; Wotherspoon, 2014). They are expected to be entrepreneurs for educational innovation and pedagogic transformation, but they must also yield to public scrutiny about what and how they teach and “their overall moral character” (Wotherspoon, 2014, p. 160). Thus, seasoned and neophyte educators need to have a toolkit for understanding how to teach mobile students in a fluid environment. Generally, research has drawn on an enormous volume of outstanding theoretical work with regards to student mobility, though much of the work adopts a theoretical focus and applications that circumvent the day-to-day practices of teachers. Moreover, no comprehensive construct of intercultural curricula, pedagogy, competence, assessment, and educational inclusivity, and so forth has been attempted. In general terms, bridging the theories with the practices is a key to addressing the various issues in the dynamic and complex environment of educational mobility. In the book entitled Tools for Teaching in an Educationally Mobile World, Carroll (2015) elucidates how cross-cultural and cross-racial teaching strategies can be used more effectively by educational practitioners who engage in the internationalization of higher education (e.g., frontline teachers). The book directly targets practicable teaching instruments to bolster more critical educational practices, particularly in the “Anglo-Western” context. The author accesses a rather broad theoretical literature, her teaching experiences, and the testimonies of other frontline teachers to consider effective educational practice. The objective is to transform, or at least mitigate educational approaches, which have remained somewhat localized. The challenge offered to educators is to question the current obsession in offshore students’ education and emphasize Western academic culture while also examining deeper structures and configurations of power. The author digs into authentic teaching and learning landscapes in applying a globalized epidemiological framework to guide teaching practices and discovery. The task is to assist teachers in critically rethinking internationalized pedagogy and address the needs of students with varying cultural and racial backgrounds. A redefinition of “international students” is used to move away from just emphasizing the nationalities of students, and the term “Anglo-Western” is used to crystalize the book’s teaching context. The author also attempts to transform education programs and courses, teacher training, the directed lifeworld of teachers, and university protocols. This theme runs through the book as a guide for educators to design and practice intercultural and interactive curricula, pedagogy, competence, assessment, and authentic educational inclusivity that draws on academic insights and sociological explanations.

In developing the theme, the volume is divided into three distinct, yet thematically cohesive sections. Section 1 shows the challenge and provides an overview of international students’ education in the Anglo-Western higher education institutions, drawing on specific, historically applied, theoretical approaches. The extended logic of teachers’ reactions and adjustments as mediators is included, as they operate in a world of educational multiplicity. For learning English and inclusivity, educators are encouraged to critically review their work in teaching diverse students and creating a responsible and progressive educational environment. Section 2 discusses how overseas students and local students can improve their intercultural capability to adapt to their new learning environment using new working technologies. A myriad of pedagogical approaches and resources are described to address the classroom complexities at political, social, cultural, and historical levels. Section 3 offers a clear picture of how educators can effectively work on intercultural education in real classrooms by deeply reflecting on international perspectives, framing programs, and courses. Ways of facilitating the valid and active participation of international students in all learning activities are discussed (e.g., lectures, seminars, tutorial, supervision, etc.) along with group work and detailed assessment methods to serve as guidelines for frontline teachers.

The reader is treated to an eclectic and varied content, with a variety of theoretical and practical approaches. In Chapter 3, for example, the author analyzes the strategies of teachers to mediate the transition of international students from different cultural and educational backgrounds. Based on her teaching experiences, the author emphasizes the recognition of “academic culture differences” when it comes to educating international students for a more critical, supportive, cultural-sensitively approach to frontline teacher training. The aim is to assist teachers in understanding current issues associated with a wider cultural context. Much literature emphasizes the responsibilities of international students in their transcultural adjustment and transition instead of the role of teachers. Transcultural education is often emphasized in the informal curriculum through various support services and additional activities and options (online workshops or webinars) that may be organized by universities but not assessed. At the same time, the author unravels the confluence of teaching and learning, and emphasizes the need for intercultural awareness in the teaching process.

In Chapter 7, Carroll acknowledges the importance of intercultural competence in international students’ education, and that it should be aptly embedded in concrete teaching processes (curriculum design, course plan, resources, different theoretical explorations, etc.). Specifically, she shapes a dynamic and interactive construction of knowledge, skills, and abilities. A “six-stage list of cultural sensitivity” is indicated that embodies how intercultural awareness can be formed step-by-step. For international students, however, perceived integration is more likely to be the opposite of its actual integration, which arouses integration deviation (Li & Chen, 2017). Hence, teachers and international students both need to contemplate the past, analyze the present, and imagine the future for the integration to be successful.

In Chapter 11, the author sets out all aspects of the group work that would involve international students, such as “interaction,” “intercultural skills,” “membership selection,” “collaborative tasks,” “assessments,” and “conflicts during group work,” and so forth. Based on three different group work experiences, the author reveals more details of intercultural group work for frontline teachers. That said, Carroll offers the reader a way forward. Moreover, the author compares two methods (i.e., group members allocated by teachers and members selected by students), and the need for teachers to play a role in making study groups mitigate biases and stereotyping. According to current research, for international students, the opportunities for asking and answering questions in the classroom are fewer than for local students. Furthermore, local students are unwilling to form groups with international students when it comes to teamwork in classes, and instructors seem to ignore the discriminating situation (e.g., Ge et al., 2019). Chapter 13 also mentions the accessibility, authenticity, and sustainability of assessment and coping strategies. From my own experience, I think faculty members should be encouraged to pursue cultural training in developing a more culturally sensitive response to international students.

Overall, the text offers operable ways to advocate for change. The author, from her rich teaching experience in international students’ education, describes the need to conjoin research with practice. Importantly, the book facilitates a dialogue between the relevant participants to activate a deeper understanding and contextualized interpretation of international students’ education.

Arguably, the book has value for both seasoned educators and neophytes and can serve as a toolkit for anyone interested in international students’ education research in the Western context. Carroll also recognizes the challenges and complexities associated with comprehending and critiquing educational processes, pointing to the need to adopt and deploy different teaching approaches, technologies, and methodologies. This author asks readers to rethink their deepest assumptions and biases regarding teaching and learning in educating diverse students. The author has wisely chosen to have an open ending to allow scholars to continue probing for context-specific teaching measures.

References

Altbach, P. G., & Knight, J. (2007). The internationalization of higher education: Motivations and realities. Journal of Studies in International Education, 11(3-4), 290–305. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315307303542

De Wit, H. (2002). Internationalization of higher education in the United States of America and Europe: A historical, comparative, and conceptual analysis. Greenwood Press.

Ge, L. (2019). Taking curriculum personally: Analyzing William Pinar’s method of currere and implication in improving international student education in Chinese higher education institutions. International Journal of Advanced Research, 7(10), 1158–1165. http:/doi.org/10.21474/IJAR01/9817

Ge, L., Brown, D., & Durst, D. (2019). Chinese international students’ experiences in a Canadian university: Ethnographic inquiry with gender comparison. Journal of International Students, 9(2), 582–612.

Knight, J. (2003). Updated internationalization definition. International Higher Education, 33, 2–3. https://doi.org/10.6017/ihe.2003.33.7391

Knight, J. (2008). Higher education in turmoil. Sense Publishers.

Li, W. D., & Chen, S.S. (2017). Acculturation strategy, integration paradoxes and educational adaptation—A case study of Chinese visiting scholar’s family in the United States. International Education Studies, 10 (9), 39–53. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v10n9p39

Wotherspoon, T. (2014). The sociology of education in Canada: Critical perspectives. Oxford University Press.