THE IMPACT OF LANGUAGE CULTURE ON LITERACY Session 3 Effective Communication: Teaching, learning and assessment strategies Language.tiff Culture.tiff OPVK_MU_min_EN_rgb logo_imapct_bitmap72dpi_bez_sloganu BUZZ •I am going to lecture … •…with pauses for you to buzz in pairs • • • ACTIVITY 8 Contrastive Rhetoric Hypothesis the study of how a person's first language and culture influence his or her writing in a second language. Kaplan.tiff Kaplan (1966), text production is influenced by different ‘cultural thought patterns’ (represented schematically in the ‘doodles’), and a comparison of these patterns can predict the kinds of problems learners face when writing in their L2. Much criticism – broad truths? Since modified his view to include frequency & learned conventions. Conner (2002) introduced term intercultural rhetoric: small cultures, other genres The five drawings depicting five different rhetorics first appeared in "Cultural Thought Patterns in Intercultural Education," nicknamed "the doodles article" (Kaplan "Revisited" 9). Looking at para level Audience, purpose & situation = key Criicism – overgeneralises, ethnocentric, Ulla M. Connor, "Contrastive Rhetoric." Encyclopedia of Rhetoric and Composition: Communication from Ancient Times to the Information Age, ed. by Theresa Enos. Routledge, 2010 Cultural Dimension Theory •Hofsetede (1986) •Individualism/collectivism •Power distance •Masculinity/femininity •Uncertainty avoidance High power distance – T-centred – only speak when asked – never contradict High uncertainty avoidance – clear structures, rules, roles – correct answers – confused by independent learning Culture: Unhelpful? Misleading? •Normative, essentialising stance •Students have identities beyond the language and culture they were born into •Cultural iceberg •Implications of inferiority/superioity •Cultures change •there may well be greater intracultural differences than intercultural differences (eg China vs India at TVU Bourdieu 1984 ‘cultural capital’ BUZZ • • • What are the implications for your teaching? Academic cultures? •No ‘basic’ context-less language (Bloor & Bloor, 1986). •Discourse communities & genres (Swales, 1990) •Communities of practice/situated learning (Lave & Wenger, 1991) •small cultures (Holliday,1999) •Ways of Thinking & Practising (Entwhistle,2003) ETL project •disciplinary identities (Hyland, 2012) •Academic literacies (Lea & Street, 1998, 2006) inc. power, identity, agency •No one’s mother tongue (Bordieu & Passeron, 1994) • Lea & street; Lave & Wenger communities of practice NEED REFERENCE LIST Bloor, M. & Bloor, T. (1986). Languages for specific purposes: Practice and theory. Dublin: Trinity College Dublin. Hyland, K. (2012) Disciplinary Identities: individuality and community in academic discourse Cambridge: CUP Situational & Disciplinary Contexts Tribe Becher & Trowler 2001 culture Hyland Previous Learning Experience •In Chinese society – and in the classroom – the priorities are that each person must be part of a group or community; learning interdependency, co-operation and social awareness; becoming oneself in relation to significant others; expressing that which is socially shared rather than individually felt; creating on the basis of mastery rather than discovery. (Cortazzi and Jin, 1996:177-8) Use Indian learner? Student Views on UK HE •102 students : Choice between 4 questions •38 : 2 factors influencing student success –18 independent study ( 1 asking for help) •35 : biggest challenge facing students –13 independent study ( 1 communication) •14 : compared UG studies in 2 countries –3 mentioned independent study Timed writing on IFP – noticed while marking. Other did e-learning question that’s why numbers don’t add up BUZZ • • • What are the implications for your teaching? Acculturation? •Learning culture is similar to learning a language, and, just as language defines our ability to understand and explain what we observe, so culture is a means of framing both propositional (‘know-that’ types of statements) and procedural (‘know-how’ statements) knowledge of that which surrounds us (Duranti, 1997) •Byram and Morgan (1994), transculturation: ‘recognition of the validity of different cultural viewpoints while remaining at ease with one’s own culture’ (Lantolf,1999, p.28). Socialisation? •The writing practices of the academy, which are so familiar and unremarkable to many insiders, are actually disciplinary peculiar ways of representing reality. (Hyland, 2012) •A growing awareness of disciplinary discourses helps socialise students into academic practices and valued ways of thinking and expressing. (Hyland, 2012) •There are multiple varieties of what counts as ‘English’ and that required for specific purposes in specific contexts will need spelling out and justifying more carefully in the new global world. (Blogpost by Brian Street, 2013) •Academic identity is often painfully constructed (eg Lin, 2000) & Diane’s Brazilian PhD Study skills…..academic socialisation….academic literaciesLin 2000 Hong Kong students; Ivanic 98 Lillis 2001 non traditional students – issues of identity Social constructivism to collaboratively investigate the range of genres, modes, shifts, transformations, representations, meaning-making processes, and identities involved in academic learning within and across academic contexts. These understandings, when made explicit, provide greater opportunities for teaching and learning, as well as for examining how such literacy practices are related to epistemological issues. But we’ve told them….. •‘…tend to have problems comprehending and putting into practice the abilities of an independent learner. This is mostly due to the lack of information that these students are given before starting their courses…’ UOB •‘A strong and unanimous theme running throughout the interviews with both groups in our sample was their insecurity with respect to our expectations of them as postgraduate students, and their desire for significantly more guidance from tutors with respect to these expectations’ (Lord and Dawson 2002) •‘lots of tell, not enough show.’ (Lea & Street, 2000) It says it everywhere, but what does it mean?Need to be explicit Lord & Dawson – management PG China & India Thames Valley UNi BUZZ • • • What are the implications for your teaching? Can we be expected to find out about each of our student’s PLEs? 79-163-large.jpg Plus not national boundaties – within counries there arecultural difference…communities of practie No: Be self-aware •Meta-cultural sensitivity (Louie, 2005) •Critical cultural awareness (Deardorff, Byram) •Cross cultural competence •Cross cultural communication • • • NO view differences in a different way…look at self & be explicit Not facts but tools for coping with difference: key tool = explicitness Awareness of self as well as others, KSA Byram Deardorff’s model: attitudes of respect, curiosity, openness – knowledge & understanding - Internal transformation – seeing the differences in a different way External outcome – cccommunication & achievement of cc goals = effort but worth it - tranformation BUZZ • • How would this help? ACTIVITY 8 What are the implications for your teaching? The story of one cross-cultural traveller •Parents = manual workers, left school at 14 •Government grant to private girls’ secondary school –Caroline, Sharon •University in Edinburgh, Scotland –Vonnie vs Sam •Year abroad in Belgium & Spain –Radouan, Hiroe, Ann, Francis, Gaspar – LRU, CGC •5 years in Greece – EFL exam classes –Eleni •5 years in Spain – EFL ninos, jovenes, adultos (Sevilla, Madrid) –Richard •5 years in Turkey – EAP private university –Erhan •6 years in UAE HE •2 years in UK FE •6 years in UK HE • • • • How many cultural boundaries can you spot? Tell my story. They listen and identify different cultures & my reactions to them Bristolian…. She da go/ ark at ee…..laughed at and accomodated… cried every night for first term till found other day girls from my side of town (older parents & siblings ie my cultural group) Scotland, England on letters annoyed flatmate…learnt about stretching pancakes, baffies, half loaves…. roommate was numbers person & night owl … I was words and early bird…friends with Vonnie not Sam original room mate from same part of UK but very different cultural background Belgium – hung out with other international students – only Belgian Francis had Czech origins (spoke Belge)– adopted local culture – musee des bieres, moules et frites, Francis Cabrel, … academic shock as student– dissertation in French & Spaish – only memorisation at school and translation in 1^st & 2^nd years – no-one told me how, saw no models Climate shock – went with t-shirts and had to be given a jumper when lake froze… small town..adopted by locals - bazoukia (men’s dances) learnt language (Greek rather than German) language exchange with Eleni then moved to big city & met Steve & crew Back to Spain – comfy in country but very different educational culture… academic shock as teacher… from fixed benches and exam practice to fun and games…then from Seville to Madrid – company classes – specific purpose Turkey…teachers as servants….us and them cos of different conditions for same job…CPD culture….learnt the grammar but not the vocabulary…life on campus UAE – US colleagues – exp-pat with child UK-FE – culture shock – alien in own country eg cash back…- working hours from 8-2 to 6-6 +w/e – PGCFE at UWE- education…observed other subject teachers… builder’s class on rendering…same principles for good teaching and learning UKHE – back in home town – culture of organisation very different – faculties, departments, schools very independent (now changing) enhancement week attempt = change is difficult House born in – my son growing up – same primary school – can’t play out in street – school in town (coed & state) first 6 years in UAE – international school…Jean Luc’s comment – doesn’t he sound English, now – not English but Bristolian - accomodating ‘purposeful, self-regulatory judgment which results in interpretation, analysis, evaluation, and inference, as well as explanation of the evidential, conceptual, methodological, criteriological, and contextual considerations upon which that judgment is based…’ (Facione, 1990, p.3) Critical thinking is… • • • • • • •Chinese Masters students in Plymouth who did UG in UK As I have never been told by any lecturer how to apply critical thinking to my study, I am not sure whether I used it when I wrote my assignments. Low marks for my coursework possibly mean I did not use it. I really suffered when I read my supervisor’s feedback about my literature review. I thought I did a good job, but my supervisor asked me where my opinion was Different lecturers tell me different things when I ask them what critical thinking really means. I have been told by my supervisor that my work lacks critical analysis. I really don’t know what critical analysis means Let’s examine one myth CHC students can’t do critical thinking Don’t leave it till the feedback It’s not that they can’t do it – it is more that they don’t realise they have to Feedback is too late •S: ..but I worked so hard on this… I’ve put in so much evidence to support my argument… • •T: yes, but you’ve only considered one perspective University of Bangor – anecdote from BALEAP PIM on Feedback But is awareness enough? • ‘Being critical means I can construct my arguments logically. But I can’t as my vocabulary and grammar skills are not good enough to form clear sentences. Most of time I know how to argue in Chinese but not in English.’ (Huang, 2008) Let’s consider other perspetives… What factors affect the learning experience of students? •Linguistic (the use and understanding of English, communication with others) •Cultural (customs, expectations, behaviours, values) •Academic (teaching, learning and assessment practices) •Epistemological (what constitutes knowledge and how it is acquired) •Social (interpersonal relations, acceptance by others, inclusion) • A Changing World (Hyland et al, 2008) ACTIVITY – CATEGORISE POST ITS SESSION 4 •Round up •Preview tomorrow’s sessions RATIONALE FOR ACTIVITIES •My ideas on usefulness of these 8 activities from different perspectives •Your ideas on how to adapt them to your context (if time) THINK, PAIR, SHARE •THINK: •Pick a post-it from the wall that you find interesting • – not your own! •Is it a cultural, linguistic, academic, epistemological or social issue? What needs to be made explicit? Any strategies? •PAIR: •Discuss your ideas with a partner. •SHARE: •Share key points from your discussion with the group. After lecturers share their experiences, we pose the question ‘How would this activity help international students?’ We would then bring up a summary box as in slide 67 with the rationale for think/pair/share or pyramid activities re language learning ie TBL principles of thinking time and private practice to avoid overload ie not dealing with content and linguistic processing all at once, issues of repetition, fluency etc. SO… •‘learning is individually constructed, socially supported, and culturally mediated’ Ryan & Hellmundt, 2005 •EXAMINE ‘CULTURAL’ ASSUMPTIONS •BE EXPLICIT about ‘systems of beliefs, expectations and practices about how to perform academically’ Cortazzi & Jin 1997 in Carroll 2005 •Notice & use surprises • This will help more than just international students! Distance between contexts not geographical locations – upside down pyramid for Bloom Sts can spend less time trying to figure out rules of game and more time learning content No-one is a native speaker of academic English Need to socialize all students into academic ways of thinking/doing Need to examine own assumptions (intercultural competence) Need to be explicit Academic identity - Painfully constructed (habits- know vs do) TOMORROW •Teaching & learning strategies –TIS website and work stations (PRE-READING!) •Assessment strategies –CATs –Criteria & rubrics –Feedback •Effective communication –Own documents –Course evaluation & application cards