Collaborative learning in a culturally diverse secondary vocational education. By K. Tielman (Fontys), P. den Brok (ESoE), S. Bolhuis (Fontys) and R. van de Sande (Fontys) This contribution discusses a descriptive study on the experiences of students and teachers in secondary vocational education regarding collaborative learning (CL) in a culturally diverse context. The study bridges two domains of research: research on culturally diverse learning environments - which has mostly concerned primary and general secondary education (e.g. de Haan (2005), Hajer (1996), Radstake (2007) and studies on CL. The present study adds to the existing literature not only by integrating these two domains, but also by its specific focus on Dutch secondary vocational education and by focusing on multiple sources of evidence (both cognitions and actions; both student and teacher perspectives). The study analyzes current practices and perceptions of teachers and students with CL in a culturally diverse, competence-based learning environment. The sample consisted of 27 students (with 12 different cultural backgrounds) and two of their teachers (a mentor and a coach/tutor). Teachers and students were followed while working on a project-based series of lessons. Data collection consisted of two steps. In the first step, small groups of students and their teachers were observed and videotaped (allowing for simultaneous analysis of both verbal and non-verbal behaviors) during collaborative learning tasks. Based on these observations, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 9 groups of 3 students and the two teachers, focusing on topics of collaboration, communication, participation, coaching and conflicts, all of which derived from CL characteristics mentioned by Johnson & Johnson (1994). In the second step, video-stimulated (recall) interviews were conducted with both teachers. The interviews were based on a-priori defined moments selected by the teachers themselves and/or the researcher. The data was qualitatively analyzed in an interactive process between theory and data using the computer program Atlas-Ti. Codes were partially based on CL characteristics from the literature (Johnson & Johnson, 1994) and partially on focal points emerging from the observations/interviews. To establish reliability of the coding process, parts of the data were coded by a second researcher, leading to an inter-rater reliability (Cohen's kappa) of 0.87, and a percentage of agreement between both researchers of 81.5 on 54 valid fragments. The findings suggest three major themes behind the data: 1) individual accountability of the students; 2) the importance of the teacher/coach role; and 3) the aspect of (absence of) cultural consciousness. The results of the study suggest that on the one hand students are mostly focused on their individual performance and that there is poor collaboration among classmates while working on collaborative learning tasks, while on the other hand teachers seem unaware of their own role in affecting students' behavior and the influence of cultural backgrounds of students in the CL process. Despite the limitations of this study (a small number of participants, one single school and only one sector of secondary vocational education), the results of the study suggests that teachers of culturally diverse classrooms of the secondary vocational education must become more aware of their own roles as adaptive coaches and models and of the influence of multiculturality on CL. The full paper discusses the results and suggestions in detail.
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Abstract This research presents a descriptive study regarding collaborative learning in a multicultural classroom at a vocational education school in The Netherlands. The study bridges two domains of research: research on culturally diverse learning environments - which has mostly concerned primary and general secondary education - and studies on collaborative learning. It analyzes current practices and perceptions of both teachers and students applying collaborative learning in a culturally diverse, competence-based learning environment. The results suggest that in a multicultural classroom, students, on the one hand, are mostly focused on their individual performance, resulting in poor collaboration among classmates. On the other hand, teachers seem unaware of their own role in affecting students' behavior and the influence of the cultural backgrounds of students on collaborative learning processes.
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With an increasingly ageing population there will be a rising demand for palliative care, including from older migrants and ethnic minorities. While many (future) physicians are unfamiliar with specific needs of older migrants and ethnic minorities regarding care and communication in palliative care, this may be challenging for them to deal with. Moreover, even many medical teachers also feel unprepared to teach palliative care and culturally sensitive communication to students. In order to support medical teachers, we suggest twelve tips to teach culturally sensitive palliative care to guide the development and implementation of teaching this topic to medical students. Drawn from literature and our own experiences as teachers, these twelve tips provide practical guidance to both teachers and curriculum designers when designing and implementing education about culturally sensitive palliative care.
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This special edition is dedicated to the research of Professor Cornelia Roux. The articles captured in this edition are contributions from some of her scholarly friends, nationally and internationally, the doctoral candidates she has delivered over the years, and her postdoctoral fellows. The works reflects the main themes in Roux’s research over the years and illustrates the evolution it has undergone, i.e. moving from Religious Studies to Human Rights in Education for diverse cultural, religious and gender contexts.
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To understand under what conditions intercultural group work (IGW) leads to more intercultural interactions, a survey was conducted among local students (n = 80) and international students (n = 153) in Dutch universities. In this study, students were more inclined to engage in intercultural interactions when they perceived that working with culturally diverse others prepared them to work and live in a diverse setting. The positive association was strengthened when students perceived that diversity, in terms of nationality within their work group, was also beneficial for accomplishing their group task. The findings demonstrate the significance of students’ perceptions of IGW, including the perceived general value for personal development and intellectual benefits related to specific tasks. This implies that institutions and teachers could be made responsible for engaging with innovative educational methods to address and incorporate student diversity into curriculum.
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Higher education is tasked with preparing students for a culturally diverse and globalizing world. Additionally, western nations have an increasingly diverse student population and know the success of their students will depend in part on being able to navigate diversity. There is therefore good reason for institutions of higher learning to promote and facilitate the development of ‘global citizens’ – people who can work and relate across borders and boundaries, both real and perceived. However, teachers are not necessarily equipped to foster this learning. Many teachers are used to a reproductive way of teaching while the learning that is needed here is identity learning, directed at dialogue, internally as well as externally. This chapter proposes the potential of creative, expressive and reflective writing as a way in which personal development – a form of a reflexive internal dialogue – can be fostered to promote cultural healing and global citizenship. The writing method will be described and a case study on cultural healing in the context of Canada’s reconciliation efforts with Aboriginal people will be used to illustrate the learning process involved. The processes of writing the self and re-narrating identity has several promising benefits for both students and teachers in higher education. First it allows us to learn more about ourselves and what blocks our learning (i.e. promotes self-reflection). Second, it allows us to change our story and our identifications and therefore choose differently (i.e. self-direction). Third, it is a companion on the road of life where we literally learn to talk and listen to ourselves and articulate the tacit knowledge that can be unearthed through narrative, journal, and poetic writing. Fourth, the method is playful and creative and although tears are frequently shed in the process, students report a great enjoyment in writing and sharing their stories with others. It is a meaningful dialogue about experience and also has the potential of promoting cultural (Lengelle, Jardine, & Bonnar, 2018) healing in the context of a very diverse student body (Banks, 2015). It also has the potential for creating new bonds in the classroom and allows teachers in higher education to engage in the difficult work of facilitating global citizenship learning. The internal dialogue described here also allows us to ‘clean up’ judgements and become aware of the need to reach out to others. Not only the actual sharing of vulnerable writing in a class or online setting shows us we are not alone, but ‘writing the self’ focuses deliberately on where we have become fearful about our own and others’ identities and allows us a learning process to unearth those things, heal them in order to reach out to others.
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This reports is about content and language integrated learning (CLIL) in multilingual primary classrooms. While in theory CLIL offers many opportunities for inclusive education in multilingual settings, questions remain as to how integrated language teaching can be realised, and what teacher knowledge is required for this. This research used a CLIL Teaching Wall activity and interviews with UK and Dutch primary school teachers to capture teacher knowledge underlying decision-making in actual multilingual classrooms. The report presents a framework of CLIL teacher knowledge that emerged from this work.
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The present study aims to investigate if – and if so, how – the intercultural training programme ‘Preparation for Foreign Learning Experience’ (PREFLEX) has a positive effect on the development of the intercultural competence of students at THUAS in international groups (i.e. school for International Business and Management Studies, IBMS) and students in intercultural groups (i.e. school for Commercial Economy, CE). In addition, the study aims to advance the design of the programme further. Accordingly, the study addresses the following central research question: In what way do the intercultural classroom and the international classroom contribute to the development of intercultural competences in first-year students at THUAS, and to what extent does preparation and guidance, by means of the PREFLEX training module, effectively enhance this development?
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This article reflects on formal education for sustainable development (ESD), demonstrating how critical course on culturally diverse ways of relating to nature can contribute both to an appreciation of alternative ways of relating to nature and to a more nuanced understanding of one's own cultural and ideological positioning. This article will focus on the analysis of student reactions to the film Schooling the World, shown to students as part of this critical course. The film stimulated the discussion of the effects of Western-style education on indigenous communities. In their evaluation, the students have demonstrated their critical ability to look beyond their own neoliberal education and cosmopolitan culture. The course described in this article can serve as a blueprint for educational initiatives that combine both ethnographic insights and critical scholarship addressing environmental education and ESD. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2013.10.002 https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenkopnina/
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Background: Concepts such as participation and environment may differ across cultures. Consequently, to use a measure like the Participation and Environment Measure for Children and Youth (PEM-CY) in other than the original English-speaking contexts, cultural adaptation needs to be assured. The aim of this study was to cross-culturally translate and adapt the PEM-CY into German as it is used in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Methods: Fifteen parents of children and adolescents with disabilities from three German speaking countries participated in three rounds of think-aloud interviews. We followed the procedure of cultural equivalence guidelines including two additional steps. Data was analyzed by content analysis using semantic, idiomatic, experiential and conceptual equivalence. Results: Results show adaptations mainly focused on experiential and conceptual equivalence, with conceptual equivalence being the most challenging to reach. Examples of experiential equivalence included adapting the examples of activities in the PEM-CY to reflect those typical in German speaking countries. Conceptual equivalence mainly addressed aspects of “involvement” and “environment” of children and adolescents and was reached through adaptations such as enhanced instructions and structures, and additional definitions. Conclusions: This study presents a cross-cultural translation and adaptation process to develop a German version of the PEM-CY that is suitable for Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Using a modified cultural adaptation process, a culturally adapted version of PEM-CY (German) is now available for research, practice and further validation.
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