The current transnational climate (British Council, 2014) in Europe is likely to continue to generate institutional and classroom situations which dictate that difference and otherness be the norm rather than the exception. Unfortunately, in the 1960's, Black and minority ethnic (BME) migrants from the former British colonies had less-than-favorable educational experiences in Britain due to prejudice and stereotyping mainly arising from cultural differences. Since then there have been a plethora of studies, policies, and reports regarding the perpetuation of discrimination in educational institutions. Today, British higher educational institutions have finally begun to recognize the need to reduce progression and attainment gaps. However, their focus tends to only consider the student “Black and Minority Ethnic attainment gap” with almost no attention being given to educators', or more specifically there is a distinctive lack of thought given to the female BME educators' progression and attainment in British HEIs. As such, this paper draws theoretically and conceptually on critical cultural autoethnography, to illustrate the value of conducting research into a female's BME educators' personal and professional experiences, and “gives voice to previously silenced and marginalized experiences” (Boylorn and Orbe, 2014, p. 15). In doing so, I highlight how higher educational institutions underutilisation of such competencies and contributions have and continue to perpetuate BME underachievement. I conclude the paper by questioning the accountability of providing support for BME educators progression and attainment, challenge educational leaders to consider the value and utilization of cultural knowledge, and implore all educators to reflect on how their personal experiences influence their professional identity.
MULTIFILE
Het Nederlandse onderwijssysteem kan beschouwd worden als ‘the hidden secret in education’ (Alma Harris). Weinig landen zijn in staat om hoge onderwijs kwaliteit te combineren met een grote mate van gelijke kansen. Daarmee kan Nederland naast gidslanden zoals Finland, Canada/Ontario en Singapore een inspiratiebron zijn voor andere landen. Met dit doel voor ogen is in mei 2017 het boek ’The Dutch way in education: Teach, learn and lead the Dutch way’ gepubliceerd. ‘because the Dutch score high on Pisa rankings, they top almost every chart on child well-being and have a high performing system with a good balance between equity and excellence. These are just a few aspects that indicate the Dutch society and its education has a lot of things to discover if you look more closely.’In dit boek worden de verworvenheden van het Nederlandse onderwijssysteem beschreven vanuit verschillende invalshoeken (klik hier voor de inhoudsopgave [https://www.thedutch-way.com/downloads/The_Dutch_Way_in_Education_tableofcontents.pdf]). Lector Marco Snoek heeft het hoofdstuk over de leraar in het Nederlandse schoolsysteem beschreven. In the Netherlands, as in every country in the world, the quality of education is an issue of major concern, as education is a key factor in maintaining and developing the economic and social stability of a country. It is a key responsibility of the government to maintain and develop that quality. After all, educational quality is not a static concept, as education needs to adapt itself continuously to changes and new needs in society. This chapter focuses on the way in which educational quality and development are supported in the Netherlands and the role teachers play in these. Three perspectives on that role are presented, one in which teachers are recipients from government measures and follow system structures and regulations, one in which individual teachers are seen as the key actors in defining and realizing educational quality and one in which educational quality is considered the result of close collaboration of teams of teachers. The chapter shows how government and local policies in the Netherlands have moved from the first to the second perspective and are now, slowly, evolving to the third perspective.Het boek is uitgegeven door Uitgeverij Onderwijs maak je Samen. Zie www.thedutch-way.com. Sinds november 2017 is er ook een Nederlandse vertaling beschikbaar: The Dutch Way. Leren, lesgeven en leiderschap in het Nederlandse Onderwijs.
This book is an introduction to Intercultural Communication (IC) that takes into account the much neglected dynamic paradigm of culture in the literature. It posits that culture is not static, context is the driving force for change, and individuals can develop a multicultural mind. It is also the first IC textbook in the field that incorporates insight from evolutionary biology and the newly emerging discipline of cultural neurosciences. Such an interdisciplinary approach provides readers with new angles, encourages critical thinking, and sometimes challenges conventional knowledge in the field. The combination of the author’s multicultural academic and journalistic background contributes to a balance of diverse perspectives and world views on cultural theories and discourses. The book is ideal for courses in Intercultural Communication with study cases, discussion topics and class activities.
