Journal of Research & Scholarly Output 2006 - Grimsby Institute of ...

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The Challenge Picture courtesy of Dr John Esser of Teaching International Students By Stephen Bloy - Deputy Director, Academic Programmes and Action Research at The Grimsby Institute of Further & Higher Education. Abstract: Colleges and Universities now see education as a global enterprise, which has effectively led to the commodification of education. Although there appears to be an assumption that the world is quickly moving towards a converging commonality, with educational needs becoming homogenised and driven by advances in world trade, technology, communication, transport and travel, do we need to recognise, that in an international market how we teach education programmes and/or curricula may require extensive adaptation? The intention of this paper is to consider and discuss issues that may well influence the successful teaching of standard educational programmes to a cohort of international students. The empirical exploration of this paper is framed within the context of the world in which we live and draws a focus on the important issues such as social, cultural, FOCUS Page Page 21
values, educational background, systems and expectations. The intention is to add to current discourse in what is increasingly an important dimension in the field of education. Key words: International, teaching education, values, culture, social reality. culturally diverse in its composition. Intentional or unintentional ignoring or ignorance of factors such as societal background, history, cultural differences, attitudes and values, educational background and expectations may impact on the successful delivery of educational programmes to an international student group. Introduction It is often argued that the global dimension has added impetus to the effective commodification of contemporary life with the world rapidly moving towards a converging commonality with needs becoming homogenised (Ritzer, 1996; Smart 1999). Both the Further and Higher Education sectors now operate within a dynamic global market, with universities and colleges developing international perspectives and pursuing marketing strategies to attract international students (Morrison, 1998). With education however, an alternative view may be to acknowledge that although there are global needs and opportunities we may need to accept that education per se may not be truly a global product. Just as a manufacturing company may change the packaging of a product or vary the specification slightly to suit the country or culture of a country they wish to access, education programmes and/or curricula may also require adaptation for an international market. In reality, the allure of a universal educational product may distract from the real challenge educators face today, that is to deliver and support ‘the product’ in a manner that suits a student population which is likely to be increasingly In addition to discussing these issues in general terms, because of the Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education’s rapidly growing direct involvement in China, specific reference will be made to issues arising from teaching Chinese students in the UK. The Grimsby Institute’s increasing involvement in China is not unique as, Rosecky et al., (2004) point out: “Evolution in its worldview has moved China from a classic Marxism/Mao dicta to a more pragmatic educational approach, one that includes non-public education”. Universities, institutes and colleges and their educational programmes do not operate in a vacuum, they are through the tutors, support staff and students inextricably connected to their societalcultural environment. Recognition of the diverse cultural and educational backgrounds of the students should highlight the necessity to review the assumptions that we make when teaching or developing educational programmes. Burrell, & Morgan,(1979) argue: “The rationale for a particular way of thinking is grounded in a network of implicit or explicit assumptions regarding ‘ontology’ (Science of Being –Reality) and ‘human Page 22 FOCUS
Page 1 and 2: Journal of research & scholarly out
Page 3 and 4: Editor’s Comments by the Director
Page 5 and 6: Contents The Collegiate and Transfe
Page 7 and 8: y a minority, their location in a d
Page 9 and 10: A number of colleges were also cent
Page 11 and 12: The reasons for this are historical
Page 13 and 14: contribution made, first, to the sh
Page 15 and 16: Except in relation to the franchisi
Page 17 and 18: education levels, higher education
Page 19 and 20: of the conclusions of an independen
Page 21: About the author Professor Gareth P
Page 25 and 26: whether our metaphors, stories and
Page 27 and 28: institutions and culture is circula
Page 29 and 30: and used material from literature a
Page 31 and 32: their understanding of issues with
Page 33 and 34: Tutors need to be prepared and be a
Page 35 and 36: Reference Papers Dimmock, C. (2004)
Page 37 and 38: WISHful Thinking? By Rob Cooling -
Page 39 and 40: the growing trends of contractorisa
Page 41 and 42: These mechanisms can range from the
Page 43 and 44: References: HSE (2005) Obstacles pr
Page 45 and 46: Critical Circuits and Textual Const
Page 47 and 48: ‘The thing’ exists as a negativ
Page 49 and 50: offered for interpretation, the ‘
Page 51 and 52: Notes 1. All subsequent unattribute
Page 53 and 54: Vocational Excellence in Seafood Pr
Page 55 and 56: contrast to national projections, h
Page 57 and 58: ensuring that the approaches used b
Page 59 and 60: Software Tools Produce Plus is a Un
Page 61 and 62: Although some factories were happy
Page 63 and 64: Conclusions So far a target group o
Page 65 and 66: About the author Dr Mike Dillon has
Page 67 and 68: continues to persist within this co
Page 69 and 70: From the beginnings of Christianity
Page 71 and 72: While Hogarth resisted the increasi
Page 73 and 74:
tragedy, he nevertheless single-han
Page 75 and 76:
References Collins, Max Allen, Road
Page 77 and 78:
Error Analysis and Interlanguage By
Page 79 and 80:
way the learner has of testing his
Page 81 and 82:
sentence has to be analyzed in erro
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tongue of the learner. The implicat
Page 85 and 86:
of different mother tongues learnin
Page 87 and 88:
Information for Contributors The pr
Page 89:
Nuns Corner, Grimsby, North East Li
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