A Cross-cultural Collaborative Learning Project

1. A Cross-cultural Collaborative Learning Project Trudy O’Brien and Margaret Kersten Carleton University Ottawa, Canada Fall 2008 Conference on Cultures and Languages Across Curriculum

2. Overview • Needs and opportunities • Benefits of interaction • Students and courses • Objectives • Design principles • Timeline • Results • Collaborative learning and technology • Learning in other cultures • Benefits • Students’ comments • Conclusions

3. Needs and opportunities Large international/immigrant student body • Cultural studies • Foreign languages Little interaction between non-native and native speakers • Native speakers (NS) • Do not seek opportunities to socialize with other cultures • Rarely initiate interaction (Wright&Lander 2003) • Do not connect with “otherized” peers (Ting-Toomey 1999) • Non-native speakers (NNS) • difficulty interacting with peers, profs, TAs • intimidated in groups • not taken seriously • inhibited by linguistic and socio-cultural limitations (Cheng & Fox 2008)

4. Benefits of interaction Interaction contributes to • Native speakers’ • Increased cross-cultural knowledge • Openness, sensitivity and awareness of cultures • Academic success • Reduction of depression (Geelhoed et al 2003) • Non-native speakers’ • Linguistic and socio-cultural development • Building of self esteem • Academic and social acculturation

5. Students and courses Two first year courses • 4Cs: Cross-cultural communicative competence • EAP: English for academic purposes Similarities • Objectives: academic acculturation (skills & strategies) • Content: theories of cross-cultural communication • Methodology: sustained content instruction Differences • First language, culture and educational background • Hours of instruction, material covered

6. Student collaboration • Diverse groups with similar interests: basis for interaction • 4Cs: “experts” on Canadian culture and language • EAP: “experts” on other cultures • Project offered • Enhanced learning environment • Meaningful, focused communication • Cognitive growth through social interaction (Vygotsky 1978)

7. Objectives 1. To create opportunities for interaction between native and non-native speakers, and 2. To broaden learning opportunities by creating a richer learning environment Benefits: • Academic – development of critical thinking and active involvement in learning • Social – building of social support system, positive atmosphere for cooperation • Psychological – building of self-esteem (Rogers, 2005)

8. Design principles 1. Creating groups • Every 4Cs student assigned 2 EAP students 2. Structuring learning activities • Information sheets: project objectives, info about the other group, respective responsibilities, final assignment, evaluation criteria 3. Monitoring group interaction • Cooperation between instructors • Facilitation of group interaction

9. Timeline Three phases 1. Preparation • 4Cs: acquisition of knowledge (lit.& research methods); questionnaire • EAP: acquisition of knowledge; development of language skills 2. Collaboration • Email exchanges: invitation, acceptance, survey, responses, clarification, distribution of results 3. Follow-up assignments • 4Cs: data analysis, results; report; journal • EAP: summaries, case analysis, journal

10. Phases and key activities

11. Collaborative learning and technology Collaborative model not common (Klemm 2005) • Monitoring students’ work and progress (Jaffee 1999) • Asynchronous, cross boundary interaction – no direct teacher supervision • This project • Beginning – inertia (compare Stockwell 2003) • Lack of responsibility, initiative, commitment, time management (particularly among NNS) • NNS students - submissive role: expectation of direction and leadership from NS (Wright & Lander 2003) • Teachers’ intervention • Increase in communication

12. Learning in other cultures Teaching styles in NNS contexts: • Promotion of competition in classroom • Increases motivation • Fair practice (benefits hard workers) • Helps identify good and weak students • Encourages students to put more effort • Teachers’ strategies • Ranking students • Displaying results (in writing or announcements) • No collaboration – fear ideas will be stolen

13. Learning benefits Analysis of students’ work confirmed Roberts’ (2005) and Warschaer et al’s (2006) findings • Improved recall of content in sources • Engagement in critical thinking, i.e. relating concepts in texts to knowledge gained from interaction; selecting, synthesizing, analyzing

14. Learning benefits Native speakers • Introduced to the process of research • Research instrument • Analysis of responses Non-native speakers • Developed language skills • Concepts/vocabulary from texts • Language accuracy (editing emails) Both groups demonstrated ability to relate theory to practice

15. Social benefits • Building • Understanding of “others” • NS - insights into other ways of seeing the world • NNS – insights into Canadian culture and other cultures • Positive atmosphere for cooperation • Spirit of cross-cultural courtesy despite occasional language confusion; willingness to help BUT • Cooperation did not continue after project

16. Psychological benefits • Building self-esteem • Both NS and NNS students cultural informants -information essential for project completion • Roles not equal: NS - managers • NNS students expansive and frank in their responses • Desire for individual visibility • Opportunity to have their voices heard

17. Students’ evaluation of the project • NS students • Positive comments • Regrets that closer links were not established • NNS students • Liked answering questions • Called survey “cool” • Offered to explain answers if their language was not clear • Offered to meet in person if necessary • Majority quoted both language and culture as major barriers to communication

18. Conclusions Communication technology • Opportunities for interaction • Rich and comfortable learning environment Benefited all students • Development of knowledge and skills necessary for academic success • Critical thinking through: recall of texts, interaction, clarification of meanings, analysis and writing • Research methods; hands on experience • Responsibility for completion of tasks

19. Future work Next project • Measuring the benefits • Giving more responsibility to NNS students (NNS questionnaire) • Filming of presentations • Extending cooperation (writing) • New communication platform (project management software)

20. Thank you