PBL in Engineering and Science – Development of Supervisor Skills

1. PBL in Engineering and Science – Development of Supervisor Skills Session 4: Interculturalcompetences Mona Dahms Dept. of Develoment and Planning mona@plan.aau.dk

2. Session 4: Learning outcomes • Afterthis session youshouldbeable to • Identify and discusslearnedcultural differences in your students’ behaviour in the learning situation • Adaptyourteachingstyle to accomodate a multiculturalgroup of students with culturallylearnedlearningstyles, enabling all students to achieve the learningoutcomes

3. Agenda for session 4 Culture and cultural differences (groupdiscussions, 45 min) A break (15 min) From cultural differences to interculturalunderstanding(personal experiences,15 min) Culture and culturalunderstanding (lecture, 30 min)

4. 1. Culture and cultural differences Group discussions on culture

5. Tasks in this activity: • In multicultural groups of 5 – 6, your tasks are to • discuss the one topic corresponding to your group number (all topics are relevant in a teaching and learning situation) (20 min) • prepare a poster with the topic as the title and the most important and interesting results of your discussion (10 min) • present your poster in plenum(3 min) • Each participant in the group provides information about her/his own cultural background

6. Main Topics to be Discussed • Face-to face Communication • Timing & Meetings • Learning Environment • Teacher-student Relations • Success and Failure

7. Language, Non-verbal communication, Stereotypes Bear in mind in the discussion: • What is Core Value behind such behaviour? • What is Core Distinction between different cultures?

8. Groups for the groupexercise

9. Summing up from the groupdiscussions on culture: • Be aware of your own cultural background • Be aware of cultural differences

10. Is culture an issue ? How would you read this ad for pills? A 15 minutes break! (Herlitz 1989:38)

11. 2. From cultural differences to interculturalunderstanding Personal experiences

12. Tasks in thisactivity Reflect on yourownpersonalexperiences with meeting people from anotherculturalbackground, whether meeting foreigners in yourown country or travelling to othercountries Write down a fewkeywordsdescribing the most memorable experienceyou have had, whethersurprising, positive, negative, embarrasing or in anyotherway memorable (5 min) Sharethisexperience with one of the other participants (5 min) Pleasebeprepared to tellyour story in plenary (15 min)

13. Summing up on personalexperiences • Re-interpret behaviour of other persons from their cultural perspective • Accept the ambiguity of cross-cultural situations

14. 3. Culture and culturalunderstanding Lecture on Culture – What? Culturalunderstanding – Why? How?

15. Culture – What is it? • Definitions • ”..thatcomplexwholewhichincludesknowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom and anyothercapabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society” (Tylor 1871) • ”Culture is the collectiveprogramming of the mind distinguishing the members of onegroup or categoryof people from others” (Hofsted 1986) • ”… the worldview and the values, moral norms and observedbehaviour … thatpeopletake over from a previous generation, thatthey … seek to pass on to the next generation; and that in one or anotherwaydistinguishesthem from peoplebelonging to othercultures” (Gullestrup 1992; own translation)

16. Culture – What is it? Youseeonly the tip of the iceberg!

17. Hofstede’sTheory on Culture Ref: http://geert-hofstede.com • What? • Hofstede made a comprehensivestudy of howculturalvaluesinfluencebehaviour in the workplace • His model of cultureincludes 5 dimensions

18. The 5-D model of culture • Low versus high Power distance (PDI) • Individualism versus collectivism (IDV) • Masculinity versus femininity (MAS) • Low versus highuncertaintyavoidance) (UAI) • Long term versus short term orientation (LTO)

19. The 5-D model of culture Denmark versus the BRIC countries Ref: Brændgaard, 2010

20. The 5-D model of culture Denmark versus other ‘selected’ countries

21. Culturalunderstanding – Why? • From a student/graduateperspective: • One of the requiredcompetences in most large engineeringcompanies • Ex: Global Project Managers in Grundfos: Communication: • Presentation and languageskills – culturalunderstanding, thatmakesyouable to operate in differentcultures and at differentlevels of the organisation (Ref: Brændgaard, 2010)

22. Otherrequiredcompetences • Ability to think ‘outside the box’ – open to new ideas • Minded for working in global networks • Ability to understand customers at differentlevels of the organisation and acrosscultural and geographicalborders • Empathy and ability to manage/leadpeople with verydifferentbackgrounds – culturally and professionally(Ref: Brændgaard, 2010)

23. Culturalunderstanding – Why? • From a teacherperspectivethe challengesare: • Use of english as secondlanguage • Culturallylearned – and thereforedifferent – perceptions of what is appropriatebehaviour in the teaching/learning situation

24. Shared perceptions? • ‘I once asked them direct questions, but I gradually stopped, because I could see that they were embarrassed. I could see that they felt uncomfortable when I asked them, and they were not used to it. • ‘You need to make it clear to Danish students that they may benefit from the high theoretical level of Polish and Spanish students.’ • ‘The instructions about what to focus on in the project is not clear. He seems to be more interested in process but not in outcomes’. • ‘I never could speak to a professor like my Danish classmates did as pals. It was too much for me. I would not get used to that attitude.’ • ‘It is nice that professors are informal, but there might be a limit’.

25. Shared perceptions? • ’Danish students…theydon’tlikeus, or theybehave in a way not so good. I felt, theydon’twant to speak to us and thatwearecompletestrangers. In my country usuallyweareverywelcome and warm and we look afterourguests’. • ’It is the way to communicate with Danish students - if I don’t start a conversation, I caneasilybequiet the wholeday. People arecold…theyseeyou, but theydon’twant to acknowledgeyou.’ • ’It is hard to work with themsincetheyareoften passive and it is difficult to understand their English…’ • ’It wasfun to work with students from differentcountries, youreallylearnlots of culturestuff, but I tend to usetoomuch time on teachingthemwhat PBL is and how to do project in a correctway…’

26. From different to shared perceptions • Shared perceptions on: • Learning outcomes • Teacher’srole • Learners’ role • Communication methods Teaching Learning

27. What can you (the teacher) do to achieve shared perceptions? • Write clear and explicit learning outcomes for all study activities, describing in detail what students are expected to be able to do by the end of the activity, at what level of competence and with which support (See Cowan, App. A for more details) • Clear and explicitcontracts of cooperation with your students, whether in a projectgroup or in a course – mutual, clearlyexplicitedexpectationshelppreventmisunderstandings • Use the 3 E’s: (More) Explanations; Examples; Exercises • Use the 3 S’s: Short sentences; Simple words; Speak slowly

28. Session 4: Learning outcomes • Afterthis session youshouldbeable to • Identify and discusslearnedcultural differences in your students’ behaviour in the learning situation • Adaptyourteachingstyle to accomodate a multiculturalgroup of students with culturallylearnedlearningstyles, enabling all students to achieve the learningoutcomes • Have theseoutcomesbeenachieved?

29. Thankyou for your attention – anycomments or questions ?