My Better Practices Chapter focuses on cultural and global awareness which is in a macro lens to see multiculturalism and globalism. While my topic idea talks about teaching international students, which is in a micro lens, I think it is important for educators to know how to teach and improve international students’ learning skills and how we engage them in the communities. Moreover, it is vital for us to model to domestic students the way get along with international students. Most importantly, the contributions that the international students bring are one of the component of cultural and global awareness. Background Information: Globalization has had an impact on universities, discipline content, and the teaching and learning process (Jonrd, 2010). This globalized environment impacts many schools, including K-20 education, which attract huge international students studying in the U.S. United States is one of the most popular destinations for international students every year (Zong, J. & Batalove, J. 2016). According to the Open Doors: MIZZOU fast facts 2016, which is a report from the International Center, 2792 students from 110 countries attended the University of Missouri in the academic year of 2016-2017. Multiculturalism & Globalism As teachers, we may need to open our minds to embrace diversity, and it requires us to have multicultural and global perspectives to understand students from different countries and different cultures. So here are two important ideas, multiculturalism and globalism.
Who are international students? “International students are who come from non-English-speaking countries, as well as US students who were raised in a household where English was not the primary language spoken” The challenges Image you were studying abroad, and what challenges would you have? Here are some particular challenges faced by international students.
Cultural Differences I think cultural differences would be distinctive. For instance, students from Asian may have been taught that it is a sign of disrespect to look directly at teachers when they are speaking, to question them directly, or to differ from their opinions. students from such cultures may be more hesitant to speak up in class discussion than some other students. Teachers' Perceptions I guess you may have your perception in regard to international students. However, it is important to know that most international students are using every ounce of their energies in trying to keep up with what is happening in the classroom, as a result, they are silent in the class. How do educators enhance international students’ learning? The researchers suggest that it is necessary to develop intercultural perspectives and to encourage effective communication with students from diverse cultural backgrounds. Educators need be aware of students’ different experiences and expectations and cater for these in their learning. So following slides are some recommended strategies from Carroll and Ryan. For example,
To sum up, as an international student here, I want to say thank you to all of you here, because you empathize with me, understanding my situation, problems, feelings, and try to help me. I feel very warm and touched and I feel like I am belonging here. ![]()
INQUIRY INTO INTERNATIONAL STUDENT IDENTITY THROUGH A/R/TOGRAPHY A CASE STUDY Background of the Study
International students in the U.S. are a minority on college campuses. According to the Open Doors: MIZZOU fast facts 2016 which is a report from the International Center, 2,990 students from 110 countries attended the University of Missouri in the academic year of 2015 -2016. The comparison between 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 is remarkable, the number of international students at Mizzou has declined considerably. The decline is 198 less (international students) compared to the academic year of 2015/2016, with Chinese students making up the majority of this number. It is important for the University of Missouri System to determine the cause of this decrease and how to recruit and to find a way to improve it’s reputation among foreign countries. In my opinion, in seeking the answers, it would be worthy to consider the environment, the campus itself, and the society of Columbia. Certainly, the big step which I think is the most important part is to establish a better relationship with international students, and to understand how they self-identity themselves, how they feel towards life here, and what they value most about their place in Columbia culture. In addition, study how they integrate across cultural boundaries. It is vital to give them opportunities for introspection, to explore themselves, and to voice and defend their personal identities and value systems. This case study is the first step to explore my master degree project that I plan to do which is to explore myself as a daughter, fiancé, graduate student, art/Mandarin teacher, Chinese, human, and from a micro lens to a macro lens. Moreover, I will include my relationship to the Art Education program, University of ‘Missouri, and the Community, as well as how others perceive me. I will share autobiographical stories in motion which may be the journey of how I consider myself as an artist, how I understand myself, how others consider me, how I am embraced by Chinese friends, American friends, colleagues, professors, community, and as an international student at Mizzou. Purpose of the Study The case study will explore my personal identity through a/r/tography which is a research methodology which enhances the acquiring of new understandings. The purpose of this study is to provide potential audiences of an international student identity in motion, and audiences should receive a better understanding towards me as a daughter, fiancé, graduate student, art/Mandarin teacher, Chinese, human at Mizzou, and in addition they will know the extent of my acceptance, and values here at Mizzou. This study is not just a means of expressing myself, but also an expression of a way of recognizing and thinking about the real world. The questions that I want to explore? How do I currently self-identify myself in terms of nationality, culture, ethnicity and career in Columbia, Missouri? What do I value most here at Mizzou? How did my perceptions transform from 2016 Fall to now (the identity as artist, reflective teaching, education beliefs, etc) What do Chinese friends, American friends, professors, colleagues think about me? How am I embraced and loved in the place of Columbia, Missouri? Annotated Bibliography Irwin, R. L. (2004). A/r/tography: A Metonymic Metissage. In R. L. Irwin & A. de Cosson (Eds.), A/r/tography: Rendering self through arts-based living inquiry (pp. 27-38). Vancouver, BC: Pacific Educational Press. Rita Irwin is an artist, researcher, and teacher deeply committed to the arts and education at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In this article, the author introduces a/r/tography as a metaphor for informing artist-researcher-teacher identites, including self-realization, self-development and the relationship between the self and the outside world, and extends to the reflection on education and teaching as well as personal life through artistic and aesthetic approaches to self-consciousness in education and social phenomena. A/r/tography is a form of “living inquiry”. Art is not just a means of expressing itself, it is also a way of recognizing and thinking about the real world. Additionally, as a/r/tographers, they occupy “in-between” space. “Those living in the borderlands of a/r/t recognize the vitality of living in an in-between space.” This is an introduction to research novices as to what the a/r/tography is and how it works. Significantly, it builds up the foundation of a/r/tography as an approach which helps people gain new insights towards life through perceptual practices that reveal what was once hidden. Fail, H., Thompson, J., & Walker, G. (2004). Belonging, identity and third culture kids: Life histories of former international school students. Journal of Research in International Education, 3(3), 319-338. The authors are researchers, collaboratively using the data from eleven former international school students who all attended an international school between 20 and 50 years ago as a multiple case study. This study explores these former international students’ thoughts and feelings, covering emotional and relational issues such as sense of belonging, identity and the nature of relationships formed. The authors claim that these students are positive and enthusiastic about the advantages of their background and the ability it has given them to feel at home in different places and to relate to other people like themselves. Moreover, they are no longer in a process of setting up a sense of identity or belonging but are reflecting on something that has been established during the course of their lives. This article is beneficial to me to explore MU international student identity since it gives me basic information about students who have spent a significant part of the developmental years in a culture other than the parents’ culture, developing a sense of relationship to all of the cultures while not having full ownership in any and how they identify themselves because of this background. Most importantly, it is helpful for me to compare these participants with those participants who do not have these backgrounds, and it could generate some new findings. Räsänen, M. (2012). Cultural identity and visual multiliteracy. Visual culture: Readings. Evora: Research Centre of the University of Evora (CIEP) and Fundaēćo Eugénio de Almeida (FEA). (In print.). This article consists of broad definitions of visual culture and cultural identity. The author claims that different micro cultures are represented in the products of material culture, thus, it is significant to know how constructive dialogue between different cultural groups can be built through artworks and other visuals. Moreover, it is also important to know how students’ understanding of themselves and others can be supported through the interpretation of visual culture using artistic production as its main tool. Furthermore, the author talks about the factors affecting cultural identity, as well as multicultural identity. She believes that cultural identity is based on verbal, artistic, and other stories created in a certain time and place. Rituals, clothing, and images mediate traditions that connect an individual to a group. Additionally, she asserts that representation is a useful concept for understanding the relationship between the individual and culture. Representation refers to all verbal and spoken language, visual presentations, and combinations of words and images, which means something that represents a thing, a person, an object, or a phenomenon. Irwin, R. L. (2013). Becoming A/r/tography. Studies In Art Education, 54(3), 198-215. Rita Irwin is an artist, researcher, and teacher deeply committed to the arts and education at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In this article, the author introduces what a/r/tography is and the possibilities of how it can be utilized. Most importantly, she describes how researchers establish the condition for becoming a/r/tography. In her view, the lines of intensity, movement, and events that entangle across time and place unfold into a cartography of a/r/tography. Becoming-intensity/becoming-events/becoming-movement affect each other mutually. This article helps me understand a/r/tography in depth and how to develop and create a/r/tography. Additionally, it gives me a model of an event which becomes one of – a collaborative a/r/ography project working with immigrant families in the city of Richmond – and really helps me conduct the a/r/tographical research. LeBlanc, N., Davidson, S. F., Ryu, J. Y., & Irwin, R. L. (2015). Becoming through a/r/tography, autobiography and stories in motion. International Journal of Education through Art, 11(3), 355-374. This research was conducted by three preservice teachers of music, dance and visual arts from the University of British Columbia, the data is collected from multiple art forms – photography, video, music, etc, to explore how their self experiences proceed along their path to becoming a/r/tographers. The authors believe that a/r/tography can nourish artist-teachers in the state of “becoming” and is well suited to art teachers’ pedagogies because it embraces both the arts and education as effective forms of inquiry. This research strongly supports my topic paper exploring myself how I consider myself from a micro lens to macro perspective. Additionally, it provides three wonderful examples which I could follow to proceed along the path to “becoming” an a/r/tographer and to explore my own story in motion. Description of Project and anticipated resources required: I am going to make a video (documentary) as a tool to present my autobiographical stories in motion. This video would display several parts, including my perceptions, ideas and thoughts of each research question, friends/colleagues/professors/the significant interviews, etc. Project Plan:
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