Title: Teaching at Wuhan University / HOPE School of Nursing
1 Teaching at Wuhan University / HOPE School of
Nursing
2Introduction
- This presentation was prepared to provide
background information on the cultural and
educational nuances American faculty may
encounter when teaching in China. Incoming
faculty members of the Wuhan University, HOPE
School of Nursing should be prepared to offer
students the best learning environment in which
they can maximize their potential. By
familiarizing oneself with the learning styles
prevalent in China and becoming educated in basic
Chinese culture, faculty will be better prepared
to teach/mentor their students.
3Wuhan, China
- Wuhan is a city of more than 8 million people, in
central China on the Yangtze River, about 600
miles west of Shanghai.
4Background Information
- To better relate to your Chinese students it is
important to begin by gaining an understanding of
Chinas history and its culture.
5Ancient Chinese Civilization (2200 221 BC)
-
- The Xia Dynasty (2200 1750 BC)
- Considered to be the beginning of known dynastic
history in China. The writing system developed by
the Xia heralded the system of the succeeding
Shang Dynasty.
6Ancient Chinese Civilization (2200 221 BC)
- The Shang Dynasty (1750 - 1040 BC)
- Was characterized by its system of writing on
oracle bones, advanced bronze-working, ancestor
worship, highly organized armies, and political
or religious human sacrifices.
7Ancient Chinese Civilization (2200 221 BC)
- The Chou (Zhou) Dynasty (1040 221 BC)
- Seen as a time of great advancement and the
beginning of the consolidation of the Chinese
Empire. During the Zhou Dynasty, the term the
Middle Kingdom vs. the outer lying barbarians
arose as the Chinese way to refer to China.
Taoism, Confucianism and Legalism, a middle class
and scholars as a popular social group, developed
during this period. The Zhou maintained control
over the multiple principalities for a number of
centuries, but began to decline between 771 and
221 BC.
8Consolidation of the Chinese Empire (221 BC
1644 AD)
- The next two thousand years of Chinese history
was characterized by a consolidation and
unification of the Chinese Empire into the China
we know today. The Qin Dynasty began this period
by installing the first Emperor and starting the
Great Wall of China.
9Consolidation of the Chinese Empire (221 BC
1644 AD)
- The Han Dynasty (20 BC 221 AD)
- Boasts the development of the administrative
imperial bureaucracy that was used systematically
by all succeeding dynasties. This administrative
model was based on Confucianism principles that
gave bureaucrats an ideological reference point
for proper behavior. This period also gave rise
to the first systematic recording of Chinese
history, achievements in art, sculpture,
astronomy, and inventions such as compasses,
sundials and the wheelbarrow. Nevertheless,
barbarian raiders from the north and population
growth from the south led to its downfall.
10Consolidation of the Chinese Empire (221 BC
1644 AD)
-
- In the succeeding Three Kingdoms dynasty,
Buddhism spread as a new religion that competed
with Confucianism and incorporated aspects of
Taoism.
11Consolidation of the Chinese Empire (221 BC
1644 AD)
- The Tang Dynasty (618AD 907AD)
- China extended its borders, the political system
maintained that the Emperor was the supreme
ruler, and government officials were elected to
their posts on merit and education. Under the
Tangs, China enjoyed commercial and cosmopolitan
cities, strong Buddhist influence in art, and
inventions of printing and papermaking,
shipbuilding, and firearms. - Unfortunately, because of an internal rebellion
and peasant uprising due to unfair taxation, the
Tang declined
12Consolidation of the Chinese Empire (221 BC
1644 AD)
- The Sung period (960 1279)
- Landscape painting was popular, porcelain was the
trading item of choice, improvements were made in
agricultural technology urbanites romanticized
nature, and Confucianism gained greater force as
the state doctrine in various forms. - Under the Sung, the status of women declined
because of the concentration of people in the
cities where womens work became less crucial to
familial survival. This era is characterized by
the practices of concubinage and of binding
girls' feet to make them smaller. These
practices were finally banned in 20th century.
13Consolidation of the Chinese Empire (221 BC
1644 AD)
- The Mongol (Yuan) Era (1279 1368)
- China was ruled by the invading Mongols who had
conquered everything from Austria to Manchuria
and was also dominated by Neo Confucianism. By
the mid 1300s, the Ming period had begun and was
also characterized by Neo Confucianism,
achievements in architecture such as the building
of the Great Wall as it stands today and the
Forbidden City, and increasing isolationism.
14Modern China (1644 present)
- From the mid 1600s to about 1911, the Chinese
Empire was ruled by the Manchus who founded the
Qing dynasty. Under the Qing, literature, art,
philosophy, and culture blossomed. Politically,
China tried to retain its isolationist
tendencies however, the development and
industrialization in Europe challenged that at
every turn over these three centuries. - The latter end of the dynasty was plagued with
various rebellions (Taiping and Boxer),
encroaching western powers with the thirst for
economic dominance, the Opium Wars with Britain
and unequal treaties from losing these and other
conflicts.
15Modern China (1644 present)
- By 1911, a significant shift in ideology was
fomenting and would become modern Chinas
political and cultural legacy to her people.
During World War I and World War II, China was
for the most part in disorder and ripe for the
rise of Communism as the political doctrine of
the state. - Between 1912 and 1949, a republican system of
government was established and ruled mostly by
Sat Yat-Sen and Chiang Kai-shek, but was
unsuccessful because of the disillusionment of
the populace with the Nationalists deficient
strategy for fighting the Japanese in World War
II. - By 1949, the Nationalists had fled to Taiwan and
Mao Zedong declared the creation of the Peoples
Republic of China.
16PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF CHINA
17CHINA
- Population and Life Expectancy
- 1.3 Billion.
- There are no zoning
- regulations
- People live in both highly populated and
congested urban areas, as well as less populated
rural areas.
18CHINA
- Due to Chinas massive population, a governmental
policy of one child per family has been imposed.
19CHINA
- Exceptions to the one child per family policy
exists for families of the 56 minority groups,
farmers and families whose first born is
disabled.
20CHINA
- The average estimated life expectancy is 71.96
years - Women 73.7 years
- Men 70.4 years
21CHINA
- Major Languages
- Mandarin official language
- Cantonese
- Local Dialects
22CHINA
- Ethnic Groups in the Country
- Han 92
- Chinese ethnic groups 8
- From an anthropological point of view, several
hundred identifiable minority groups exist, of
which only 56 have been officially recognized by
the government.
23CHINA
- Major Religions
- Atheist (Official religion) 94-96
- Taoist, Buddhist, Islam 1-2
- Christianity 3-4
- In order for a religion or place of worship to
exist within China, it requires governmental
approval.
24CHINA
- CULTURAL BELIEFS
- AND VALUES
25CHINA
- Dominance Patterns
- Family is more important than the individual.
- Marked role differences are based on generation,
age, birth order, gender and social status. - When making decisions, the young defer to the
old, and both parents make decisions about
children. - Older adults are not segregated from others and
have a high status in the family and society.
26CHINA
- Older Chinese parents take pride in being
supported and cared for by their children. - Devotion to parents includes caring for them
physically, psychologically and socially.
27CHINA
- Communication Patterns
- Direct eye contact is common, but staring is
inappropriate. - Nodding or smiling by many Chinese may simply
reflect their cultural value for interpersonal
harmony, not agreement with or an understanding
of what you have said. - Introductions involve a nod or a slight bow.
28CHINA
- Dietary Practices
- The Chinese food that Americans traditionally eat
in the USA is NOT like Chinese food in mainland
China. - Americanized Chinese food is more Cantonese than
Mandarin. - A typical meal consists of rice with meat, fish
and vegetables. - The style of food varies
depending upon the location
within China.
29CHINA
- Work and Time Issues
- Chinese have a concept of time that is inexact
and broad, and involves patience.
30CHINA
- Chinese are highly motivated and energetic and
spend long hours at work, but sleep from 12 noon
to 2 (winter) or 230 (summer) pm.
31Cultural Dimensions/Differences
- Fons Trompenaars and Charles Hampden-Turner have
studied cultural differences around the world and
determined that there are dimensions that can
better explain the differences between cultures. - There are fours dimensions that are of particular
interest when looking at Chinese learning.
32Trompenaars Dimensions
- Communitarianism (China) vs Individualism
(USA) - The idea of a communitarian society is to leave
a legacy to their community, and for members to
have a larger purpose than individual selves. - Cultures that are communitarian tend to have
high levels of productivity and people are likely
to bind together for common goals that are better
for overall society. - Chinese students expect professors to achieve
harmony on which long-term relationships are
built on. What a professor says to the student
is less important than how it is said
(context-based). Relationships are very highly
valued.
33Trompenaars Dimensions
- Ascription (China) vs. Achievement (USA)
- The educational structure in China has its
roots in cultural and historical emphasis on
examinations as a precursor for any promotion or
advancement. - Chinese students traditionally concentrate on
memorizing material without asking questions or
discussing the content. - There is utmost respect for age and hierarchy,
which is based on the Confucian concept of li.
Everyone in society has a specific position in
society. Elders, hierarchy within society and
the government are traditionally respected. - The ideal educator can be seen as a benevolent
autocrat. Chinese students expect to be told
what to do, and it is not rare for a Chinese
professor to lecture right out of the textbook.
34Trompenaars Dimensions
- Diffuse (China) vs. Specific (USA)
- Chinese people are detached except when
outsiders enter their private lives, and then
they are open. - The dimension of specific vs. diffuse refers to
the degree of intimacy people feel comfortable
with when dealing with others. - There is an important distinction between the
public and private person in regards to the
amount of space that is allowed. Those in a
specific culture are outgoing and allow a lot of
public space but guard their private space.
35Trompenaars Dimensions
- Affective (China) vs. Neutral (USA)
- Chinese students will be more likely to express
their emotions naturally. Reactions are
immediate through the use of mimic and body
signals. - Affective cultures usually do not avoid physical
contact. - Chinese may use more intuition compared to
those in neutral cultures. Those that are
classified as affective may have the tendency to
overreact to certain issues.
36American vs Chinese Educational System
- In addition to understanding the dimensions of
Chinese culture you need to be aware of Chinese
learning styles in order to better convey content
to your students.
37Chinese Learning Styles
- Chinese students display 5 characteristics which
can be taken to summarize Chinese thinking and
behavior - Emphasis on perception of the concrete
- Non-development of abstract thought
- Emphasis on particulars not universals
- Practicality as a central focus
- Concern for reconciliation, harmony, balance
38American vs Chinese Education
- The differences between American and Chinese
education can be found in three core areas of the
educational system - Main Purpose
- Instruction Mode
- Curricular Orientation
39American vs Chinese EducationMain Purpose
- American
- Focus in individual
- Develop individuals full potential
- Transmitter of cultural heritage
- Chinese
- Focus on loyal citizenry
- Develop literate citizenry
- Transmitter of past cultural heritage
- Helps select future leaders
40American vs Chinese EducationInstruction Mode
- American
- Learner centered
- Stresses understanding, application and ability
- Use of educational psychology
- Learner active
- Chinese
- Teacher centered
- Stresses recall of facts
- Use of rote learning
- Examinations as motivator
- Learner passive
41American vs Chinese EducationCurricular
Orientation
- American
- Present-future oriented
- Development of whole person
- Social interaction promoted
- Chinese
- Past-present oriented
- Strict exams to develop academic knowledge
- Concepts first then skills
42Teaching Recommendations
- In order to account for the differences between
Eastern and Western teaching/learning styles you
should take into consideration the following when
preparing your course materials
43Teaching Recommendations
- Group Discussion
- Issues of status, saving face and shame may limit
the openness of discussion thus faculty should be
aware of the hidden messages behind what is
disclosed by students and be sensitive to such
constraints on Chinese behavior.
44Teaching Recommendations
- Ideas to encourage class participation
- Offer extra credit points to students who ask
questions in class - Have students form groups and ask questions as a
group rather than an individual - Encourage group discussions outside of the
classroom. Assign questions for the students to
discuss outside of class and have them report
back as groups to the rest of the class.
45Teaching Recommendations
- Use of case studies, role-play games, etc
- Such approaches are heavily reliant on abstract
thinking and could pose hazards for students not
used to open discussions and opinion expressions.
To be effective, such methods have to be
introduced slowly with clear instructions and
guidelines as well as adequate preparation time.
46Teaching Recommendations
- Student participation in classroom
- To facilitate participation, it is important to
allow the students the opportunity to define
their roles at the outset, provide unambiguous
instructions as well as allow students more time
to think about the topics under discussion. Long
silences in the classroom may not simply be
indications that students are refusing to
participate, but that they may be thinking about
the answers and require more probing and
encouragement.
47Teaching Recommendations
- The applicability of Western concepts to China
- Care must be taken in producing supporting
materials with Chinese examples instead of
western ones. Also care should be taken when
translating English into Chinese as the mere
translation may not have the same cultural
reference as it does in America.
48Conclusion
- Chinese students are very eager to learn and
motivated to do well. Take this opportunity to
teach/mentor them and give them the best arena in
which to maximize their potential.
49For further information on the topics covered in
this guide, please consult these references
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Global Leadership Training. ITAP International.
Last accessed March 26, 2006, available online
at http//www.itapintl.com/culturalinventory.htm.
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