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Reflective Writing and Activities in Study Abroad

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Title: Reflective Writing and Activities in Study Abroad


1
Reflective Writing and Activities in Study Abroad
  • Sara Milani
  • NAFSA Region VII
  • Nov. 12, 2006

2
Who is Your Audience?
  • Millennial Generation
  • Developmental Level of Intercultural Sensitivity
  • Your school ethos

3
Traits of the Millennials
  • Special focus of politics, the media, and their
    parents
  • Sheltered focus of sweeping safety movement and
    childproofing generation
  • Confident high levels of trust and optimism for
    their generation and influence
  • Team-oriented emphasis on group learning and
    teamwork

4
Traits of the Millennials
  • Achieving focus of academic accountability and
    standards mean well-educated and well-behaved
  • Pressured pressured to study hard, avoid
    personal risks, and excel
  • Conventional support parents values and
    believe in social rules
  • Source Howe and Strauss, Millennials Rising

5
Generational Needs
  • Structured activities
  • Active Guidance more than simple instructions
  • Individualized attention
  • periodic feedback
  • choice of methods

6
Level of Developmental Intercultural Sensitivity
  • Ethnocentric Stages
  • Denial deny cultural difference exists and own
    culture is the only real one
  • Defense sees own culture as only good one us
    and them approach
  • Minimization focuses on cultural universals
    and ignores deeper cultural differences

7
Level of Developmental Intercultural Sensitivity
  • Ethnorelative Stages
  • Acceptance see own culture as one of many
    curious and respectful of cultural difference
  • Adaptation see cultural difference through
    other perspectives and may adapt behaviors to
    function more effectively
  • Integration incorporate multiple cultural views
    into own identity
  • Source Janet Bennett, Turning Frogs into
    Interculturalists

8
Developmental Needs
  • Work from the Intercultural Sensitivity level of
    the majority of students
  • Design reflective activities at students level
  • Offer multiple activities and feedback to assist
    with multiple levels
  • Students can only move up one level at a time
    not multiple levels without multiple experiences

9
Meredith College Reflective Projects
  • Core 200 A General Education Requirement
  • The purpose of the Core 200 project is to ensure
    that students have a framework for understanding
    some key aspects of the culture they are living
    in and that they reflect on the culture you come
    from. Doing so is an important step in acquiring
    intercultural skills and understanding. Our goal
    is to provide students with a few tools that
    might help them become a more skilled and
    insightful observer of the host cultureand a
    more aware member of their own culture.

10
Meredith College Initial Reflective Projects
  • Observational Journal and research journal
    writing along specific topics family, politics,
    gender, religion, etc.
  • Research paper and observation statistical
    research and short research paper
  • Online course and research paper select number
    of activities from Whats Up with Culture and a
    short research paper

11
Meredith College Issues with Initial
Reflective Projects
  • Journals students confused personal diaries and
    blogs with reflective journals (despite
    instructions to the contrary) many were required
    to do re-writes and left out the U.S. cultural
    analysis
  • Papers short and often lacked depth many
    students forgot initial research piece (also
    lacking depth) which meant they had not looked at
    the larger cultural picture first before focusing
    on a particular topic
  • Online course and paper students didnt choose
    because too long, technology requirements, and
    required pre-departure work

12
Additional Research Resources
  • Maximizing Study Abroad Michael Paige, et. al.,
    Univ. of MN
  • Study Abroad How to Get the Most of Out Your
    Experience Michelle-Marie Dowell, Kelly Mirsky
  • Survival Kit for Overseas Living Robert Kohls
  • Experiential Activities for Intercultural
    Learning Ned Seeyle
  • 52 Activities for Exploring Values and
    Differences Donna Stringer and Patricia Cassiday

13
MAXSA and Univ. of MN course
  • Maximizing Study Abroad A Students Guide
  • User-friendly handbook centered around culture
    and language learning strategies
  • Sections pre-departure, on-site, and re-entry
  • Well-researched sequencing, performance, and
    accessibility
  • Univ. of MN course
  • Focused readings, activities, and reflective
    papers
  • Continuous feedback TAs responding to six 1-2
    page papers every 3-4 weeks
  • 1 credit, pass/fail

14
Study Abroad How to Get the Most Out of Your
Experience
  • Targeted Observational Research questions on
    history, politics, religion, social issues, etc.
  • Brings students back to reflect on information at
    different developmental levels
    pre-departure, on-site, and re-entry
  • Sections personal development, own culture,
    another culture, professional development, and
    language learning

15
Other Resources
  • Kohls Survival Kit for Overseas Living help
    with suggested reading lists and introductions to
    activities
  • Seeyles Experiential Activities for
    Intercultural Learning help with updated
    activities
  • 52 Activities for Exploring Values Differences -
    help with updated activities
  • Additional articles confirmed notion of active
    journaling and feedback as keys to success

16
Meredith College Updated Reflective Projects
  • MAXSA readings and activities from the book
    short reflection papers feedback
  • Paper and Observational Research before and
    after research per questions from Making the Most
    of Your Study Abroad Experience and comparative
    paper
  • Activities and Observational Research on-site
    cultural activities and short reflections
    research paper on particular cultural trait
    feedback pre-departure reading list (activities
    adapted from from Making the Most of Your Study
    Abroad Experience)

17
Updated Projects address
  • Still multiple methods for different learning
    styles
  • Greater feedback loop - all must turn in
    pre-departure or on-site assignments
  • MAXSA readings, activities and reflection
    focus on subjective culture for Minimization/
    Adaptation stages
  • Paper and Observational Research targeted
    research questions by topic to focus students
    observational research objective culture for
    Denial/Defense stages
  • Activities and Observational Research guided
    hands-on activities targeted research combines
    objective and subjective culture for various
    stages
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