Title: Reflective Writing and Activities in Study Abroad
1Reflective Writing and Activities in Study Abroad
- Sara Milani
- NAFSA Region VII
- Nov. 12, 2006
2Who is Your Audience?
- Millennial Generation
- Developmental Level of Intercultural Sensitivity
- Your school ethos
3Traits 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
4Traits 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
5Generational Needs
- Structured activities
- Active Guidance more than simple instructions
- Individualized attention
- periodic feedback
- choice of methods
6Level 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
7Level 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
8Developmental 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
9Meredith 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.
10Meredith 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
11Meredith 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
12Additional 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
13MAXSA 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
14Study 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
15Other 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
16Meredith 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)
17Updated 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