Teaching and Learning across Cultures , livre ebook

Cover
Half Title Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2021 by Craig Ott
Published by Baker Academic
a division of Baker Publishing Group
PO Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www .ba keracademic .co m
Ebook edition created 2021
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-3089-5
Scripture quotations are from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Dedication
For Benjamin, Jonathan, and Jacob
Contents
Cover i
Half Title Page ii
Title Page iii
Copyright Page iv
Dedication v
List of Sidebars xi
Preface xiii
1. Understanding the Challenge 1
Who Is the Cross-Cultural Teacher?
The Challenges of Teaching across Cultures
What Does It Mean to Teach and Learn?
Culture and the Content of Teaching
Meeting the Challenge
About This Book
2. Culture and the Teaching Context 27
What Is Culture?
The Universal, Cultural, and Individual
Culture Change and the Cross-Cultural Teacher
The Dangers of Stereotyping and Ethnocentrism
Developing Intercultural Competency
3 . Learning Styles, Teaching Styles, and Culture 47
Learning Styles: A Constructed and Contested Concept
Culture’s Influence on Learner Preferences and Expectations
Teaching Styles in International Comparison
Implications for Teaching across Cultures
4. The Cognitive Dimension— Part 1: Concrete and Abstract Thinking 65
What Is a Cognitive Style?
Concrete and Abstract Orientations
Language, Literacy, and Cognition
Concrete Thinking and Critical Analysis
Approaches to Reasoning
5. The Cognitive Dimension— Part 2: Teaching Concrete Thinkers 89
Oral and Concrete Features of Biblical Literature
Teaching with Stories
Use of Metaphor and Object Lessons
The Wisdom of Proverbs
Case-Based Instruction
Other Methods and Media
Advantages of Decontextualized, Abstract Teaching
6. The Cognitive Dimension— Part 3: Holistic and Analytic Cognitive Styles 111
Holistic and Analytic Cognitive Styles
Field Dependence and Field Independence
Culture and Field Articulation
Cognitive Development and Culture
Implications for Instruction
Implications for Theological Education
7. The Worldview Dimension— Part 1: The Influence of Worldview on Learning 137
The Nature of a Worldview
Epistemology: How We Know What We Know
Causal Attribution: Why Things Happen
Understanding Time
8. The Worldview Dimension— Part 2: Teaching for Worldview Change 159
Worldview Change and Worldview Changers
Cognitive Approaches
Spiritual Approaches
Communal Approaches
Conclusion
9. The Social Dimension— Part 1: The Influence of Social Hierarchy 177
The Importance of Social Relations for Effective Teaching
The Nature of Status, Hierarchy, and Authority
The Role of Status
Authority and Student-Teacher Interactions
Patron-Client Relationships
From Authority-Based to Critical-Reflective Learning
10. The Social Dimension— Part 2: The Influence of Individualism and Collectivism 201
Characteristics of Individualism and Collectivism
Limitations of the Individualism/Collectivism Construct
The Role of Shame and Honor
Learner Motivation
Social Interactions in Instructional Contexts
Writing Style
Academic Integrity: Plagiarism and Cheating
Conclusion
11. The Media Dimension— Part 1: Instructional Methods 229
Observation and Traditional Learning
Teaching and Learning in a Foreign Language
Reading and Writing Assignments
Lecturing
Use of Visual Media
Song, Drama, and Other Arts
12. The Media Dimension— Part 2: Online Learning and Culture 257
The Hopes and Realities of International Online Education
Advantages of Online Learning in Cross-Cultural Perspective
Limitations of Online Learning in Cross-Cultural Perspective
Addressing the Cultural Challenges of Online Learning
Conclusion
13. The Environmental Dimension 279
The Physical Environment
The Societal Environment
The Institutional Environment
Works Cited 299
Index 329
Back Cover 337
Sidebars
1.1 Introducing Change 9
1.2 Resources for Developing a Christian Philosophy of Education in Cultural Perspective 15
1.3 A Hard-Learned Lesson 18
1.4 Resources on Biblical Contextualization 21
2.1 Experience in India 39
2.2 Resources for Developing Intercultural Competence 44
4.1 Concrete Thinkers’ Understanding of Fictional Texts 76
5.1 Dimming the Stars? 94
5.2 Training Caregivers through Drama 95
5.3 Resources for Bible Storying and Oral Learners 96
5.4 Chronological Bible Storying and Leadership Development 97
5.5 Carrying the Hound to the Hunt 102
5.6 A Learning Activity Using Proverbs 104
5.7 Use of Proverbs in Evangelism 105
5.8 CHIMES for Oral Learners 108
6.1 Holistic Learners and Language Learning 112
6.2 Discerning the Relevant from the Irrelevant 114
6.3 Teaching Field-Dependent Learners 129
6.4 Providing Structure for Holistic Learners 130
6.5 Perceptions of Western Theology in the Majority World 132
7.1 Teacher Knows Best? 147
7.2 A Holistic Melanesian Worldview 151
8.1 Enlightened or Clueless? 163
8.2 The Power of a Story to Change Society 166
8.3 A Kenyan Burial Ceremony 175
9.1 A Question for Miss Yoshikawa 180
9.2 Exercise: Qualities That Determine a Person’s Status in a Society 182
9.3 The Thai Experience 183
9.4 Introducing Problem-Based Learning in More Teacher-Centered Learning Contexts 197
9.5 Learning to Contradict the Teacher 198
10.1 Hypercompetitive Collectivists? Not an Oxymoron! 206
10.2 Exercise: From Direct to Indirect Communication 210
10.3 A Reprimand and a Thirsty Horse 211
10.4 A Visit to the Ice Cream Parlor 216
10.5 Blank Stares 218
10.6 What Is Real Cheating? 224
10.7 Homework Cartels 225
10.8 Tips for Teaching Collectivistic Learners 226
11.1 Maximizing Effectiveness When Teaching through a Translator 233
11.2 Understanding and Misunderstanding the Jesus Film 245
11.3 Getting from Here to There 247
11.4 Story in Song 250
11.5 Grain Banks, Loan Repayment, and Drama 252
11.6 The Power of Song and Drama in Public Health Education 255
12.1 Challenges of International Internet Access 264
13.1 Teaching and Learning in Under-Resourced Schools 283
13.2 Resources on Leadership and Culture 297
Preface
A nyone who has taught students of another culture, or anticipates doing so, knows the challenges they face. But they may be less aware that people from different cultures may approach teaching and learning in fundamentally different ways, which adds an unexpected layer of challenge to the task. Even seasoned teachers often find themselves bewildered by the enigmatic behavior of learners from an unfamiliar culture. This book examines those culturally related differences in teaching and learning, and offers guidance. Whether one is a formal teacher or professor, a community worker or trainer, a pastor or disciple-maker, this book seeks to provide readers with practical insight to understand and navigate those challenges. On the basis of the best cross-cultural research and illustrated with real-life experiences, it will explore ways to appreciate and engage learners from different cultures. It will not suggest cookie-cutter solutions or simplistic how-to guidelines but will point the way to deeper understanding, improved teaching effectiveness, and transformative relationships in the midst of complex intercultural encounters.
This work proceeds from a Christian conviction that the ultimate goal of all teaching is human flourishing, which has its ultimate root in biblical values and the restoration of the divine image through the redemptive power of the gospel. Although written largely from the perspective of a North American teaching abroad, I hope this volume will provide insight for readers whatever their background and whomever their students may be. Numerous excellent resources address more generally the topic of teaching and learning. Though often written from a Western perspective, they contain many valuable insights for teaching in any context. However, to keep this work focused on the cultural dynamics at play in teaching and learning, I have not drawn heavily upon that literature, and simply refer readers to it.
Writing about cultural differences is a tricky business. One is ever caught in the tension between identifying cultural commonalities that people share, and acknowledging individual differences. On the one hand, whenever an example from a particular country or culture is mentioned, unhelpful stereotypes can be created in the minds of readers. Differences may be wrongly understood as binary categories, pigeonholes into which people can be neatly placed that leave little space for diversity and change. On the other hand, excessive attention to nuance can lack clarity. Continual qualifying statements weary the reader and dull the impact. I have attempted to strike the right balance, but have at points no doubt erred to one or the other extreme. If a study cited or example given causes offense to anyone, know that it was not my intent. On the contrary: may these pages kindle an appreciation for human diversity, a curiosity to understand learners, and most importantly, the ability to see others not primarily as students, or as citizens of a nation, or as members of an ethnic group. But rather, may we see them first and foremost as persons created in the image of God with amazing potential. My hope is not only that this book will aid teachers in helping others realize that potential but also that teachers themselves reach their potential in that process.
This book is the fruit of forty years of living, learning, a