Learning and Teaching in a Multilingual, Multicultural Environment

Higher education institutions are steadily increasing their intake of international students and staff. This shift towards a more multilingual, multicultural environment poses not only great learning opportunities but challenges and questions for students and teachers alike.

On day one of the workshop, we will identify the different shapes of diversity in a multilingual multicultural classroom (e.g. varying experience with studying in a non-native language, varying familiarity with the host culture, etc.) as well as specificities of the local (German) academic culture. Via diverse reflective exercises (critical incidents, group work) we will raise awareness of the impact both diversity and the local academic culture can have on learning and teaching with a multilingual, multicultural student body.

On the second day of the workshop, we will discuss and experiment with communicative and didactic strategies for lecturing and student interaction to enhance learning in such an environment. In the afternoon, you will have an opportunity to implement what you have devised in the workshop in a classroom simulation and give/receive peer feedback.

The workshop is held exclusively in English not only because this represents a typical (and continuously spreading) framework condition in international classrooms, but also because it gives you an opportunity to experience what it is like to learn through instruction in a non-native language.

Intended learning outcomes:

Participants can reflect on the complex challenges of learning and teaching in a multilingual, multicultural environment as well as on their own role and impact in this context.

Participants can evaluate their individual instructional design and make adjustments to the specific conditions and requirements of an international classroom.

Participants can implement workshop outcomes in a simulation and give each other constructive feedback.
Requirements:

You are teaching/will be teaching in a multilingual, multicultural classroom.


Referent/-in: Dr. Susanne Gundermann & Gregg Dubow
Termin: Do/Fr, 30.06./01.07.2016
Umfang: 2 Tage
Ort: Universität Freiburg