At this time of the year, those of us in AFS who live north of the equator are typically planning for the exchange year ahead and getting ready to prepare thousands of sojourners, families, schools and community organizations for the learning experiences to come. Meanwhile, AFSers in the southern hemisphere are in the throes of the school year, focused on helping program participants process their experiences in mid-stay orientations and monthly contact meetings—events that are known in pedagogical terms as “structured learning interventions.” The critical role of these purposefully-designed reflection points in developing intercultural competence is something we discuss with one of our favorite interculturalists, Michael Paige. In an interview found on AFS Intercultural Link | VOLUME 3 - ISSUE 2 - APRIL/MAY/JUNE 2012 | 1 Intercultural Learning: The Heart & Soul of AFS MELISSA LILES, CHIEF EDUCATION OFFICER, AFS INTERNATIONAL continued on page 2 Everyday Learning Opportunities in the Workplace Check it out! See the Learning Session Outline on page 9 VOLUME 3 - ISSUE 2 - APRIL/MAY/JUNE 2012 YOUR SOURCE FOR INTERCULTURAL LEARNING IN THE AFS NETWORK GLOBAL EDITION Connecting Lives, Sharing Cultures Intercultural K N I L IN THIS ISSUE Intercultural Learning: The Heart & Soul of AFS by Melissa Liles Page 1 Network And Partner Initiatives AFS Belgium French says Oui! to ICL by Paul Edinger Page 5 Institutional Relations 5 Years with the JENESYS Programme by Susan Adams Yamada Page 6 News You Can Use Building Your Own ICL Library by Charlotte Steinke Page 7 Book Review: The Geography of Thought by Elis Motta Page 8 Learning Session Outline Everyday Intercultural Learning A New Look at Our Workplace Interactions by Anna Collier Page 9 Beyond AFS ICL News Interview with Michael Paige by Laura Kline-taylor Page 11 Concept & Theories The Contact Hypothesis by Charlotte Steinke Page 3 More 2012 Learning Opportunities for You Including Scholarships for AFSers and Others Page 12 Conference Update Exploring Global Perspectives of ICL Page 14 Meet an ICL Responsible Sherifa Fayez, AFS Egypt Page 14 ICL Field Conferences & Event Updates Page 15
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Transcript
At this time of the year, those of us in AFS who live north of the equator are typically planning for the exchange year ahead and getting ready to prepare thousands of sojourners, families, schools and community organizations for the learning experiences to come.
Meanwhile, AFSers in the southern hemisphere are in the throes of the school year, focused on helping program participants process their experiences in mid-stay orientations and monthly contact meetings—events that are known in pedagogical terms as “structured learning interventions.”
The critical role of these purposefully-designed reflection points in developing intercultural competence is something we discuss with one of our favorite interculturalists, Michael Paige. In an interview found on
page 11, he previews findings from his latest book, Student Learning Abroad: What Our Students Are Learning, What They’re Not, And What We Can Do About It.
Paige’s practical suggestions, in combination with conclusions from Thomas F. Pettigrew in his 2011 study, “Recent Advances in Intercultural Contact Theory,” (page 3) reinforce that AFS’s approach to deeper intercultural learning is in line with current studies and literature. But ICL isn’t just for AFS. Working across diversity is a part of our everyday lives, including workplace interactions. When something goes wrong (or right) in the office, have you ever considered what cultural factors might be at play? Or, if you work from home, how connecting with others virtually can create a superficial layer of “sameness” that results in a more profound frustration when others’ behavior doesn’t match our assumptions?
On page 9, we feature a new exercise designed specifically for your workplace. Explore the Task versus
Relationship cultural continuum in order to learn more about yourself and your colleagues—and how you can have fewer early morning misunderstandings.
Finally, based on popular demand, we have put together a list of “must have” books for anyone looking to start their own intercultural learning library (page 7).
Help us grow this list, including sharing non-English titles, by visiting us online at www.afs.org/blog/icl.
Happy intercultural encounters,Warmly,
With colleagues from over 50 countries, every day is an opportunity for intercultural
learning within AFS. Regardless of where you work, cultural factors are likely a
consideration. Check out our new learning session outline on page 9: A New Look at
our Workplace Interactions.
AFS presents
ProfessorGeert Hofstedeat the AFS AcademyIstanbul, Turkey22 September, 2012
Putting the AFS Mission into PracticeThe goal of our work as AFSers is to provide intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the knowledge, skills, and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world. But how do we make this happen? The AFS Orientation Framework guides our work by combining experiential intercultural experiences for all our audiences with structured and planned learning opportunities to support cultural adaptation and increase comfort with difference. A recent study by Thomas F. Pettigrew and others (Recent Advances in Intercultural Contact Theory, published March 2011 in the International Journal of Intercultural Relations) has once again proven why our work in AFS – particularly when following the deliberate approach of the Framework – really makes a difference.
In this study, Pettigrew and his colleagues show how contact between individuals from different cultural groups can improve the relationship between the individuals involved, as well as improving their feelings toward the groups to which
they belong. This includes national, religious, gender, age, sexual orientation, and disability culture groups. Intercultural contact usually reduces prejudice and leads to greater trust and forgiveness for past mistakes of members of the relevant groups.
These positive effects can evenbe passed on to friends of the person who had an intensive experience with those from other groups. The Contact HypothesisThis is a powerful argument in favor of the so-called Contact Hypothesis, which Gordon W. Allport introduced in his book “The Nature of Prejudice,” in 1954. Allport indicated that increased inter-group contact reduces prejudice – however, not in all situations.
He wrote that it is common for human beings to think in terms of their own group (“in-group”) versus all other
groups (“out-groups”) they don’t identify with. When there is limited contact with members of out-groups, attitudes towards them are often negative and shaped by stereotypes and prejudice. Sometimes, members of out-groups are even seen as less human.
Allport believed that inter-group contact would significantly improve the relations between different cultural groups. He thought if
members of both groups had enough personal contact, prejudice and stereotyping would decline and intergroup friendships would develop. Necessary FactorsHowever, Allport warned that intergroup contact would not always lead to this result. He suggested that contact can only successfully reduce prejudice in inter-group contact situations when the following conditions are met:
possibility to get to know each other as persons, not only superficial interactions)
or customsIn their recent study, Pettigrew and colleagues showed that Allport’s four
The Contact HypothesisCHARLOTTE STEINKE,
INTERCULTURAL
LEARNING SENIOR INTERN,
AFS INTERNATIONAL
“when an intergroup-friendship is established, prejudice and stereotypes are
reduced dramatically”
“after building opportunities for contact, the next step toward increasing intercultural
competence is to provide structured intercultural learning opportunities”
conditions do help to facilitate the positive effects of intercultural interaction – but that the positive effects sometimes exist even without these criteria. They also show that when an intergroup-friendship is established, prejudice and stereotypes are reduced dramatically.
Implications for AFSBuilding connections between people from different cultures is at the heart of what AFS does. However, we don’t want to stop at reducing stereotypes – the goal of AFS is to develop
ICL INTERNS & VOLUNTEERS
Paul Edinger
Working to support AFS organizations in
their development of national ICL
strategies, Paul has an undergraduate
degree in International Studies with a
concentration in Latin America. While
studying, he taught English, Spanish and
computer literacy courses to Guatemalan
and Salvadoran immigrants to the U.S.
Paul regularly comments on differences
and similarities between the fields of
intercultural communications and
international relations on our blog:
www.afs.org/blog/icl.
Charlotte Steinke Michelle Chan
Michelle is a volunteer who assists in
maintaining www.afs.org/icl as well as
contributing to the ICL …for AFSers
document series. Michelle holds a B.S. in
Business and Economics, studied abroad
in Italy, and taught English in South Korea
for two years. Currently, Michelle is a
master’s candidate in the International
Education program at New York
University, concentrating in International
Development and Cross-Cultural Training.
Obrigada Elis Motta!
We say thank you and goodbye to Elis whose internship came to an end in March. For now, Elis has returned to Brazil where she
resumes her AFS Brazil volunteer career – and continues to contribute on the international level as an AFS Intercultural Link
Qualified Trainer.
Charlotte is the new Senior Intern for the
Intercultural Link Learning Program. She
is pursuing a master’s degree in
Intercultural Communication Studies at
the Viadrina University in Frankfurt
(Oder), located on the German-Polish
border; her undergraduate degree is in
Cultural Studies. She has a background in
German as a foreign language and has
both taught and studied languages in the
People’s Republic of China and Brazil.
intercultural competence in its audiences! As Michael Paige strongly emphasized in our interview with him on page 11 of this issue, after building
opportunities for contact, the next step toward increasing intercultural competence is to provide structured intercultural learning opportunities.
This more sophisticated approach leads to deeper insights about cultural norms, values, and communication styles to help AFS audiences successfully cope
with new environments and intercultural interactions – not only within their exchange programs, but in the many other intercultural settings in
which they will likely find themselves in the future. In other words, adding structured reflection points allows for
better intercultural learning.
By connecting people and then supporting their contact with appropriate structured intercultural learning opportunities, AFS can further improve its way of promoting peace and justice.
“adding structured reflection points allows for better intercultural learning”
AFS Belgium French is focused on providing high-quality intercultural learning (ICL) opportunities to its participants, volunteers, staff, and others as part of their organization’s strategic plan. The result? A more visibly education-focused organization.
The staff at AFS Belgium French have worked to make intercultural learning a priority within their organization.
“Establishing clear goals and a comprehensive,
step-by-step National ICL Strategy to pursue their ICL
goals has been key.”- Fabrice Gonet, Partner Director
AFS Belgium French’s new materials on display at the
AFS International office in New York.
Four of their twelve staff members are focused on ICL and work directly with volunteers involved in support, schools relations, and volunteer development from an educational perspective. ICL-centered activities include designing tools, organizing trainings, and interacting with schools and host families.
In addition to an intercultural learning section on their website, AFS prominently displays ICL on their homepage
(www.afsbelgique.be). The education section offers easy to understand definitions of the concepts behind intercultural learning and relates the pedagogical approach back to the overall mission of the AFS Network.
AFS Belgium French prominently has realized that establishing clear goals and a comprehensive, step-by-step National ICL Strategy to pursue their ICL goals has been key.
5 Years with the JENESYS ProgrammeSUSAN ADAMS YAMADA, PROGRAM COORDINATOR, AFS JAPAN
Read the English version in the AFS Inbox or the Digital ICL Library
Young people from over 13 countries celebrating learning and friendships at the JENESYS Festival
AFS Intercultural Programs President and CEO, Vincenzo Morlini, at the closing ceremonies
We hope these suggestions inspire you in creating or expanding an ICL library in your AFS office or chapter. These resources can help us better understand what happens during the intercultural encounters that we all experience in our work with AFS (and otherwise) and can help us better support AFS sojourners, families, schools, volunteers, and staff.
1. 52 Activities for Improving Cross-Cultural Education (Donna Stringer and Patricia Cassiday), 2009. With 52 easy-to-implement group activities for improving cross-cultural communication, this book is designed for a variety of audiences, including exchange students, staff in an international working environment, and organizational leaders.
2. Maximizing Study Abroad (Michael Paige et al), 2010. A guide to strategies for improving language and cultural learning abroad, this resource includes numerous ready-to-use activities and self-tests that can increase understanding of how we are shaped by our culture(s). This book was written with US-audiences in mind, but it can also be applied in other contexts.
3. The Silent Language (Edward Hall), 1959. This classic by the North American anthropologist Edward Hall describes the meaning of culture. It is easy to read and full of vivid examples that help readers to understand his perceptions of culture.
4. The SAGE Handbook of Intercultural Competence (Darla K. Deardorff, Ed.), 2009. An overview of the different aspects of intercultural competence, including articles about intercultural leadership, international differences in the concept of intercultural competence, assessments of intercultural competence, and many more.
5. Basic Concepts of Intercultural Communication. Selected Readings (Milton Bennett, Ed.), 1998. This book introduces the key ideas about what intercultural communication is, and is designed for a general audience. A second, updated edition will soon be released – first in Japanese and then in English.
6. The Psychology of Culture Shock (Ward, Bochner, & Furnham), 2001. This updated edition (original 1986) explores the psychological and social elements of intercultural interactions. It discusses the importance of learning new culture-specific skills and managing stress in an unfamiliar environment, among other themes, in order to reduce the sometimes negative effects of cross-cultural interactions.
AFS organizations around the world are looking to make available more interculturally-focused books and resources for volunteers and staff – both to help them prepare AFS training and orientation sessions, as well as for their own personal interests. With so many books to choose from today, though, it is easy to be unsure about the quality and relevance of different ICL materials.
ICL Team to the rescue! Following are suggestions that would be strong additions to any ICL library, traditional or digital (many of these are available as e-books). While these are not the only books relevant to the AFS context, they are ones that we find practical and accessible, especially to those who are new to intercultural topics.
Although these materials are in English, we will feature non-English resources as well as more advanced ones in future issues of this newsletter. In the meantime, check out our blog at www.afs.org/blog/icl for more suggestions or to add your own.
Book Review: The Geography of ThoughtELIS MOTTA, INTERCULTURAL LEARNING INTERN,
AFS INTERNATIONAL
“You know, the difference between you and me is that I think the world is a circle, and you think it’s a line.” This is one of the opening sentences in psychologist, Richard E. Nisbett’s book, The Geography of Thought (2003). The quote is from a Chinese student speaking with the author who is a US American.
In his book, Nisbett uses cultural psychology combined with an historical analysis of cultures to explore how people perceive, process, relate with, and act differently in the world due to distinct social structures, philosophies, and educational systems.
Since he discusses such a large range of national and regional cultures, Nisbett notes in his introduction that writing such an all-encompassing book made it necessary to make some generalizations. Therefore, by East, the author means eastern Asia, mainly China and countries that, historically, have been heavily influenced by Chinese culture, such as Japan and Korea; and by West, all peoples
heavily influenced by the European culture, that is, Europeans and Americans.
The main points highlighted in the book and among the most relevant for AFS, are:
worldview, paying attention to the whole, to contextual cues, and to focusing on the relationship and interdependence among objects; whereas Western cultures tend to see the world as full of salient objects or people, independent parts focusing on the attributes that assign each to specific categories.
oriented towards circularity, feelings, and acceptance of contradiction; whereas cultures influenced by Greek civilization tend to emphasize linearity, logic, objectification, and elimination through contradiction.
So-called Interdependence/Independence Polarity is further related to different concepts of “self” which, to Easterners, tends to directly relate to being part of a group and
changes according to the occasion/context; whereas for Westerners, it focuses on the individual and is not a flexible concept. This is tied to Westerners’ preference for autonomy, while Easterners tend to favor guidance from authority figures.
closely related: Western languages tend to classify objects into categories much more than Eastern languages, which usually describe objects in terms of relationships. As well, studies have shown that Western children learn nouns (that is, objects and their categories) much faster than verbs (that is, the relationship among things), and the opposite is true for East Asian children.
The Geography of Thought is a fascinating read, demonstrating that there is no single, universal and “correct” way to think and understand the world. As Nisbett himself states in the introduction, “the book has implications for how East and West can get along better through mutual understanding of mental differences.”
For those organizations that already stocked their ICL libraries with the basics, this is a highly recommended addition that explores how cognitive styles are also cultural constructs.
Interview with Michael PaigeBASED ON AN INTERVIEW WITH LAURA KLINE-TAYLOR,
INTERCULTURAL LINK LEARNING PROGRAM MANAGER,
AFS INTERNATIONAL
Dr. R. Michael Paige is Professor of International and Intercultural Education at
the University of Minnesota in the US. Among his many accomplishments, he has
contributed to important research projects such as the SAGE (Study Abroad for
Global Engagement) study (2009) and is the author of numerous books on
intercultural topics. AFS is connected to Paige through a long-lasting friendship.
We had the opportunity to talk with him about his most recent study and
upcoming book, and hear his advice for AFS.
How did you get involved in theintercultural field? I joined the US Peace Corps and volunteered in Turkey in the 1960s. During this time I became fascinated by the training the Peace Corps did and didn’t do, and my intrigue led to my becoming an intercultural trainer for the Peace Corps for five years.
After this experience I completed a PhD in International Education and have continued in the Intercultural field to this day.
How and when did you get to know AFS? I had known about AFS for many years and was familiar with the important work it had done on cross-cultural orientation in the 80s. Then in 1985, I was asked by the Indonesian government to work on an orientation project for Indonesian students about studying in the United States. Through this project, I met Irid Agoes from AFS Indonesia. More recently I have stayed connected to AFS through discussions about its Intercultural Link activities and as a faculty member at the Summer Institute for Intercultural Communications (SIIC) in Portland, Oregon, USA where there is a strong presence of AFSers. [Editor’s note: Dr. Agoes is currently a member of the AFS Network Intercultural Learning Work Group.]
How can we ensure successful development of intercultural sensitivity in our AFS Participants, Volunteers and Staff?I see two responses to this question: First, AFS needs to insure that there is a strong cultural component for all of its audiences – something that links
intercultural theory to the practical work and experiences of AFS. Some excellent sources for information on cultural values include the GLOBE study and Geert Hofstede, among others. Donna Stringer’s 52 Activities For Improving Cross-Cultural Communication is also a very good reference. [Editor’s note: For more on this as well as Paige’s own book, see page 7.]
Secondly, AFS needs to combine its current work on the ABC’s of culture (affective, behavioral, and cognitive) with a developmental framework. It is not enough to provide bits and pieces of the ABC’s. If the goal is to demonstrate an increased level of intercultural sensitivity, these theoretical and practical pieces must be combined with a framework that shows what and how much AFS audiences are learning and improving. Assessment of intercultural development and learning is crucial.
We are excited to hear more about your new book, Student learning abroad: What Our Students Are Learning, What They’re Not, And What We Can Do About It. What did you discover?In the new book I have co-edited with Michael Vande Berg and Kris Lou, we present three types of evidence (research, knowledge from the disciplines, and actual programs) about the effects of studying abroad on intercultural competence development.
Our main takeaway is that if you want
students to progress in their intercultural development and skills, and if you want them to expand their worldview, you need to offer them structured, facilitated learning opportunities because they won’t all do this on their own.
The international experience can be a starting point, but we have proof that facilitated intercultural learning opportunities are as important as the international component in helping sojourners make the most of their experience.
One of the study abroad programs we examined, AUCP (the American University Center of Provence), has achieved extraordinary results regarding their students’ progress in intercultural learning. What differentiated them from other study abroad programs was that they have a guided and structured learning program that all students attend before, during, and after their stay abroad. Their students progressed substantially and have obviously had very effective learning experiences.
We found out that the content of intercultural learning (like knowledge about differing values and conversation styles) helps students to understand their
experiences. Our study shows that this knowledge gives them the words to describe and process their intercultural
experiences adequately. Without facilitated intercultural learning opportunities sojourners will not make the most of their intercultural experience.
“Without facilitated intercultural learning opportunities sojourners will not make the most of their
International Association for Intercultural Education (IAIE), a global
organization that focuses on issues of
diversity in education, held its 2012
annual conference in Veracruz, Mexico
from 15-17 February. Titled “Tapalewilis
for Intercultural Education,” the event
featured bilingual English/Spanish
sessions and panels exploring the
“Northern” and “Southern” experiences
of intercultural education.
Special attention was paid to
identifying non-traditional ways to
promote innovative and creative
exchanges in local, national, and
regional systems of education. Other
key topics included:
Intercultural
Education;
preservation of indigenous languages in
Mexico and nearby areas in the region;
collaborative learning;
education, and critical pedagogy; and
and
constructions of difference.
Intercultural Management Institute (IMI) is an organization that works to
CONFERENCE UPDATE
Exploring GlobalPerspectives of ICL
Meet anICL ResponsibleSHERIFA FAYEZ, AFS EGYPT
It is Sherifa’s goal in AFS Egypt to make
sure that all volunteers and staff members
understand the basics of ICL and develop
expertise, if interested.
In March 2012, AFS Egypt held its first
national training dedicated only to ICL for
60 volunteers and hopes to make it an
annual event. The goal was to recognize
the importance of ICL in AFS and in life
beyond AFS; in other words, be mindful
of ICL in everyday encounters.
Sherifa is a graduate of the American
University in Cairo with a major in
economics, and is currently a pursuing a
Master of Arts in Intercultural Relations
from the Intercultural Communications
Institute and University of the Pacific in
the US.
promote cultural understanding
through innovative and dynamic
intercultural communication training. It
held its 13th annual conference from
15-16 March at American University’s
School for International Services in
Washington, D.C., US.
Bringing together individuals from the
business, education and training
sectors, key topics this year were
related to:
communication between patients and
providers;
as facework on Facebook and using
mobiles phones as intercultural
communication training platforms; and
coaching to manage corporate
challenges across cultures.AFS Mexico presented a poster on how AFS approaches intercultural learning, which incorporated our educational history and our current
relevance as a leading intercultural organization in the region.