What was the most surprising aspect of this book, and why did it surprise you?
The most surprising thing to me was the chapter on international students and how they view us/undergraduate students in the United States. I am quite aware of cultural differences, as it was part of my undergraduate studies, but I was not that aware of how the “American” students were viewed. It may be because of a) the activities I was involved in as an undergraduate student, b) the fact that I never lived in the dorms, and/or c) my academic mindset as an undergrad. In hindsight, after reading the chapter, I am actually not that surprised.
I should rephrase that, I am not surprised that “American” (I hate using that term) students are ethnocentric. It is, however, surprising how apparent it is. I thought that when I was an undergrad, I was the only one that noticed the other students’ ethnocentrism. I also thought that the only reason I saw it was because I was heavily involved in diversity and human rights and social, cultural, and political affairs. Because of these activities and interests I was surrounded by diversity and took opportunities to interact with others.
However, as I now think about it, I was, and still am, ignorant of international affairs. I think that it is definitely a result of the ethnocentric education I have received throughout my life. Although, the small amount of education and socialization with international affairs I have sought out and received has benefited me greatly in my understanding of the world (i.e. Middle East conflicts, cross-cultural sensitivity etc.). I wish all students could get some of this exposure. It needs to be done differently than just forcing it, however. That is, it seems when it is forced on them, they look at it the way they look at “liberal arts” courses and do not take it seriously.
As a side note, when Nathan was referring to how the international students were confused on what a “friend” is. It really hit home. We really do not have the types of friends that the other students talk about, at least I don’t. That is weird.
What advice would you give a new college student?
I think the biggest thing I can tell as student is to make friends they can count on. Specifically, I would encourage them to make friends with international students. Getting a wider world view is priceless when it comes to being a citizen. Aside from that, I think that a student should have a friend or group of friends they can count on to help them along the way, and hopefully they can reciprocate the help. Nathan talked a lot about the failure to create community within universities. So, I would encourage it, perhaps by telling then to get involved in campus organizations. Here, they can find like-minded individuals that probably take their education seriously. Perhaps if the student isn’t taking their education seriously, the other students may rub off on them.
What advice would you give a new instructor?
I would encourage interactions with diverse students. The chapter on international students really hit home for me. I feel like the insight I gained from that chapter has changed my outlook on teaching. As noted in the response to the first question, I am not surprised by the ethnocentrism of the “American” students, but I feel like I can now see the repercussions of such a worldview. I feel like instructors should be aware of their own ethnocentrism as well. A second piece of advice I would give is no matter what you do, the students will not be what you want. Don’t take it personal. That is, for the most part, no matter what type of instructor you are and what you teach, the priority of the students is not your specific class. So, when things in the classroom go awry don’t blame yourself, just keep working on it.
Has my view of undergraduates changed?
It hasn’t changed. They have their priorities and it is largely a reflection of our culture. The education system in the United States is much like a corporate entity that does not value intellect. Therefore, the students do not value intellect (for the most part). I should note that I do not blame the students for this like I used to. I blame the culture. I believe we touched on this a bit when we were talking about learner-centered teaching.
I feel like even if I do focus on learner-centered teaching the students will still see my class as an annoyance. In fact, I was talking to a professor the other day and I was giving him/her advice about how to change things up in the classroom based on the things we have discussed. S/He liked the ideas and felt like incorporating them into the class. However, a couple students overheard us and said “oh god no. Just lecture. Nobody wants to deal with your activities every class time.” This might be an isolated incident, but it got me thinking “who are these activities helping?” Perhaps it is just making the instructor feel less bored and the students are responding positively because the instructor is noticeably less bored. Either way, I think they are probably a good idea, but I think it might benefit me more than the students, or at least only benefiting the students in a secondary way. It could also be that the weather is making me cynical.
No comments:
Post a Comment