Elements of "IICASL" and Connections to NLGL
Introspection
Introspection begins with asking students the “right questions.”
Examples might include:
Developmental theories, such as those of Maslow, Erikson, Piaget, Kolberg, and Vygotsky, can be used to assist students in assessing their personal development; students can then be asked how their personal development might influence their cultural interactions.
During the Fall of 2013 and Spring of 2014, Adams completed the following supporting assignments:
ECI 550:
Introspection begins with asking students the “right questions.”
Examples might include:
- What are the dominant aspects of my culture? What events or ideas have shaped my culture both recently and in the past?
- Where did my personal values come from?
- Are my values easily changed? Perhaps some values are more malleable than others? Why or why not?
- Do you believe that others should respect your values? Why or why not?
- Should your values be preserved for future generations?
- What have your experiences been like with those who don’t fall into your cultural norms? Were those experiences overall positive or negative? Why do you think your interactions developed in the way that they did?
Developmental theories, such as those of Maslow, Erikson, Piaget, Kolberg, and Vygotsky, can be used to assist students in assessing their personal development; students can then be asked how their personal development might influence their cultural interactions.
During the Fall of 2013 and Spring of 2014, Adams completed the following supporting assignments:
ECI 550:
- A Graveyard Study
- A trip to the NC Art Museum to find examples of a particular development theory (this was later presented to the ECI 550 class)
- A four-day global unit for 6th graders based on personal questioning and research
Investigation
The investigation process allows students to collect information about a different culture through appropriate first and second-hand accounts.
During the investigation of another culture, there are times when second-hand information may be used, and times when first-hand accounts of a culture should be favored.
The latter form of information gathering begs the question, "How should first-hand interactions be arranged and conducted?"
During the Fall of 2013 and Spring of 2014, Adams completed the following supporting assignments:
ECI 524:
ECI 509:
The investigation process allows students to collect information about a different culture through appropriate first and second-hand accounts.
During the investigation of another culture, there are times when second-hand information may be used, and times when first-hand accounts of a culture should be favored.
- Second-hand information: country statistics or demographics, general historical overviews, government structure, educational structure
- First-hand information: traditions, superstitions, foods, religions, important holidays, family structures, views on controversial issues
The latter form of information gathering begs the question, "How should first-hand interactions be arranged and conducted?"
- Short or long term study abroad experiences, international conferences, online interactions between students of different countries, “postcrossing” may be used
- When appropriate opportunities arise, students may ask cultural questions of their foreign peers or adults; students may discover answers to many of their questions simply by observing daily life in a foreign country, or by discerning the implicit messages in written interactions
During the Fall of 2013 and Spring of 2014, Adams completed the following supporting assignments:
ECI 524:
- A four-day global unit for 6th graders based on personal questioning and research
- A research paper summary on study abroad programs
- An interactive exchange activity with students at Beijing Royal School
ECI 509:
- A three-week study abroad program in Pskov, Russia, where Adams observed and participated in university classes, interviewed university teachers, took part in round-table discussions with university faculty, and conducted two mini-seminars on leadership
Comparison After an in-depth analysis of their own culture and, ideally, first-hand accounts of other cultures, students may use Venn Diagrams (as well as other concept mapping tools) in order to compare (and contrast) their personal cultures and unfamiliar cultures.
During the Fall of 2013 and Spring of 2014, Adams completed the following supporting assignments:
ECI 524:
ECI 509:
- Students will likely find that there are both similarities and seemingly irreconcilable differences between the two cultures
During the Fall of 2013 and Spring of 2014, Adams completed the following supporting assignments:
ECI 524:
- A four-day global unit for 6th graders based on personal questioning and research
- A summary response to the blogs of student teachers at Beijing Royal School, China
ECI 509:
- A three-week study abroad program in Pskov, Russia, where Adams observed and participated in university classes, interviewed university teachers, took part in round-table discussions with university faculty, and conducted two mini-seminars on leadership; the purpose of this experience abroad was to compare and contrast Russian and American university systems
Analysis/Synthesis: “Retrofitting” our Global Perspectives
The Analysis/Synthesis portion of the "IICASL" Model asks students to reflect on their personal views in relation to the culture that they have learned about.
Adams chose the term "retrofitting" in order to convey the idea that individual global perspectives are not static; every time we gain new information, we change our change parts of our perspectives. For students to be able to "retrofit" their perspectives, they must have truly internalized their cultural experiences.
Relevant Questions for students:
During the Fall of 2013 and Spring of 2014, Adams completed the following supporting assignments:
ECI 524:
ECI 509:
The Analysis/Synthesis portion of the "IICASL" Model asks students to reflect on their personal views in relation to the culture that they have learned about.
Adams chose the term "retrofitting" in order to convey the idea that individual global perspectives are not static; every time we gain new information, we change our change parts of our perspectives. For students to be able to "retrofit" their perspectives, they must have truly internalized their cultural experiences.
Relevant Questions for students:
- How does this new information (or new perspectives) influence who I am as an individual?
- Does it strengthen/weaken/not effect my personal values or ideas of my own culture?
- Were my personal values/personal identity respected by this new culture? Why or why not? How did the respect/lack of respect of my personal values/personal identity make me feel?
- Did I find similarities and differences between your personal culture and the new culture?
- How can I emphasize the commonalities between these cultures?
- How can I mitigate the differences that I have deemed irreconcilable?
- How do I determine if a difference is actually irreconcilable?
- How might my experiences with this cultural interaction influence future interactions with people of this culture? People of other cultures?
- How does this influence me as a global citizen? How has my experience given me a framework for interacting with foreign cultures in the future?
During the Fall of 2013 and Spring of 2014, Adams completed the following supporting assignments:
ECI 524:
- A study on Cosmopolitanism; responses to David Hansen's "Cosmopolitanism and Education: A View From the Ground" and a Summary of Kwame Appaih's book Cosmopolitanism.
ECI 509:
- A three-week study abroad program in Pskov, Russia, where Adams was able to further define her global perspectives, particularly on how she believes that countries should interact with each other.
Leadership
After undertaking the previous steps, it is up to the student to initiate and/or facilitate similar processes in others. This sounds like a huge undertaking, but as it is taught in ECI 508, leadership can take many forms.
An excerpt from Adams' ECI 508 Final Leadership Essay:
“I have spent the last month speaking with Russian students, and when I am asked what I think about Ukraine, I answer that I am not exactly “current” on politics, and I do not know what the motivations of our leaders might be. I then say that I think it is up to our generation to change the way that our countries interact. But I will not admit to being a leader, and neither will the students around me.
So who will lead us? I have come to the conclusion that I must. Every student from my [Russian] mini-seminar, every young person in the US, in Russia […] we must all personally choose leadership, even if we do so in small ways. This is the only way that we will see peace in the future.”
The full text can be found below.
During the Fall of 2013 and Spring of 2014, Adams completed the following supporting assignments:
ECI 508:
ECI 509:
After undertaking the previous steps, it is up to the student to initiate and/or facilitate similar processes in others. This sounds like a huge undertaking, but as it is taught in ECI 508, leadership can take many forms.
An excerpt from Adams' ECI 508 Final Leadership Essay:
“I have spent the last month speaking with Russian students, and when I am asked what I think about Ukraine, I answer that I am not exactly “current” on politics, and I do not know what the motivations of our leaders might be. I then say that I think it is up to our generation to change the way that our countries interact. But I will not admit to being a leader, and neither will the students around me.
So who will lead us? I have come to the conclusion that I must. Every student from my [Russian] mini-seminar, every young person in the US, in Russia […] we must all personally choose leadership, even if we do so in small ways. This is the only way that we will see peace in the future.”
The full text can be found below.
During the Fall of 2013 and Spring of 2014, Adams completed the following supporting assignments:
ECI 508:
- Leadership Musings and logs
- Final Leadership Essay
- Action Letter on the topic of study abroad experiences as a separate and formal unit of student teaching
ECI 509:
- A three-week study abroad program in Pskov, Russia, where Adams conducted two mini-seminars on leadership, participated in round-table discussions with university faculty members and participated in classes on intercultural communication.