TIP: Tailored Intercultural Pedagogy for teachers working with cross-border learners

With new rigour being introduced to literacy and numeracy in the Curriculum, there is a fresh focus on supporting new settler and long-stay international students to meet raised standards. The capacity to do so is, in some cases, constrained by limited knowledge of students' cross-border experience, English language proficiency and learning backgrounds. This means teachers aren't necessarily equipped to practise Ausubel's famous dictum: “The most important single factor influencing learning is what the learner already knows. Ascertain this and teach [sic.] accordingly.” (Ausubel, 1968). It is not altogether surprising that recent research has identified refugee-background learners as being “invisible in New Zealand’s education system” (Anderson et al., p. 14, 2023).

Tertiary teachers in Aotearoa are, in general, not required to undertake teacher training. The International Education Association is working with educators to develop pedagogic tools for lecturers and tutors engaging diverse student cohorts that include cross-border learners. The TIP training package for tertiary teachers is designed to support those teaching diverse cohorts and delivering courses for fledgling transnational education programmes (TNE). Currently, there is ambiguity with respect to the Code implications for offshore programmes. This training will focus on enabling a “dragnet pedagogy” responsive to the different cultural instincts, English language proficiencies and learning expectations that offshore learners bring, i.e, crafting Code-responsive practice. 

Training includes the following components, and the mode of delivery is adapted to sub-sector and host institution contexts:

1. (i) Introduction to the objectives, polices and practices of the international education sector; (ii)  Refugee-background learners' multi-varied needs (school sector) are highlighted; (iii) Salient clauses are identified in the 2021 Education Code of Practice, and their significance for teachers is discussed.

2. Supporting entry-level English users: An introduction to up-to-date tools for mainstream subject teachers without TESOL/Linguistics backgrounds to assist their use of language that is accessible for entry-level English learners. 

3. Emergent issues: An overview of perennial and current student learning-wellbeing issues. This will include reference to social isolation, mismatched expectations, at-risk international learners, learner unfamiliarity with teaching approaches, and academic misconduct. Effective interactive strategies are presented and discussed, e.g. Socratic dialogue, scaffolding and collaborative learning (Bryce & Blown, 2023).

There are Pioneer Partner opportunities and discounts for early adopters. For more information, contact chris.beard@isana.nz 

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References 

Ausubel, D. P. (1968). Educational psychology: a cognitive view. Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

Anderson, V., Ortiz-Ayala, A., Mostolizadeh, S. (Ali), Burgin, A., Oranje, J., Fraser-Smith, A., Laufiso, P., Cooke, J., & Atkins, G. (2023). Refugee-background students in Aotearoa: Supporting successful secondary to tertiary education transitions. Teaching & Learning Research Initiative, 2–18.

Bryce, T. G. K., & Blown, E. J. (2023). Ausubel's meaningful learning re-visited. Current psychology (New Brunswick, N.J.), 1–20. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04440-4