posted on May 12, 2016 11:35
Book by: Certina J. van Schalkwyk & Rik C. D’Amato (Eds.)
Review by: Rick Malleus
This volume, the first in a two part series, seeks to provide readers an understanding of Asian students’ learning motivations, focuses on collaborative teaching techniques, and explores strategies for outcomes-based collaborative learning grounded in Asian students’ cultural beliefs.
Perhaps the most useful chapter for academic advisors is the first, Learning the Confucian Way. The chapter focuses on the methods of learning and the beliefs about learning in Asian cultures. Of particular interest may be the suggestion that students in Asian learning contexts tend to value the practical over the theoretical. Advisors of international students from Asia, in the U.S., for example, may want to use this knowledge to make certain that their advisees see value in the explanatory power of theory embedded in their classes, and that teachers who teach these students link the theoretical to the practical. Additionally, there is an interesting discussion in this chapter about active learning and the Confucian tradition. Introspection and silence may be signals Asian students send to their teachers that they are actively engaged in learning, while U.S. students may demonstrate their active engagement by asking questions and engaging in class discussions. U.S. advisors should discuss these learning engagement styles with international Asian advisees, and faculty who teach those students. Understanding that “difference does not mean inferior” (p.15) when it comes to culturally different learning styles is an important lesson for advisors and students to learn, and has implications for the academic success of those students in classrooms where preferred learning styles are not used or recognized.
Some readers may view the focus on classroom instructional design, as in chapter two or chapter five, to be a weakness of the text when reading it from an advisor’s perspective. It can be argued however, that for an academic advisor to be able to most effectively work with a student population as they navigate different classrooms, it is useful to consider the pedagogy used, in this instance, in collaborative learning environments. For example, chapter five discusses the use of software that is socially oriented, like wikis, collaborative documents, and social networks, in helping enable collaboration between learners. Providing additional rigor to the chapter, the authors provide a theoretical basis for the reader to understand the process of integrating media into the learning context.
An important reminder for academic advisors can be found in chapter four, with a call to recognize that all students, in this case specifically Asian students, “adjust their study methods to match assessment measures” (p.77). When students begin to learn and be assessed in an academic environment they are not used to, it will take time for them to adjust their study and learning habits to be most successful in the way they are evaluated. Academic advisors need to discuss this process with their students, and this chapter may be of value in considering how those conversations might be undertaken.
While some advisors might consider the focus of this text to be too teacher-oriented, the lessons academic advisors can take away from the five chapters, as the discussion in this review highlighted, make this book a worthwhile read. This is especially true for those advisors working with Asian student populations, and those interested in intercultural communication and the way culture influences collaborative knowledge co-construction.
From the Confucian Way to Collaborative Knowledge Co-Construction: New Directions for Teaching and Learning. (June, 2015). Book by Certina J. van Schalkwyk & Rik C. D’Amato (Eds.). Review by Rick Malleus. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass. 101 pp., $29.00 (Paperback). ISBN 978-1-119-10844-3
"Kama ilivyoelezwa katika makala ya ""Mwaka wa 2016"" na ""Mwaka wa 2016"" na ""Mwaka wa 2016"" na ""Mwaka wa 2016"" na ""Mwaka wa 2016"" na ""Mwaka wa 2016"" na ""Mwaka wa 2016"" na ""Mwaka wa 2016"" na ""Mwaka wa 2016"" na ""Mwaka wa 2016"" na ""Mwaka wa 2016.""" Kitabu hiki, cha kwanza katika safu ya sehemu mbili, kinajaribu kuwapa wasomaji uelewa wa msukumo wa kujifunza wa wanafunzi wa Asia, inazingatia mbinu za ufundishaji wa ushirikiano, na inachunguza mikakati ya kujifunza kwa ushirikiano kulingana na matokeo ya msingi katika imani za kitamaduni za wanafunzi wa Asia. Labda sura yenye manufaa zaidi kwa washauri wa kitaaluma ni ya kwanza, Kujifunza Njia ya Confucius. Sura hiyo inazingatia mbinu za kujifunza na itikadi kuhusu kujifunza katika tamaduni za Asia. Jambo lenye kupendeza hasa huenda likawa pendekezo kwamba wanafunzi katika mazingira ya kujifunza ya Asia huwa na mwelekeo wa kuthamini mambo ya vitendo kuliko mambo ya nadharia. Washauri wa wanafunzi wa kimataifa kutoka Asia, kwa mfano, wanaweza kutumia maarifa haya kuhakikisha kwamba washauri wao wanaona thamani katika nguvu ya ufafanuzi wa nadharia iliyoingizwa katika madarasa yao, na kwamba walimu ambao wanafundisha wanafunzi hawa wanaunganisha nadharia na vitendo. Kwa kuongezea, kuna majadiliano ya kuvutia katika sura hii kuhusu kujifunza kwa bidii na utamaduni wa Confucius. Kujiuliza na kukaa kimya inaweza kuwa ishara ya wanafunzi wa Asia kuwa wanafanya kazi kwa bidii katika kujifunza, wakati wanafunzi wa Marekani wanaweza kuonyesha ushiriki wao kwa kuuliza maswali na kushiriki katika majadiliano ya darasa. Washauri wa Marekani wanapaswa kujadili mitindo hii ya ushiriki wa kujifunza na washauri wa kimataifa wa Asia, na walimu ambao wanafundisha wanafunzi hao. Kuelewa kwamba tofauti haimaanishi chini linapokuja mitindo tofauti ya kujifunza ni somo muhimu kwa washauri na wanafunzi kujifunza, na ina athari kwa mafanikio ya kitaaluma ya wanafunzi katika madarasa ambapo mitindo ya kujifunza inayopendekezwa haitumiki au kutambuliwa. Wasomaji wengine wanaweza kuona kuzingatia muundo wa mafundisho ya darasani, kama ilivyo katika sura ya pili au sura ya tano, kuwa udhaifu wa maandishi wakati wa kuisoma kutoka kwa mtazamo wa mshauri. Hata hivyo, inaweza kusisitizwa kwamba kwa mshauri wa kitaaluma kuwa na uwezo wa kufanya kazi kwa ufanisi zaidi na idadi ya wanafunzi wakati wao navigate madarasa tofauti, ni muhimu kuzingatia pedagogy kutumika, katika kesi hii, katika mazingira ya kujifunza ushirikiano. Kwa mfano, sura ya tano inazungumzia matumizi ya programu ambayo ni kijamii oriented, kama vile wikis, hati ushirikiano, na mitandao ya kijamii, katika kusaidia kuwezesha ushirikiano kati ya wanafunzi. Kwa kuongeza ukali wa sura hii, waandishi hutoa msingi wa kinadharia kwa msomaji kuelewa mchakato wa kuunganisha vyombo vya habari katika muktadha wa kujifunza. Kumbuka muhimu kwa washauri wa kitaaluma inaweza kupatikana katika sura ya nne, na wito wa kutambua kwamba wanafunzi wote, katika kesi hii hasa wanafunzi wa Asia, <unk> kurekebisha mbinu zao za masomo ili mechi vipimo <unk> (p.77). Wanafunzi wanaanza kujifunza na kutathminiwa katika mazingira ya kitaaluma ambayo hawajazoea, itachukua muda kwa ajili yao kurekebisha masomo yao na tabia za kujifunza ili kuwa na mafanikio zaidi katika njia wanayokadiriwa. Washauri wa kitaaluma wanahitaji kujadili mchakato huu na wanafunzi wao, na sura hii inaweza kuwa na thamani katika kuzingatia jinsi mazungumzo hayo yanaweza kufanywa. Ingawa baadhi ya washauri wanaweza kuzingatia lengo la maandishi haya kuwa zaidi ya mwalimu-oriented, masomo washauri wa kitaaluma wanaweza kuchukua mbali kutoka sura tano, kama majadiliano katika mapitio haya alisisitiza, kufanya kitabu hiki thamani ya kusoma. Hii ni kweli hasa kwa wale washauri wanaofanya kazi na idadi ya wanafunzi wa Asia, na wale wanaopendezwa na mawasiliano ya kitamaduni na jinsi utamaduni unavyoathiri ujenzi wa pamoja wa maarifa. Kutoka Confucian Njia kwa ushirikiano maarifa Co-Ujenzi: New Directions kwa ajili ya Kufundisha na Kujifunza. (Juni, 2015) Kitabu na Certina J. van Schalkwyk & Rik C. D<unk>Amato (Eds.). Mapitio na Rick Malleus. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass. (Soma ukurasa wa 101, ukurasa wa 29 na ukurasa wa 29 wa 29) ISBN: 978-119-10843