Student Services

Nicola PeacockSusannah DoyleStudent Services

January 2012

Engaging a diverse student population in a student facing role

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Learning objectives

• to have learned more about your own attitudes to the culturally different

•to have an increased awareness of some of the issues faced by a diversity of students and their perspective on student life

•to have explored ways of communicating to improve engagement

•Improved confidence

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We wish to focus on the practicalities of engagement.

We DO NOT intend to explore:

•Moral, ethical or legal debates around why any adjustments are made for international or disabled students at all

•Cultural theory and debates about conceptualising the ‘other’

•University recruitment policies – the cultural ‘mix’

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Who are we talking about?

•Me

•You

•….potentially anybody who we perceive as being culturally different to ourselves, to include disability, race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, age, religion

Today – ‘international students’ and students with a disability

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Mindfulness or Mindfullness?

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In pairs

•How did it feel to really observe others? •How easy was it to identify your thoughts or judgements about others?

•Can you think of a situation in which you made a judgement or assumption about someone that was not helpful or turned out to be completely untrue?

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‘Categorizing is a fundamental and natural human activity. It is the way we come to know the world. Any attempt to eliminate bias by attempting to eliminate the perception of differences is doomed to failure’ Langer (1989)

Making assumptions,,Making assumptions

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Mindful communication

•Taking a moment to notice the thoughts that are going through your mind

•Asking yourself, where is this thought coming from? Is this fact or fantasy? On what information am I basing my judgement?

•Creating the space to consider other perspectives, being able to empathise

•With conscious awareness, realising you have a choice to act in new ways (not react in old ways, automatically, unconsciously)

•Being curious about yourself and others

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Barriers to communication

Little Britain:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpiAhxaE_oI

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Research with UK and international students exploring barriers to integration

The risks that UK students perceived in communicating with culturally different (international students) were;

•The risk of an unsatisfying interaction (language barriers, conversation more time consuming, more mentally challenging, more prone to misunderstanding)

•The risk of causing offence or political incorrectness – being seen as ‘stupid’ or ‘racist’ by peers

•The risk to academic performance (differences in work orientation and language barriers impacting group work)

Peacock and Harrison (2009)

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Discuss these three questions with a partner

•What does this human being have in common with me as another human being?

•How is this person different to or the same as me in terms of how I perceive their (and my) cultural upbringing?

•How is this individuals person unique? How am I unique?

Who are you culturally speaking?

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"Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves."

Jung (psychoanalyst)

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Summary so far

Get to know yourself!!

• -what judgements and assumptions do you make about others?

• -what might stop you from communicating mindfully?

• who are you culturally speaking?

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1)    How many students with Aspergers at UOB (numbers NOT %)? 2) How many students with a disclosed disability at UOB (numbers

NOT %)? 3)    How many students identify themselves as Black British at the

University of Bath? 4)    How many of us will suffer with a mental health issue in our

lifetime in the UK? 5)    What percentage of people in the UK are registered as being

born with a disability? 6)    How many (full time and part time) overseas (fee paying)

international students are currently studying at the UOB? a)    at PG level        b)    at UG level      7)    What percentage of international (fee paying and EU) students

are recorded as being of Chinese Nationality ? 8)    Numbers of students with general psychological wellbeing

issues who accessed the Health and Wellbeing Team Counselling Service at UOB in 2010/11

9)  Numbers of international students (EU and overseas) accessing counselling?

10) What is the name of the online E+D training?

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Equality Act

•Equality Act 2010•The following characteristics are protected characteristics—•age;•disability;•gender reassignment;•marriage and civil partnership;•pregnancy and maternity;•race;•religion or belief;•sex;•sexual orientation.

•Disability•(1)A person (P) has a disability if— •(a)P has a physical or mental impairment, and •(b)the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on P's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

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Disability Trends

•Aspergers syndrome- increased numbers year on year

•Visually Impaired/blind students in lab based subjects

•Of the overall total of disclosed disabilities dyslexia makes up 63%

•Better diagnosis in school/FE- what that may mean for HEI’s

•Better longer term outlook for medical conditions (CF for example)- what that may mean for HEI’s

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The Canary in the Coalmine (Carroll, 2004)

Whatever affects our student population negatively is likely to affect students first and more intensely if:

•English is not a first language•They are studying in an academic culture different to their own (rules are often implicit)•They do not have established support networks close by •They feel like an outsider, they are in a minority, they look different•Social and cultural norms are different•They do not have access to familiar sources of comfort (food, films, places, pastimes) •The pressure to fulfil parental expectations are high•They face bureaucratic (and often very stressful) demands related to their visa or funding•They face illness, trauma or academic failure and have to negotiate the unfamiliarity of the NHS, University systems, engage with the police •They need a guarantor enabling them to rent a house in the private sector

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Summary so far…

2) Get to know something about the individuals and the groups you are working with

-be aware of the dangers of stereotyping

-be open to experiencing things from a different perspective

-facts and figures

-important issues

-don’t be afraid to ask questions

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Have a look at the scenarios provided and consider the following questions (10 minutes):

1. What assumptions am I making about this student that may be helpful or unhelpful?

2. What do I know about people from this country? Who have this disability? Is this helpful or not helpful?

3. How do I feel in this situation?4. What do my feelings say about me, who I am, what my values

are? 5. What might be the barriers to communication here?6. What might I do automatically without thinking?7. What alternative ways of communicating might there be?

You don’t have to answer all the questions!!

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To end..

Each table has 2 sets of post-its. Spend 5 minutes in your group sharing any interesting observations that have come out of your discussions. Write on separate post its.

Write down any ‘top tips’ for better communication. This could be about writing down a scenario or it could be about exploring the scenarios in pairs.

* You might want to think about which questions you found it difficult to answer and why*

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Top tips

•Listen and hear•Take time•Ask questions•Don’t assume•Speak clearly but don’t patronise (end each word)•No slang! Or teach it! •Speak to the person – not the disability, the carer•Don’t necessarily speak more loudly•Be creative (drawing? Writing? Metaphor?)•Admit failure, misunderstandings•Check understanding (what are they going to do as a result of your interaction?)•Consider different perspectives •Empathise

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Learning objectives

•to have learned more about your own attitudes to the culturally different

•to have an increased awareness of some of the issues faced by a diversity of students and their perspective on student life

•to have explored ways of communicating to improve engagement

•improved confidence

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References:

Carroll, J. and Ryan, J. (2005) Teaching International Students – Improving learning for all, Routledge, Oxon

Langer, E. (1989) in Barker, V. (?) Mindful Communication in Cross-Cultural OrganizationsSourced on 11/1/12 at http://www.valeriebarker.net/Pubs/Mindfulness1.pdf

Peacock, N. and Harrison, N. (2009) Interactions in the International Classroom in Internationalisation and Student Voice (2010) Jones, E. (Ed)