Good Writer 64 | - ✏ Freelance Writer
Nov 17, 2015 | #1
INSTRUCTIONS:
A 500 word reflection on the issues and ideas explored in the reading. The purpose of the response assignment is to encourage deep engagement with the readings, the ideas and any opportunities that you see may connect to your future practice as a teacher. You may raise questions, critique or synthesize the ideas that inform each reading.
Assignments will be marked to cohesion and fluency. Please establish the focus of your response in the introduction; cite examples and ideas that you take directly from the readings and please follow proper APA citation for direct quotations.
Please proofread your work for grammar, spelling and mechanics; misspellings, shifting verb tenses, fragments, run-ons, etc. are considered to be significant errors.
Double space and include a reference list when applicable. You are not expected to use resources outside of the assigned readings. You may write in the first person ("I").
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Reading Reflection: Chapter One
In this first chapter, Tarq provides a compelling justification for his critical focus upon the role of intercultural contexts in shaping the pedagogy of the international education movement. When individuals discuss globalization, they are often primarily concerned with issues such as politics or economics. However, the internationalization of education creates new connections for people that transgress national and cultural boundaries.
I also appreciated his identification of the many manifestations of internationalization within the educational context. He listed "study abroad, aboriginal education, multicultural education, international schooling" as examples (p. 3). This list points to the diversity within the international education movement. Study abroad is certainly not a new phenomenon. However, multicultural education and aboriginal education are more recent developments. Each of these modes of international education provide a fertile landscape for critical inquiry and discussion.
I also found his identification of education as a business remarkably surprising. As academics, we have a tendency to focus upon the pure motivation of education, aiming to expand the minds of the students. However, education is also a business and international students are a powerful consumer class. Schools aiming to recruit international students must develop marketing strategies to generate interest and gain their financial commitment. Within this context, intercultural competency integrated seamlessly into the overarching pedagogy becomes a significant business advantage.
Tarq's identification of the opportunities for international education have direct applications to my own life. As he explains, "For those so positioned, never before have the opportunities for international education been as pronounced as in the present movement" (p. 6). As an international student myself, I recognize how my education at a Canadian institution provides me with many important advantages. At a Canadian university, I am being exposed to a culture that is new to me. My instructors offer perspectives, knowledge and experiences very different from the instructors in my home nation. I am also learning by interacting with students who are not Korean and do not share my culture. I also have the opportunity to advance my professional skill set with international experience, which will help me to get a good teaching job and earn a living.
Tarq also identifies some issues with international education that I have also experienced. For example, education has often traditionally functioned within a nation as a means for crafting a national identity. The presence of international students can disrupt, undermine and challenge that function. At times, I have felt not entirely comfortable within the international classroom. I have definitely experienced a feeling of homesickness and I have struggled with feelings of marginalization.
After completing this reading, I started to see how international education's impact can be limited by other factors, particularly ethnic cues such as language mastery or accent. After graduation, I believe my opportunities will continue to be impacted by the dualism of opportunity and challenge. As a Korean, I will have the opportunity to return to Korea and teach students with that nation. My experience in Canada will enhance my personal pedagogy and hopefully make me a better teacher. However, I am not certain that simply being a student in Canada would prepare me for a career to teach in Canada. I would still be at risk of hardships stemming from a language barrier because English is not my first language. I am left wondering what other educational opportunities exist in Canada and how I might find them.
Reference: Tarq. (n.d.). Chapter One The rise of international education: Expanded opportunities, new complications.
A 500 word reflection on the issues and ideas explored in the reading. The purpose of the response assignment is to encourage deep engagement with the readings, the ideas and any opportunities that you see may connect to your future practice as a teacher. You may raise questions, critique or synthesize the ideas that inform each reading.
Assignments will be marked to cohesion and fluency. Please establish the focus of your response in the introduction; cite examples and ideas that you take directly from the readings and please follow proper APA citation for direct quotations.
Please proofread your work for grammar, spelling and mechanics; misspellings, shifting verb tenses, fragments, run-ons, etc. are considered to be significant errors.
Double space and include a reference list when applicable. You are not expected to use resources outside of the assigned readings. You may write in the first person ("I").
------
Reading Reflection: Chapter One
The Rise of International Education: Expanded Opportunities, New Complications
In this first chapter, Tarq provides a compelling justification for his critical focus upon the role of intercultural contexts in shaping the pedagogy of the international education movement. When individuals discuss globalization, they are often primarily concerned with issues such as politics or economics. However, the internationalization of education creates new connections for people that transgress national and cultural boundaries.I also appreciated his identification of the many manifestations of internationalization within the educational context. He listed "study abroad, aboriginal education, multicultural education, international schooling" as examples (p. 3). This list points to the diversity within the international education movement. Study abroad is certainly not a new phenomenon. However, multicultural education and aboriginal education are more recent developments. Each of these modes of international education provide a fertile landscape for critical inquiry and discussion.
I also found his identification of education as a business remarkably surprising. As academics, we have a tendency to focus upon the pure motivation of education, aiming to expand the minds of the students. However, education is also a business and international students are a powerful consumer class. Schools aiming to recruit international students must develop marketing strategies to generate interest and gain their financial commitment. Within this context, intercultural competency integrated seamlessly into the overarching pedagogy becomes a significant business advantage.
Tarq's identification of the opportunities for international education have direct applications to my own life. As he explains, "For those so positioned, never before have the opportunities for international education been as pronounced as in the present movement" (p. 6). As an international student myself, I recognize how my education at a Canadian institution provides me with many important advantages. At a Canadian university, I am being exposed to a culture that is new to me. My instructors offer perspectives, knowledge and experiences very different from the instructors in my home nation. I am also learning by interacting with students who are not Korean and do not share my culture. I also have the opportunity to advance my professional skill set with international experience, which will help me to get a good teaching job and earn a living.
Tarq also identifies some issues with international education that I have also experienced. For example, education has often traditionally functioned within a nation as a means for crafting a national identity. The presence of international students can disrupt, undermine and challenge that function. At times, I have felt not entirely comfortable within the international classroom. I have definitely experienced a feeling of homesickness and I have struggled with feelings of marginalization.
After completing this reading, I started to see how international education's impact can be limited by other factors, particularly ethnic cues such as language mastery or accent. After graduation, I believe my opportunities will continue to be impacted by the dualism of opportunity and challenge. As a Korean, I will have the opportunity to return to Korea and teach students with that nation. My experience in Canada will enhance my personal pedagogy and hopefully make me a better teacher. However, I am not certain that simply being a student in Canada would prepare me for a career to teach in Canada. I would still be at risk of hardships stemming from a language barrier because English is not my first language. I am left wondering what other educational opportunities exist in Canada and how I might find them.
Reference: Tarq. (n.d.). Chapter One The rise of international education: Expanded opportunities, new complications.