Teaching Practices in a Global Learning Environment – Hanne Tange

The seminar will begin with an oral presentation, focusing on the following themes:

Teaching practices: starting from Practice Theory, I argue that international higher education involves 1) the ‘teaching of practice’, or transfer of specific skills/understandings recognised in the system, and 2) the act of teaching, or teachers’ ‘doings & sayings’ in the classroom. Arguably, both types of practical understanding are affected by internationalization. 

Internationalization as transformative change: while there is a consensus that internationalization necessitates changes, what change is foregrounded depends on the approach is taken. Common is the cross-cultural perspective, highlighting international-ness in the form of diverse nationalities and languages. Within this tradition, the focus has been on acculturation, motivating the treatment of non-natives as ‘deficit learners’ struggling for linguistic or cultural reasons.  To challenge this, I suggest a second approach, recognising all students as possible ‘transition learners’. Transition concerns mobility between disciplines, institutions, general BA/specialized MA, educational system as well as national/linguistic contexts, which may result in the lack of practical knowledge, causing some to seek help from the teachers. Tuning in to such ‘noise’ is important, as it draws attention to the implicit understandings and norms found within a program or institution. 

Teachers of practice: the third part zooms in on routinized action and interaction in the classroom, offering examples of divergent practical understandings. Of particular interest are exam forms , because these often involve tacit knowledge routinized within a discipline or program,  yet are presented as standards.

Suggested reading for the seminar is chapters 1 and 11 in Teaching Practices in a Global Learning Environment.

Hanne Tange is Associate Professor at the Department of Culture and Learning at the University of Aalborg. Her research interests include multiculturalism in civil society, intercultural citizenship, inclusion and diversity, and cultural representations. Among her many publications are Teaching Practices in a Global Learning Environment: An Interdisciplinary Take on International Education (Routledge, 2020) and articles on language, policy, and intercultural encounters in higher education. Read more about Hanne here.

Seminar language: English.