Aug 21

Interview with Aman Ali and Bassam Tariq from “30mosques.com”

By Missy Gluckmann Cordoba House, International Education Tools, International Education Week, Islam, Middle East, Multicultural Lives, Muslims, Research, Uncategorized 4 Comments »

That's me on the right, at the Masjid Ash-Shaheed mosque, enjoying conversation with some fabulous women. (Photo courtesy of Bassam Tariq, from www.30mosques.com)

I have been writing a lot about Islam lately and my last post was about 2 young New Yorkers, Aman Ali and Bassam Tariq, who are currently traveling to 30 mosques in 30 days.   I have been fascinated by their journey and the controversy surrounding the proposed Islamic Center near Ground Zero. I realized that while I write about Islam, have Muslim friends and have been to mosques before, I have never actually attended a prayer service at a mosque.  So, I decided it was time to experience this.  I contacted Aman and Bassam to find out where they’d be on the east coast and I managed to meet up with them at the Masjid Ash-Shaheed in Charlotte, North Carolina (US) on August 17th. Here is my interview with these 2 delightful guys.  Please check it out and then read on to hear my thoughts on my experience breaking fast with them and the congregation at Masjid Ash-Shaheed.   http://www.vimeo.com/14316792

(Please note that any edits in this interview are simply to cut out my voice or any of Aman or Bassam’s verbal “hiccups”;  no content was cut from this interview.)

I didn’t take any photos of the mosque or the people I met.  I interviewed Aman and Bassam and then put the camera away.  I felt it was important to focus on my experience, my thoughts, observations and feelings.  I didn’t bring in my notebook or pen.  I wanted to experience this visit to a mosque as I’ve experienced religious services at churches and synagogues over the years with friends and family.

I put a pink scarf over my head and entered the mosque, which as Bassam describes in the video, was a small, one level structure. From the road it looked like a little office building).  The women were putting out a beautiful display of food for break fast in the small lobby area.  I was warmly greeted by several women (who had no idea who I was or why I was there. It appeared to be a primarily African American congregation. Many men were also in the lobby and shared kind greetings. But the sisterhood definitely prevailed here; the women hugged me and introduced me to other women.  I offered to help in the kitchen, but they were all set, so I gravitated toward a little girl who reminded me of my niece. I have often found in my life that children are our best teachers. She was 8 years old and proved to support my belief that when you want information, ask a kid!  I told her it was my first time at a mosque for prayer and asked if she could help me.  She told me that there was a prayer room with white lines on the floor and that we take off our shoes and go in and stay behind the “boys” and we line our toes up along the white line.  And then she relayed the movements for the prayer including the kneeling/bowing and the expressions in Arabic that I should listen for.  She told me to put my hands upon my chest, but that my right hand should be over my left. (I later asked an adult why this was important. She indicated that there is some evidence that Mohammad prayed this way, or with his hands to his sides.) Then the little girl quickly switched subjects, telling me all about her school, her friends and how her bus stop is not super close to her house but around a corner. Ah, from the mouths of babes…. :)

When the call for prayer came, the congregants moved to the table of water and dates.  They each sipped some water and ate a date, then took off their shoes and headed into the prayer room. One of the women came over to explain to me that when breaking fast, it was important to eat something “natural” first.  The women entered the communal prayer space through a different door and we lined up along the white line in the back of the room. The men lined up in the front.  The women coached me to stand close together, with our arms nearly touching. I simply followed along, as the prayer was in Arabic, so I was simply mimicking what I observed around me. There was some standing, some kneeling, some bowing, some hand gestures, some repeating of phrases. Yup, it reminded me of a bit of church but without the pew….and a bit of the synagogue, as I didn’t understand the language there either!  But I knew that there was something being said that was resonating deeply with the congregants and that was giving them peace and strength.  Toward the end of the approximate 10 minute prayer, a women explained to me that the congregants were repeating some silent phrases about God and counting the number of times that they said them on their fingers (using their thumb on the right hands to touch their other fingers to keep count.)  At the end we all cupped our hands in front of our faces to pray and then took our cupped hands and ran them over our head, faces and down our bodies.  The woman explained that the prayer was washing away sins and that the good of the prayer was in our cupped hands, so we were to wash it over our bodies. I later asked someone what the prayer was about – and because I left the journalist in me outside the mosque, I can’t tell you verbatim what was said. However, I do recall that the gist of it was thanking God and taking time to be close to God.

When we were done, the brother leading the prayer announced that Aman and Bassam were part of the 30mosques.com project and he welcomed them and wished them a safe journey.  And then he joked about their New York accents and everyone had a good laugh. And he giggled as he told us that his stomach was growling, so it was time to eat!

We left the room and the men set up tables in the same space for us to break fast.  We all served ourselves from the huge buffet that was prepared by the women before our arrival.  Several congregants also brought covered dishes and non-alcoholic drinks.  I sat with a group of women and we talked a lot about the same things I talk about with friends at home. At one point, we were hysterically laughing about our common experiences dropping our cell phones in water (including one woman’s story about going to the bathroom and hearing the phone plop into the water…and literally saying out loud “oh no you did NOT just fall into the toilet!” We gabbed about how we have all had to figure out how to dry out the battery when that happens (rice in a bag was the agreed upon best method.)  We talked about recycling.  We talked about shopping at Walmart. We talked about work.  It was life. Every day conversation. Except this time my new friends and I were all wearing scarves to cover our heads because Islam believes that the headscarf is an outer manifestation of an inner commitment to worship Allah – that is it a commitment to piety.  As a visitor to this mosque, I was fine covering my head, just as I’d be covering myself while visiting a more conservative church or synagogue.  I did catch myself, a couple of times, having to check that the scarf was still on though. I’m clearly not well versed in the beautiful craft work required to cover my head completely with a scarf – but I did okay considering I’m no fashionista!

In the interview, you heard Aman and Bassam offer me sage advice when I asked them about the role of women in Islam.  I took this advice and asked several of the women about their role and the perceptions of how women are “treated” in their faith.  One women shook her head gently and told me that her faith doesn’t oppress her at all.  She said it gives her the strength to be a good mother, her most important role.  She said that men and women inherently are different and that Islam simply recognizes this.  She said if someone feels oppressed, it is because they allow themselves to be. Another woman told me that women praying behind men is simply a way to avoid any distraction. She said it allows her to focus on her prayer and not feel self conscious of others looking at her.  My sense is that the women had a very strong sisterhood and that any issues with gender were mostly from outsiders, not internal.

Based on our conversation about the subject, one of the women I met with did give me a pamphlet about the status of women in Islam.  It closes by saying:  “There does exist a gap between the rights of women outlined in the Qur’an and the prevalent reality in the Muslim world.  However, images of Muslim women as ignorant, oppressed and submissive are stereotypical.  They do no justice to the large number of Muslim women whose conviction in Islamic concepts of family, cohesiveness, happiness and individuality ensures their sense of self- fulfillment.” In my experience at this mosque, the women that I spoke with appreciated their roles and contributions in their religion, embraced the sisterhood and valued their religious community.  No one was forcing them to be there; they were there because they have deep faith and feel comforted by it, similar to what I’ve experienced congregants in churches and synagogue services.

I did have a conversation with one woman who felt that there is a huge challenge for women in the faith. She said she has been to mosques that have a separate entrance for women and that it makes her feel less than valued in the structure.  Having traveled to Muslim countries, I had a sense of what it feels like to not be treated the same as a woman would be in the US.  But I also recognized that I was not in the US, and shouldn’t expect things to be the same.  I don’t go to a mosque regularly and I’m not Muslim, so I don’t feel that it is right for me to tell a Muslim woman how to feel about her faith.  Each mosque has its own norms and I can see from reading the 30mosques.com site that there is a wide range of experience within each community despite the common denominator of Islam. Clearly, it is a sensitive issue – and perhaps Aman and Bassam say it best in the video above – if you have questions about this issue, ask a Muslim woman. I’m really glad that I did.

Personally, professionally and spiritually, this was easily one of the most beautiful learning experiences that I’ve had on my life’s journey.  I am grateful for the opportunity and thank the people of Masjid Ash-Shaheed for welcoming me with such open arms. I’d also like thank Aman and Bassam for taking the time to speak with me and Melibee readers – and for allowing me to tag along for this leg of the journey.  To read more about this stop in Charlotte, check out Aman and Bassam’s blog entry.  And be sure to check out their overall journey as we can all learn something from their bird’s eye view! Meanwhile, I look forward to your comments.

(By the way,  if you would like a good laugh, check out Aman’s stand up comedy web page. He and Bassam are very talented outside of their 30mosques.com lives!)

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Jun 11

BEVI: Beliefs, Events and Values Inventory Update from Pennsylvania

By Missy Gluckmann Forum on Education Abroad, International Education Tools, Professional Development, Repatriation, Research, Uncategorized 3 Comments »

I am writing from the BEVI (Beliefs, Events and Values Inventory) training in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, US. I learned about the BEVI at the Forum on Education Abroad Conference earlier this year.  

While I will be filming Dr. Craig Shealy, founder of the BEVI later today for a future blog posting, I thought I would give you a preview of the training so far.

By way of introduction, the BEVI is designed to assess a number of relevant processes and constructs including (but not limited to):  basic open receptivity to different cultures, religions, and social practices; the tendency (or not) to stereotype in particular ways; self and emotional awareness; and strategies for making sense of why ‘other’ people and cultures ‘do what they do’.  

Dr. Shealy started our certification training by having us actually take the BEVI online.  It took about 40 minutes and we each answered, in strict confidence, a series of questions related to our demographics, personal histories and upbringing.  We were then asked 336 questions about our beliefs, life events and values that required answering with either “strongly agree, agree, disagree or strongly disagree.”  There was no room for being wishy washy – you had to dig deep and answer questions that evoked feelings and emotion, ranging from how you were raised to your opinion about the environment. The BEVI successfully hones in on thoughts we have but don’t necessarily speak to others about.

BEVI emphasizes that there are no right or wrong answers and that there is no judgment attached – it is simply a way to collect information and ultimately create a confidential report that can be used by the reader as a summary of the individual’s world view and how learning can be considered as a result of the BEVI findings. Ultimately, the BEVI looks at who learns what, under what circumstances and to what degree.

Several schools are here for the training – some, simply to explore the tool and how it can be used in a learning environment, while one university is actually having a sample of freshmen take the BEVI at orientation this summer (it is not mandated, but a volunteer request) before the students’ first semester and then having the sample population retake the BEVI at the end of their junior year or beginning of their senior year, to see if and how the group’s world view has changed.  They are also asking participants to create an electronic portfolio, where they can deposit copies of course papers and other pieces of work that related to international, global and multicultural learning.

It seems that the BEVI can be used in a variety of ways:

- looking at world view of a cohort in a class or study abroad/international program (study abroad, service learning abroad, etc)

- a tool for Multicultural and Human Resource offices 

- as an assessment tool , perhaps prior to freshman year and then after an international experience/multicultural focused course

- exploring what type of experience the student may be ready to have, perhaps in an advising capacity (with the student’s permission, obviously, as the BEVI generates a confidential report)

- perhaps as a tool in re-entry workshops

As mentioned earlier, I will soon have a video interview of the BEVI’s founder, Dr. Craig Shealy, so that you can hear more about this new inventory tool.

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May 30

Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication (SIIC)

By Missy Gluckmann International Education Tools, Multicultural Lives, Professional Development, Research No Comments »

Intercultural communication humor!

I am a passionate life long learner. This summer I am taking a graduate level class: The History of the South (that is, the South of the U.S.).  While I already have a Masters from the School for International Training, I am a firm believer that education is not a destination, but rather a life long journey that has ebbs and flows.  This will be my 2nd graduate level class in U.S. History – a subject that I am very curious about and one that directly relates to my work as an intercultural educator because it is important to know where the value structure of a country comes from to understand its culture.

Each summer I make a list of professional training opportunities to consider, and then I make a short list of what is “realistic” in terms of time, funding, and work/life balance. After careful consideration, I opted for the History course and the BEVI training for a variety of reasons.  However, if time and resources permitted, I would have liked to attended training at the Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication (SIIC) in Portland, Oregon, US.  In fact, I wish that the SIIC had a virtual training option for those of us who cannot easily get to the west coast!

SIIC has a 34 year history of providing professional development in intercultural communication. It is part of the Intercultural Communication Institute (ICI), a private, nonprofit foundation designed to foster an awareness and appreciation of cultural differences in both the international and domestic arenas.

Their workshops are appropriate for intercultural trainers, human resource and diversity managers, educators, international administrators and those who work across diverse teams.  In fact, it is really an appropriate training program for anyone who wants to learn more about building bridges among cultural differences as well as simply understanding why we are the way we are.

Their summer institute is offering four summer sessions this year including one, three and five day workshops.  Some of particular interest include:

New Narratives in Intercultural Education and Training - facilitated by Milton Bennett. This one excites me because I want to know what new models exist out there instead of recreating the same theories repeatedly. How can we look at the work that we do from a different lens?  And how could we miss an opportunity to learn from Milton Bennett?  He is a guru in our field!

Mapping the Intercultural Self: Using Visual Journaling to Create an Atlas of Experience – facilitated by Patricia (Patti) Digh and David Robinson.  This appeals to me because it is a unique way to explore culture.  Participants are instructed to bring art supplies – which sounds like a fabulous creative outlet when exploring your intercultural self. And I must add that one of the facilitators, Ms. Digh, sounds like an unbelievable woman! Anyone who writes a book about living with intention is a rock star in my humble opinion. Furthering her potential “rock star status” is that she lives in Asheville, North Carolina (US), one of the coolest places on our dear planet.

China: A Critical-Culture Briefing – facilitated by George Renwick. A dedicated training on China by one of the world’s leading experts on East/West cultural dialogue. What else do I need to say?  I simply will add that I met George Renwick years ago during my days at Cartus and learned more in a 20 minute conversation with him about China then I did in 4 years of college. Enough said!

While I won’t be able to attend SIIC this summer, I hope that you’ll consider doing so. And if you can’t get out to the west coast of the US this year, make sure to sit down and assess your professional development opportunities.  Whether it is traveling abroad, attending a conference, drilling down in a country specific training or making a list of books that will help you to grow as an educator and person, make sure to take the time to explore on your educational journey. Life is too short and too precious not to!

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Mar 26

Forum on Education Abroad Conference: Recent Research on Student Learning and Development Through Study Abroad

By Missy Gluckmann Forum on Education Abroad, Research No Comments »

Will attempt to post during this session at the Forum on Education Abroad Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina (USA):

Patricia Chow presented on the IIE Open Doors report review:

262, 416 US Students studied abroad in 2007/08 (8.5% increase over the previous year.) Women outnumber men two to one in study abroad.

Bernhard Steitwieser (Northwestern University):  Discussed new theoretical model to create a diagnostic inventory for their students (student learning in International Education.)  It is in a very early phase. It should be useful for program design and assessment.  Using something called “Phenomenology Methodology” which researches different ways that students learn during a particular shared phenomenon (international experience.)  Methodology looks at concrete experience, then drilling down to specific experiences. 

So far, found 4 different areas of conception of an international experience:
1) Observing  2) Interacting  3) Participating and  4) Adopting.  These are hierarchical.

Dr. Deirdre Sato (Purchase College):  Dissertation research was on the impact of short term study at a liberal arts college in the Northeastern United States.  Programs were 5 week summer programs in China, France, Italy and Spain that took place between 2003-07.  Research was done once student were alumni. Gender was 71% female.  Largest reply from Italy – which was the largest program. Findings included a wider choice sof academic studies  – they were open to other subject areas upon return. Didn’t see a strong influence of short term programs on career development series of questions. Some students were in internationally related careers, but the numbers were small. Some referenced skills they gained abroad including interviewing skills.  Were more open to study or living abroad in the future.  Host country attitudes – how they viewed the host country values.  They had little knowledge of the host culture prior to going abroad; they did not worry about people being unfriendly toward  them. They felt that they knew the country well upon return. Tended to focus on points of similarity. Students were able to make the connection that they could negotiate their host country and could transfer that skill to other countries.  She also looked at global perspectives.  One of the strongest average agreement was “I do not judge or discount the interests of others that I don’t know, even if they’re not compatible with my own.” Students did express that they had issues upon re-entry, more so than arrival culture shock.  Appx 48% changed their opinions about the US upon re-entry.  Students were reflective of their home country upon their return. Re-entry stress did impact personal and social development – such as maturity, self confidence and appreciation of the arts. Alumni indicated the difficulty of being an American post 9/11 to a large extent. Students were compelled to review how they view themselves, especially after the start of the Iraq War. They often felt compelled to be a role model for the United States and talking about U.S. politics more than ever before.  They felt ill equipped to explain U.S. foreign policy. They could see the negative views of the U.S.  more easily while abroad. They were more reflective about what is means to be an American in a contemporary world. Recommendations for program planning include stressing the personal and social transformatoin when promoting short term programs as well as the connections with faculty can foster persistence in higher education.

Antonia Lortis/Ryan Gonzalez  (University of Minnesota):  Researched why there is a difference in the numbers who attend the “first step” (inital advising) meeting and who actually go abroad.  Looked at this as a purchase process.  If too many details are given up front, consumers will disengage. Perhaps we’re not celebrating  and nuturing the decision to come to the office for information enough. They are not statisticians, but did predecision making meeting survey (1)  and post decision meeting  survey (2).  Data shows students want application and financial questions when they arrive in the office. Fear of finances are strong barriers.

Q&A: 

One audience member commented regarding the impact of Short Term Study Abroad – seems like institutions are researching internally.  Seems that world view is changing in those cases also and appears to support Dr. Sato’s data.  Wonders if this type of study can be applied to older populations next.

Comment on a survey by IIE – research on internships for Science students.  Data on impact on the student and on the mentor.  (RISE program through DAAD).

This conference is officially over – I hope to write reflective comments once I get some sleep!

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Mar 24

Forum on Education Abroad Conference: Day 1 (March 24, 2010)

By Missy Gluckmann Forum on Education Abroad, International Education Conferences, International Education Tools, March 2010, Professional Development, Research, Travel Tips, safety abroad 7 Comments »

I must begin this post by commending the Forum on Education Abroad  for starting this conference off on the right foot.  I attended the Standards of Good Practice Institute (Beyond the Basics of Health, Safety and Security) and it easily met my expectations.  The depth of knowledge was exactly what I had hoped for while the format of a mix of roundtable discussions, panels and case studies did not let me down.

Before I go any further, I must describe the scene in Charlotte.  I arrived to a rambunctious group of Mexican soccer fans at the Westin Hotel! Apparently the Mexican soccer team is playing against a friendly game against Iceland tonight. This photo is of fans outside the hotel today, waiting for the team to leave the hotel. There were HUNDREDS of fans!

Fans of the Mexican soccer team await their heroes outside the hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina

 

I attended the day long Standards Institute – each session was 90 minutes with a plenary over lunch.  As much was covered, I will simply share some highlights.

Session 1:  ”You be the Judge: Case Studies in Risk, Negligence and Risk Management” was an excellent overview of legal terms and the definition of negligence. Presenter Julie Friend, JD, International Analyst for Travel, Health, Safety and Security for Michigan State University schooled us in legal terminology. She spoke about negligence (the careless performance of a legally required duty or the failure to perform a legally required act) and how a plaintiff must establish 4 elements:  duty, breach, causation and damages. She explained that if you plan not to follow a State Department travel alert suggestion, you must carefully document why you did not heed the government’s recommended standards.  If you do not do so effectively, you could be considered a breech of duty because the institution failed to conform to recommended standards. She recommended an article by Hoye (2006) :  “Legal Issues Influencing International Study Abroad Programs.” 

Session 2:  ”Where Does Student Responsibility for Student Health and Safety Begin and End?” That is the million dollar question for many of us in this field.  Of course, we all think that students should generally be more responsible than they are!  The highlight of this session was the presentation by a student, Ms. Sarah Hager.  She studied abroad in Morocco Fall 2009 and reflected on her orientation and how useful many of the tips and suggestions were.  She provided examples of using logic and following carefully doled out advice.  Then she spoke about the challenges of the rules of her program – for example, students were not permitted to surf even though there were free surfing lessons available. She could not ride a motorbike even though it was common practice in the country.  

Sarah chose to conduct research on the treatment of homosexuals in Morocco.  She and her translator traveled to Casablanca to go to an underground gay party, where she intended to conduct interviews for her research. After her first interview, the manager of the establishment kicked her and the translator out, afraid that they were investigating his property. Upon reflection, she realized that she could have been arrested and how that would have been a very difficult situation. Isn’t hindsight ALWAYS 20/20?

Her experience and perspective were refreshing – she was home, safe and sound and could articulate, diplomatically, why she felt the need to “break” some rules along the way. I smiled, and while slightly horrified at the thought of dealing with any issues related to her decisions, I was educated by hear her frank remarks, youthful perspective and solid determination to study a sensitive subject abroad.

Study Abroad student, Sarah Hager

Sarah Hager presents on her experiences in Morocco.

 

Keynote:  Dr. Eric Shaw. “Risk Measurement, Management and Mitigation as Best Practices Before, During and After.”  Dr. Shaw is an Associate Professor in the US Naval War College and a very engaging speaker.  He covered a lot, but I might suggest that you take a look at the GAR model, a risk assessment tool used in the US Coast Guard.

Dr. Eric Shaw (US Naval War College) and Bill Frederick (School for Field Studies)

 

Session 3:  ”Assessing Adequate Coverage: Case Studies in Disability Accomodations and Insurance Planning.”  This session covered some very useful gems:

 - the new health care bill does not apply to study abroad programs because it is considered a supplementary insurance plan.

- accommodation is a very fine line – it is often obligatory to provide accommodation in the classroom, but there is much more leeway with non-academic issues such as housing.  

-be creative about excursions.  Nine of out ten times, you can find a great excursion that will be more inclusive for all of your students.

Session 4:  ”Beyond the Basics: Case Studies Amidst Psychological Challenges.” 

Dina Nunziato, Director of Counseling Services at Sarah Lawrence College, spoke about the human brain and how it actually continues to develop into our early 20s.  The late adolescent brain is designed to be impulsive and respond with a “gut reaction.”  This prompted much discussion in our break out groups about how the freshman experience abroad really IS more demanding and how we can restructure orientation and communication to better support the young, developing brain!

I must digress for a moment – I hear many cars honking outside – I think Mexico won that game!  :)  Will do my best to blog tomorrow. I look forward to your questions and comments meanwhile.

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Jan 12

Dreaming in Hindi – Landmarks in Progress

By Missy Gluckmann ESL, India, Multicultural Lives, Research, Uncategorized 1 Comment »


See larger image

Dreaming in Hindi (Hardcover)

By (author) Katherine Russell Rich

I have finally finished one of my new favorite reads, a delightful book entitled “Dreaming in Hindi: Coming Awake in Another Language” by Katherine Russell Rich.  Why do I love this book?  Probably because it would be my dream to be able to take off to India and study Hindi for a year. This is exactly what the author did and it resulted in a book that is part journal and reflection, yet loaded with recent research in second language acquisition.  Ms. Rich writes about her intensive Hindi program, politics in the region, her cultural informants, travel experiences, homestays, her classmates, and the idea of who do you become in another language/culture.  There is much to digest when reading this book, but she writes with intent, seriousness and a dash of witty humor.

There was so much that struck a chord with me in this book.  Ms. Rich writes about her early days in India, when she is living with a large family of Jains. (Jainism is an ancient religion in India that emphasizes non-violence to all beings in the world.) She writes about her early days of speaking in Hindi and how the family all sits down for dinner and asks her very simple, polite questions about the food, night after night.  Rich writes:

“Dinners go like this till one day, playing badminton in the drive, I give an automatic high-five.  The gesture startles everyone, shuts down the action. From then on, I high-five often. Did I like the soup? High-five! Did I like the lentils? High-five me more! They laugh so hard when they slap my palm, it ends all further discussion.”

This had me in tears, as I can completely relate to the American automatic need to high-five occasionally.  I recall an experience recently, despite all  of my years in the field of International Education, where I attempted to high-five a student who had recently arrived in the US  for university study.  I put my hand up, awaiting an enthusiastic hand slap in return, only to have the student continue with her remarks as if nothing was happening.  I caught myself quickly and instead moved my hand into my hair, as if to move it out of my eyes or something rather unnecessary. Ms. Rich’s description of the automatic American high-five had me in stitches, especially because it became a bonding moment for her and her Jain family, one that eventually allowed them to move past the basic “how is your dinner” kind of questions that we all get when we’re abroad and attempting to practice another language.

Ms. Rich’s humor shines through when she writes about her orientation to the language school which took place in Hindi – with the occasional warning coming through in English. Ms. Rich writes:

“The orientation leader, Vidhu, states: ‘If you see a group of sacred cows, we ask that you not disturb or frighten them as that can make them rush this way and that and possibly brush you. Last year cows strained a girl’s leg. She was a dancer.’ Vidhu warned, and then I was desperate to know what else they’d said.”

This had me laughing out loud and seriously wondering what I’ve covered in orientation to the US that has had my students mystified, horrified or hysterical!  (I’m guessing that the US health care system is the section of orientation that sends most of my students over the edge – it seems so very ridiculous to them when I describe how much a visit to the hospital can cost.  Come to think of it, it seems most ridiculous to me also!)

Much of this book with Ms. Rich’s personal experience as an intensive language student with fascinating research on language acquisition.  One simple statement that deeply resonated with me referred to the landmark of progress in language acquisition.  Ms. Rich writes:

“Some people say you’ve turned a corner when you can make jokes,” the linguist Ellen Bailystok says.’Some say it’s once they’re translating , others when they dream in the language. People put up landmarks of progress.’ ”

While I am not fluent in another language, I have studied Spanish, Italian and French and have taught ESL for several years.  I have seen my students’ joy when something “connects.”  And as a language student, I recall those landmarks of progress.  While living in Switzerland during graduate school, I had to navigate through the local food market every few days. I really wanted to order turkey from the deli counter, but didn’t know how.  After several weeks, a friend taught me the phrase in Italian and I practiced it daily, awaiting my big moment at the market.  One of those landmark moments, for me in Italian, was successfully ordering some turkey at the market.

Today, I pose the question:  What are YOUR landmarks of progress?

Take a moment to enjoy this playful video by Ms. Rich.  Note the high-five at the end! YouTube Preview Image
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Nov 13

Deciding Factors in Study Abroad – Women vs Men

By Missy Gluckmann Research 4 Comments »

The article below was printed in the Chronicle of Higher Education on November 6th, 2009.  I found this new research regarding why women tend to study abroad more than men to be particularly interesting, yet I am not completely convinced by these findings.

Women have dominated educational travel abroad for decades -  in the earliest tradition as a way to teach girls to be “young ladies” who were well versed in foreign languages and the arts. The vast majority of study abroad programs still reside in Western European countries and require language and culture study.

This article does not clarify whether men are less likely to go abroad due to more stringent academic requirements in fields of study that are more traditionally populated by men (i.e. engineering/sciences/math that require sequential coursework with less flexibility for study). It also does not reference the quality or method of academic advising that led students to decide to participate in study abroad.

I find the commentary about women following faculty advising to be particularly interesting.  Does this mean that women latch on to a positive faculty influence more readily than men do and therefore elevate the possibility of receiving direct advice about the value of study abroad? Does this hold true for other academic experiences such as internships or co-op experiences?

I want to know more about the data collection and what other factors were considered before feeling confident in this research.  The research references data from 19 colleges  – 4 year and 2 years institutions.  But what is the split – were there 17 four year schools and  2 community colleges? Were the four year colleges private or public institutions? What is the break down of the majors of the 2800 students?  Were they primarily humanities/social science students?  What percentage were in the hard sciences?

What are your initial thoughts on this research?  Are women and men significantly different in factors that lead to decisions about study abroad? What questions or affirmations does this research raise for you?  I’m curious to hear your feedback and equally curious to see if there will be expanded research on this subject.  The topic is a vital question for international educators and certainly one that will be of great interest to those in the field that are responsible for marketing programs to their own students and those on other campuses.

November 6, 2009 – From the Chronicle of Higher Education:

Men and Women Differ in How They

Decide to Study Abroad, Study Finds

By Peter Schmidt

Vancouver, British Columbia

Women appear to be much more likely than men to choose to study abroad because of significant gender-based differences in how students are influenced by their backgrounds, academic environments, and social interactions, according to research results being presented here this week as part of the annual conference of the Association for the Study of Higher Education.

The findings suggest that advocates of study-abroad programs “need to craft targeted marketing strategies that recognize and account for key differences between women and men,” says a paper summarizing the results of a study by three researchers at the University of Iowa.

“While intent to study abroad among women seems to be affected by influential authority figures and educational contexts,” the paper says, “intent to study abroad among men seems to be primarily shaped by emerging personal values, experiences, and peer influence.”

The key question the study sought to tackle was why women are almost twice as likely as men to embark on foreign study. Although the gender gap is sometimes assumed to simply reflect the preponderance of women in the fine arts, foreign languages, and other humanities majors heavily represented in foreign-study programs, the reality is that it exists even in male-dominated majors such as engineering and the hard sciences.

Mark Salisbury, a research assistant at Iowa’s Center for Research on Undergraduate Education, and Michael B. Paulsen and Ernest T. Pascarella, both professors of higher education there, based their analysis on data about some 2,800 students at 19 four-year and two-year colleges and universities participating in the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education. The students were surveyed by the Wabash-study researchers shortly after entering college as freshmen in the fall of 2006 and were asked about their intent to study abroad when surveyed again in the spring of 2007.

In crunching the survey data to determine what had influenced students’ decisions to study abroad, the researchers found marked differences in how the different genders responded to different forces in their lives.

Having highly educated parents appeared to make women more likely to intend to study abroad, but it did not have any effect on men’s intentions, reflecting the broader observation among researchers that women are more likely to make college-going decisions based on their parents’ preferences.

Similarly, taking classes that focus on human diversity and differences appeared to leave women more likely to intend to study abroad but did not have an impact on men, suggesting that, just as women are more influenced by their parents than are men, they may be more influenced by faculty members or, at least, the courses that faculty members teach.

The Iowa researchers are found that:

  • The more men interacted with their peers, the less likely they were to intend to study abroad. Peer interactions did not have such an impact on women.
  • Women, but not men, who attended regional institutions or community colleges were less likely than those attending liberal-arts colleges to intend to study abroad. The researchers speculated that perhaps “something about the educational culture at regional institutions and community colleges is negatively affecting women’s intent to study abroad,” or that perhaps “women attending these institutions are impacted by additional obligations such as family or parenting responsibilities that preclude the possibility of studying abroad.”
  • Being undecided on a major appeared to leave men substantially more likely to choose to study abroad but not to have any significant impact on women.
  • In some cases, culture and gender appeared to interact. Asian-American men, but not Asian-American women, were significantly less likely than white students to intend to study abroad. And although Hispanic men and white men were equally likely to intend to study abroad, Hispanic women were significantly more likely to intend to study abroad than were white women.

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Oct 27

Study Abroad Increases Creativity per INSEAD/Northwestern University Study

By Missy Gluckmann Research No Comments »
We know that there are many benefits to studying abroad and we encourage students to use their skills from these experiences when interviewing for jobs. The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology published a recent study showing that living abroad actually does enhance creativity. Conducted by researchers at INSEAD and Northwestern University, the study included nationals from several countries. This short interview of William Maddux, one of the lead researchers in the study, provides a concise summary of the findings and methodology.

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