Working Effectively with American Students

GVSU 2009 sessions: September 10 (Pew campus) from 1-3:00 and September 11 (Allendale campus) from 10:00-noon. Register now.

An introductory seminar for international faculty. The 2-hour session will include video and discussion, with time allotted for participant questions.

Topics include:

• Understanding Traits and Expectations of American Students
• Balancing Flexibility with Authority
• Breaking Down Barriers
• Being Accessible
• Building Rapport
• Handling Language Issues
• Classroom Management/Teaching Tips
• Dealing with Discrimination
  Discrimination Resource: Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) document on “Responding to Everyday Bigotry” (http://www.tolerance.org/speakup)
• Getting Support So You Don’t Feel Alone

International responses: The entire workshop was excellent and useful. / I have learned several things from the workshop and I would plan to innovate my classroom approach. / I appreciated the ability to exchange issues with different international faculty. / The workshop provides a great list of topics for us international faculty to better communicate with American students, to understand their culture, and to have a better teaching life in U.S. / This encourages me to be more straightforward and communicative with students. / It made me think a lot. / I learned how to set rules and limits for my class. I also learned some traits of American students and also to meet their cultural expectations.

American responses: To me as a Grad Assistant, it was great to understand the challenges facing international faculty members. I will definitely be able to use this in my studies and relay the information to my students. / I’m going to bring some of these points up in class next week and start a discussion about how administrators can help students make more of an effort for understanding international faculty.

Registration

Grand Valley State University faculty may register by contacting the Pew Faculty Teaching & Learning Center.

Request an Information Packet

If your university does not currently offer this program, you may request more details, including a seminar syllabus and pricing information by sending me an email. Be sure to include your name and address and a packet will be mailed to you right away.