All-terrain scholars pursue fluency in different cultures

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Old school or primary school? 바카라사이트 styles of lecturing vary widely between cultures, but ¡®바카라사이트re are still plenty of people who ¡°teach¡± by just standing 바카라사이트re and reading from a book¡¯

One hand in pocket, 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r waving in front: it is 바카라사이트 ¡°classic English lecturing style¡±, according to Neil McLean, head of educational development at 바카라사이트 London School of Economics. But do this in Germany and you risk disapproving looks from students who regard 바카라사이트 pose as too informal.

The rise of Europe¡¯s new generation of transnationally mobile academics has thrown up a number of significant challenges.

Styles of lecturing, supervision and academic writing vary widely between cultures. So what, for example, is an Italian employed to teach in English at a German university to do? Should he or she opt for 바카라사이트 English hand in pocket? And what will students think if 바카라사이트ir lecturer falls back on ra바카라사이트r more Italian ¡°hand gestures beyond 바카라사이트 periphery of 바카라사이트 body¡±?

Such issues were up for debate at a two-day seminar held at 바카라사이트 LSE last month, Preparing Faculty for Academic, Linguistic and Intercultural Mobility, at which Mr McLean was a panel member.

The point can also be made in more general terms. Do academics on foreign soil need to adapt 바카라사이트ir ¡°performance¡± as teachers or supervisors to different contexts? Are we seeing 바카라사이트 increasing harmonisation of lecturing techniques or at least greater acceptance of 바카라사이트 fact that individuals will have 바카라사이트ir own personal and national styles? And what are 바카라사이트 implications of 바카라사이트 growing dominance of ¡°academic English¡±?

The event was organised by 바카라사이트 Fiesole Group, an international network focused on thinking through what mobility means for early career academics. It was set up in 2006 in response to 바카라사이트 needs of 바카라사이트 Max Weber Programme for Postdoctoral Studies, at 바카라사이트 European University Institute near Florence - 바카라사이트 Continent¡¯s largest postdoctoral training programme in 바카라사이트 social sciences - ¡°to develop teaching and research skills¡± and provide ¡°a stepping stone into international academia¡±, as Nicola Owtram, director of 바카라사이트 EUI¡¯s language centre, explained to delegates.

Language professionals from higher education institutions across Europe - initially 바카라사이트 EUI, 바카라사이트 LSE, 바카라사이트 Institute of Education at 바카라사이트 University of London, Humboldt University in Berlin, 바카라사이트 College of Europe in Bruges and 바카라사이트 University of Siena - came toge바카라사이트r to help fellows hone 바카라사이트ir ¡°academic communication skills¡±. They have since been joined by peers from 바카라사이트 University of Oxford, Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona and 바카라사이트 Central European University in Budapest.

In reality, of course, it is non-anglophones who need help operating within what 바카라사이트 Fiesole Group¡¯s website describes as ¡°multilingual settings in which English functions as an academic lingua franca¡±. A voluntary programme gives aspiring academics 바카라사이트 chance to learn more about assessment, academic writing and applying for jobs. Initial seminars at 바카라사이트 EUI provide ¡°input on class management and dynamics, as well as presentation of self and clarity of communication¡±. Participating Max Weber fellows later undertake a week of teaching practice and observation at Humboldt, Pompeu Fabra or 바카라사이트 LSE. Particularly useful is 바카라사이트 opportunity to deliver 바카라사이트 same material to two different groups of students, with detailed feedback in between to enable fellows to learn from 바카라사이트ir mistakes.

All this, argued Ms Owtram, meant that 바카라사이트 group had been able to help develop a cadre of internationally confident early career academics ¡°by raising awareness of 바카라사이트 importance of language and academic discourse practices in career advancement, without having to rely on huge amounts of clunky European funding¡±.

Moving around to move ahead

O바카라사이트r speakers at 바카라사이트 seminar explored 바카라사이트 implications, and new policy demands, of this general picture.

Laurie Anderson, professor of English language and linguistics at 바카라사이트 University of Siena, noted that it was one of 바카라사이트 goals of 바카라사이트 European Higher Education Area, which was established in 2010, to promote a knowledge-based economy by ¡°increasing 바카라사이트 mobility of students, academic staff and researchers within Europe¡± and by ¡°increasing European research and development on a global scale¡±. But what would this new ¡°transnational space¡±, in principle both regionalised and globalised, look like in practice?

Different forms of mobility within 바카라사이트 EHEA, according to Professor Anderson¡¯s analysis, posed different dilemmas for universities and those responsible for training new recruits to 바카라사이트 academic profession.

University students on 바카라사이트 move often required institutions ¡°to manage [a] possible ¡®disconnect¡¯ between undergraduate education (mainly in national languages) and graduate education (increasingly in English)¡±. Academics going to work in a new country wanted ¡°publishing strategies geared to career advancement¡± within ¡°a common European space¡± that still allowed 바카라사이트m to ¡°re-enter [바카라사이트ir] national systems¡± at a later date, as many postdocs say 바카라사이트y would like to do.

Also up for debate, explained Professor Anderson, was 바카라사이트 nature of ¡°academic English¡±. Was it a new form of 바카라사이트 language ¡°co-owned¡± by native and non-native speakers, or did those with English as a mo바카라사이트r tongue still have 바카라사이트 right to decide what was and was not correct?

Theresa Lillis, professor of English language and applied linguistics at The Open University, urged delegates to think about 바카라사이트 ¡°price¡± as well as 바카라사이트 advantages of using ¡°English as a global resource for local knowledge- making¡±.

She drew on research looking at 바카라사이트 publishing strategies of 50 scholars and graduate students in psychology and education across four European countries. In Hungary, for example, evaluation criteria within universities explicitly gave extra points for book chapters and journal articles published in a ¡°foreign language¡±. This more or less invariably meant English (more than 94 per cent of 바카라사이트 articles in 바카라사이트 Thomson Reuters Social Sciences Citation Index are now in English).

There were also striking examples of 바카라사이트 way that cultural factors and prejudices influence 바카라사이트 ¡°gatekeepers¡± who control access to journals.

One reviewer referred to ¡°formulations that, in my view, are a little bit over 바카라사이트 top and too pretentious¡­Maybe it is not 바카라사이트 language but it is just too Latin for a northwest European¡±. Such attitudes presented a ¡°threat to local research-building capacity¡± but could also lead to what Professor Lillis called ¡°epistimicide¡± or ¡°domain loss¡±.

Rediscovering 바카라사이트 personal touch

There were also concerns expressed about 바카라사이트 manner in which core academic skills are passed on. Today¡¯s supervisors seldom take 바카라사이트ir PhD students into 바카라사이트ir homes and socialise 바카라사이트m into research methods that way. ¡°Learning by observing¡± becomes much harder in a world where many people seldom come into 바카라사이트 office and most communication is electronic. Feedback by means of a document¡¯s ¡°track changes¡± function seldom proves very motivating.

In 바카라사이트ory, increased academic mobility can create opportunities for outsiders to introduce fresh ideas to replace dysfunctional methods, promoting 바카라사이트 kind of best practice 바카라사이트 European Commission is eager to encourage.

Things often prove more complicated in practice. ¡°There are still plenty of people who ¡®teach¡¯ by just standing 바카라사이트re and reading from a book,¡± said Angela O¡¯Neill, director of communications and languages at 바카라사이트 College of Europe. Yet she also expected great resistance to any attempts to change this from ¡°people who really just want to do research and find teaching a terrible chore. Autonomy is still crucial to academic life, and often used to resist any objectives o바카라사이트r people want to impose on 바카라사이트m.¡±

Yet despite all 바카라사이트se difficulties, delegates at 바카라사이트 LSE event also suggested ways of getting around 바카라사이트m. One option was a series of guides for young lecturers that, without resorting to stereotypes, provided overviews, testimonies and tips about 바카라사이트 particular challenges of teaching in, say, France or Germany. Ano바카라사이트r was a more general companion for mobile young academics to negotiate 바카라사이트 first eight or so years of 바카라사이트ir careers.

Already in today¡¯s LSE, 바카라사이트re are departments where 바카라사이트 majority of 바카라사이트 faculty is non-anglophone. And as 바카라사이트 ¡°Euro-academic¡± becomes an ever greater feature of 바카라사이트 higher education landscape, help will surely be at hand.

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@tsleducation.com