Highlights from the Voices Listserv
Re: Using Dialogue Education in Cross-Cultural
Settings
by Dwayne Hodgson
GLP Programs Director
As many of you know, the roots of Dialogue
Education are in the global South: the popular education approaches
of Brazil's Paulo Freire; the ground-breaking applications
of Training for Transformation in Southern Africa; Jane
Vella's own learning in classrooms and under mango trees
in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Not surprisingly, Dialogue Education continues
to bear fruit in international and multi-cultural learning situations,
whether with community development organizations like Freedom
from Hunger, Habitat for Humanity International or
CRWRC who work in the South, or organizations like WIC
that work in multi-lingual and multi-cultural cities like Los
Angeles, California.
A couple of weeks ago, I posted an open
question on our Voices Listserv:
What has worked well in applying Dialogue Education to your
designing and facilitation in multicultural, international and
cross-cultural situations? What has been a challenge?
I received several wonderful responses
that I'd like to share with you, followed by a few further reflections
of my own.
Some of Your Responses
From Kenneth Cherney of the
Caribbean Christian Training Institute (www.caribchrist.com)
in St. John's, Antigua.
It's
a subject dear to my heart. Several features of Dialogue Education
make it ideally suited for teaching in the West Indies, in my
opinion. It is fascinating to watch how West Indians respond
when their prior knowledge and experience are honoured. In my
experience, they tend to prefer learning in small groups to
working individually. They love discussion--the more animated,
the better (in fact, they can learn just fine amid an amount
of chaos that I find barely tolerable). They love to chase down
topics that we would consider tangents, but usually prove not
to be, once the discussion has worked its way 'round. Not very
efficient, but who said efficiency was the prize?
In
other ways, Dialogue Education seems to represent a complete
break from the way people are used to learning here. The standard
approach is very authoritarian, with heavy emphasis on credentials
and exams (with a high amount of "teaching to the test").
So far, my experience with an alternative approach illustrates
why Jane Vella says that culture isn't sacrosanct.
The
biggest challenge, I think, is to bring about the shift in accountability
for the learning from me to them. But for many reasons (not
all pedagogical), that has simply GOT to happen here.
Here's
the latest, unsolicited Dialogue Education testimonial from
one of my students: "Pastah [that's me], in class, you
always makin' us do these tings. An' I always tink: 'He should
be doing it, because he know.' But then we do it, an' I tink,
you know? He na haffa do it. We can do it too!"
I haven't had very much experience with Dialogue
Education, but what I have had has been in multi-cultural/international
contexts. We explain our methodology a bit at the beginning
of the program, because many participants have had little real
experience with participatory education, and some expect (and
want) lectures. We don't want to blindside them. Thus far we've
had no complaints.
Working in small groups in a multi-cultural/international
workshop is really good, because it encourages people who otherwise
wouldn't interact (because they are from different regions,
for example) to work together. I'd like to think it helps break
down some stereotypes.
We've also had good luck with having people draw pictures (e.g.,
draw a picture of where rights come from). It brings out people's
sense of the absurd; there's a lot of laughter, which also brings
people together more quickly. And occasionally, we come across
a real artist! What people draw or try to draw has also been
very moving at times.
We sometimes assign seating, particularly when we know we'll
be in group work, to balance out knowledge within the group,
particularly on English language capacity (the workshop language
to date has always been English), because problems are stated
in English and reports back need to be in English.
Those are a few thoughts that come to me--again, from little
experience. Good luck!
Some Further Reflections
From my own experiences of working in
community development and working with many organizations who
design and teach in these contexts, I am convinced that a contextualized
application of the principles Dialogue Education can help in
these cross-cultural, international and multi-lingual settings.
In my experience, these include:
The Learning Needs and Resources Assessment
As Jane said above, "do plenty of LNRA" or "asking,
studying and observing" what ever you can about the cultural
group you are teaching as you are designing and before you teach:
Surf the web or read Lonely Planet travel guides for cross-cultural
communication tips; if possible, read the local newspapers (online
before or in print when you arrive); ask about local customs
and news; find a "bi-cultural" person who can interpret
for you and provide feedback on cultural issues every day during
the workshop; arrive a few days early so that you can observe
the local setting; eat at local restaurants; ask about the environment
your learners are working in and the challenges they will face
in applying the learning; inquire about gender roles, etc. The
more you can find out before hand, the better.
Respect
Dialogue Education's emphasis on "Respect" for the
learners as the Subjects of their own reminds me to recognize
and validate their prior experience and perspectives, to view
their learning as the most important goal of the program, and
to think through what "respect" would look like from
that culture's perspective. As we teach in the Learning to Listen,
Learning to Teach course, "respect must be seen and felt
by the participants". It is not sufficient to think that
I am respecting people; they have to feel it in their terms.
In many cultures, demonstrating "respect" begins with
greeting people properly. Even if you are only visiting that
culture for a short time, make the effort to learn how to greet
people respectfully in their language, to say "please"
and "thank-you". Even if you butcher the pronunciation,
most people will appreciate your efforts.
Safety
Anything that would prevent people from engaging in the learning
process is a safety issue, and that includes cross-cultural
communication issues. In some cultures, you should never look
people in the eye; in others, people won't trust you unless
you do. How do you greet people? With a bow or a handshake?
Which hand? Do men and women feel comfortable taking part in
the same learning event?
Clear Roles
What is the role of "teacher" in that culture? If
it follows a traditional hierarchical understanding where the
teacher is an unchallengeable authority, how can we "respectfully
subvert" this and gradually offer another way of learning
where the learners can truly become the Subjects (Decision Makers)
of their own learning?
This can be difficult given the history
of colonial education that endures in many educational institutions
around the developing world. But remember that one of the purposes
of colonial education was to "colonize" the minds
of the students so that they could serve the purposes of the
empire. To simply replicate that dynamic by "lecturing"
will do nothing to change the situation or promote a liberatory
educational experience. Be aware of your own privilege and how
that frames your position as a facilitator; seek ways to create
space for the learners to realize their own potential to be
Subjects.
I have found that in using Dialogue Education
in Southern contexts, it usually takes about 3 tasks before
the participants realize that I'm actually serious about hearing
their perspectives and changing the roles of students and teacher.
Once they find their own "voice" and realize that
they are actively learning, they seldom want to go back.
In situations where I have encountered
resistance to the approach, I simply explain a bit of the theory
behind what I'm doing (see Respect), and invite people to try
it out for a time.
Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic
We know that people have different blends of learning preferences
and multiple intelligences, and that most of us learn best when
the program utilizes a variety of methods. In multilingual environments,
reinforcing the spoken (auditory) message with visuals (e.g.
the learning tasks written out, graphics, signs) etc. provides
a chance to second-language speakers to check their understanding,
either during the lesson or after the workshop. Be aware, however,
that not every culture views visuals the same way. For example,
in some cultures, the largest figure in a picture denotes the
most important person, not the person in the foreground.
Relevance
I have also invited bilingual groups to translate key technical
terms into their own language and to discuss any difficulties
that they might find in translation.
In one workshop on using Results-Based
Management in community development work, for example, this
task revealed there was one Swahili word ("matokeo")
for "result", "output", "outcome"
and "impact"! No wonder they had a hard time keeping
the English words straight.
I then invited them to create a new translation
that would work better for them. They came up with "Result",
"Short-Term Result", "Medium Term Result"
and "Long Term Result" - terms that actually work
better in English than the official language.
Learning Domains: Cognitive, Affective
and Psychomotor
Too much of training has been focused on cognitive learning
or "head knowledge". To some extent, this reflects
a Western way of knowing and our focus on "factual"
learning. But how people feel about the subject and the chance
to apply new, hands-on skills is equally important, especially
in other cultures. Stories, songs, drama and dance provide wonderful
ways for people to engage with new content. These are not merely
"energizers" to wake people up in time for the next
lecture, but genuine learning experiences that help deepen their
acquisition and retention of the content.
Humility
In working cross-culturally, eventually you are going to blow
it. There are always going to be rules that you've unknowingly
violated, or misunderstandings that leave you baffled as to
what just happened. Maintaining a sense of humility as a co-learner
in the experience can really help; you don't have to be the
expert and you should admit when you've made a mistake. Ask
for forgiveness and suggestions on how to do better.
Humour
Humour is vital. While working in Tanzania for four years, there
were numerous occasions when my wife, Tricia, and I realized
that we clearly didn't understand what had just happened in
an interaction with local people. One useful book on cross-cultural
dynamics recommended debriefing these misunderstanding by saying
in your best BBC announcers voice: "Tanzanian's One, Visitors'
Zero". Had we kept a running tally through our time there,
I'm sure the Home team would have trounced us soundly!
Context! Context! Context!
As with everything in Dialogue Education, you must contextualize
the principles according to the local reality. These are never
meant to be off-the-shelf techniques or solutions, but merely
guidelines of what we have found helpful. How the principles
and practices are applied is entirely. What demonstrates "respect"
in one culture might be perceived as insulting in another. However,
demonstrating respect is essential in both contexts.
I would invite you to continue sharing
your insights about learning, whether in another culture or
your own, on our Voices
in Dialogue listserv. Or please write me personally at dhodgson@globalearning.com.
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