Understanding culture through experiental learning : multicultural exercises for the 2007 SOTE Summer School
Rousi, Rebekah (2007-05-31)
Rousi, Rebekah
Jyväskylän ammattikorkeakoulu JAMK University of Applied Sciences
2007-05-31
Julkaisu on tekijänoikeussäännösten alainen. Teosta voi lukea ja tulostaa
henkilökohtaista käyttöä varten. Käyttö kaupallisiin tarkoituksiin on kielletty.
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jamk-1191580427-7
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jamk-1191580427-7
Tiivistelmä
This development project report discusses the process of collaborating with a team from the Social of Health and Social Studies (SOTE) at the Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences to formulate and implement the Summer School 2007 on Family Health Promotion – Culture and Well-Being. The Summer School will host approximately 60-70 Nursing, Social Work and Physiotherapy students from Finland, Poland, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands and China. Pedagogical emphasis is placed on the development of multicultural activities which are designed to make students aware of both circumstances they will face in their professional lives when encountering patients and when interacting with colleagues from countries other than their own. The exercises are also designed to assist the students’ understanding of the multicultural circumstances they face as a part of the International Summer School. Concepts such as culture, multiculturalism, multicultural education and critical pedagogy are discussed. This is followed by an outline and discussion of the planning of the Summer School exercises. As a means of gaining empirical insight into what types of intercultural communication and multicultural awareness activities are available, and how participants have responded to these activities, I collected and analysed four in-depth surveys in detail. The results I gained from these surveys highlight that people respond most effectively to activities where participants have the opportunity to experience the emotions and sensations of the ‘other’. People also respond well to activities in which their own perspective is mirrored back to them, allowing them to critically evaluate their own reactions and views on specific circumstances. Further, learning styles need to be considered in regards to activities which have the potential to alienate participants such as overt drama/theatre activities. The development project report concludes by summarising thoughts and findings which have arisen through the Summer School collaboration and pedagogical research. Ideas regarding possible outcomes and potential problems of the Summer School exercises are shared. Subsequently the conclusion is left open for the official Summer School Report which will be written following the conclusion of the Summer School in September, 2007