NYIT Faculty Talk about Teaching: Focus on International Students, Part 2

When I teach literature courses I have to take into consideration the language competence of my students and select texts that would not prove extremely difficult to international students. I am mindful that ESL students need to be and should be challenged, but, at the same time, I do not want the language problems to discourage ESL students to the point that they are forced to give up reading altogether. Finding this equilibrium is more intriguing than it sounds and my courses consist of a blend of some purposefully selected easy texts along with moderately difficult ones.

This month, 15 NYIT faculty members from New York, Abu Dhabi, Nanjing, and Vancouver have been engaged in an extended conversation about effective strategies for teaching international students. The conversation is taking place on VoiceThread*. As in last month's conversation over Zoom, participants exchanged ideas, strategies, and practical tips. Here are some of the highlights:

Pre-teach academic vocabulary: Disciplinary vocabulary can be very challenging to a non-native English speaker! One participant suggested providing students with a list of terms in advance of the class. If your topic includes a lot of complex diagrams, provide them in advance as well. This can be as simple as giving your students a list of the charts and figures in the textbook that you will be focusing on in the next class, and asking them to pay extra attention to them while preparing. Another faculty member mentioned that the online resources accompanying her textbook include audio files that pronounce the words slowly and clearly.
Allow students to gather their thoughts prior to a discussion: When you pose a question to the class, ask your students to write silently for a minute. The opportunity to answer the question first, before articulating it, can be very helpful for all students.
Address students' individual needs: Either invite students to office hours, or circulate to small clusters of students when they are working on projects or lab activities. A number of participants also pointed out that cultural context can play a big role in understanding a topic. A reference to historical events will be more meaningful to students who know the background, for example.
Respect students' educational and cultural differences: Some of our students come to us with the belief that rote memorization is what is expected of them. Other students have never been asked to critique what they view as "established knowledge," and it is important to help them make the transition to critical, analytical thinking. Similarly, not every culture views copying verbatim from sources as plagiarism. Part of our responsibility as educators is to "teach the expectations" as well as the content.
Provide alternative ways to learn the material: One faculty member mentioned that some of her students have great difficulty reading large amounts of material, but that they seem to do better when they use a PDF reader and listen, instead. Another participant added that when students feel that the goal is attainable, they are more likely to persist. Chunking the reading into several smaller parts can make it more accessible.

Please join us on our two New York campuses as we continue the conversation! In Long Island, we will convene on Wednesday, March 25, 12:30 – 1:50 p.m. in Schure Hall, room 227. In Manhattan, join us on Monday, March 30, 12:00 – 1:50 p.m. in 26 W. 61st St, Room 409.

* VoiceThread allows you to place collections of media such as videos, images, documents, and presentations at the center of a conversation. These conversations are not live; they take place whenever and wherever it's convenient for people to participate. VoiceThread allows people to have conversations and to make comments using any mix of text, a microphone, a webcam, a telephone, or uploading an audio file. All faculty and staff at NYIT have a Pro license and can access it through Blackboard.