Teaching International Students

Last week an an article in the Times Higher caught my eye. It discussed a research project that aims to help academics understand the differences in educational cultures that can throw up barriers when teaching international students. "Teaching International Students" includes a study of findings from the UK's National Student Survey, along with a bank of case studies for use by teachers.

With international students in the UK accounting for almost 1 in 5 students, the concerns of those behind this work will rapidly become concerns for anyone involved in higher education. This is especially true for postgraduates who in many universities take up a heavy workload when it comes to teaching undergraduates.

The opportunity to earn a wage whilst gaining valuable experience of teaching which can assist with both academic and non-academic careers is attractive to many postgraduates BUT how many actually receive real training in how to teach. I know I didn't. Now, to be honest, I didn't do any classroom teaching but I did spend many hours imparting wisdom in lab demonstrations and even then the discrepancy between 'good' and 'bad' demonstrators was clear. That is not to say I was judging other demonstrators, but the students themselves could be heard discussing which demonstrators to ask for help, which not to bother with and which would sign your work off without asking difficult questions.

Coming back to the point, if there is so much effort being invested in exploring the most effective teaching methods for undergraduates, why is it that many postgraduate students are thrown in at the deep end without more training?

However, on a more positive note, for those who do take naturally to teaching will find themselves taking away much more from the experience than just some CV points and this is especially true when teaching international students.

As the article referenced above points out, the opportunity to learn about other cultures and experience how people from different backgrounds interpret the world around them is an opportunity not be missed.

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