Cultural Developments
Asynchronous Session
Integrating Worlds: Enhancing Inclusive Education through Communication Technologies and Intercultural Competence for Children with Disabilities
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Dious Joseph
The paper critically examines the potential of communication technologies and intercultural competence in enhancing inclusive education, particularly for children with disabilities. It emphasizes the importance of inclusive education to provide all children with equal learning opportunities. The paper underscores the need to integrate modern communication technologies and intercultural understanding to cater to the diverse needs of students with disabilities. It highlights various innovative tools, including assistive communication devices and adaptive software, showcasing how these technologies can surmount learning barriers. Case studies demonstrating the successful application of these technologies in varied educational settings further enrich the discussion. Much of the paper is devoted to the significance of intercultural competence in education. It stresses that respecting and understanding cultural diversity is crucial in formulating educational strategies for children with disabilities. The paper suggests methods for educators to develop intercultural competence, fostering a more inclusive and empathetic educational atmosphere. Furthermore, the paper investigates how merging communication technologies with intercultural competence can synergistically enhance educational settings. It proposes actionable strategies for this integration and highlights the essential role of educators and policymakers in this process. In conclusion, the paper discusses the broader impact of integrating these technologies and competencies on students, educational practices, and policies. It acknowledges the challenges, including ethical and accessibility concerns, and offers recommendations to address them. The paper concludes by underscoring the need for ongoing research and innovation, pointing towards a future of more inclusive and technologically integrated education.
Collaborative Online International Learning in Chemistry Classes at College and High School Levels
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Supaporn Kradtap Hartwell, Leslie Porter, Pattama Yanu, Kanchana Watla Iad
Intercultural competencies and ability to work with team members from diverse backgrounds are important skills in many lines of work including STEM fields. Despite its importance, inclusion of cultural topics in science classes is rare and has often been viewed as “out of context.” Students usually gain these experiences from study abroad programs. However, such learning opportunities are not available for all students due to barriers such as financial, time, rigid curriculum, and safety issues. Internationalization at home is a way to globalize the classroom and give students intercultural working experience at low to no cost. Here, collaborative assignments used in chemistry classrooms to connect US and Thai students and engage them in chemistry topics are presented. Best practices and points to consider when implementing the strategies based on perspectives of students and class instructors at college and at high school levels are discussed.
Making the Transition from High School to College as Seamless as Possible
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Christopher Serkan, Berhanu Kidane
Mathematical departments have been seeking ways to reduce high student failure rates in college-level math courses for three decades. Developing and implementing effective strategies for increasing student success in mathematics courses requires an understanding of students' mathematical backgrounds, their conceptions of teaching and learning mathematics, and their expectations of college faculty. As part of this study, we examined students' perceptions of the differences between mathematics instruction in college and high school. This study examined freshman students' beliefs regarding why they struggle in college mathematics courses. By gaining a deeper understanding of what a student is looking for in a mathematics classroom, it is possible to gain a better understanding of what he or she needs. A total of one hundred twenty first-semester college students were asked to write anonymously about their perceived differences and similarities between mathematics instruction in high school and college. In Wheeler and Montgomery (2009), it was found that "students' previous experiences in instructional environments were closely related to their beliefs" (p. 289) since students will operate within this new intellectual college endeavor based on their previous educational experiences. Through qualitative research methodology known as grounded theory, the students' responses were analyzed to extract the essence of the students’ perception of differences between college and high school mathematics classes so that the essence could be used to communicate and explore the meaning of those differences. Students struggled with a smooth transition to postsecondary education, according to the results.
