The Intercultural Communication Institute

This institute is held annually to increase intercultural understanding, and reduce conflict among different cultures. The most significant workshops related to cultural competence, film, conflict styles, and social justice relating to intercultural communication and relations. These particular sessions highlighted the need to consider intercultural concepts and models of instructional design to enhance cultural learning across disciplines. One workshop I attended related to intercultural conflict styles, which introduced participants to the Intercultural Conflict Styles Inventory (ICS). The workshop discussed various intercultural styles of dealing with conflict and explained the inventory. This instrument is designed to focus on how we communicate during conflict circumstances. Participants took the inventory and identified their cultural prototype. The session also offered strategies for successfully managing intercultural conflict.
Another important workshop linked social justice, intercultural relations, and intercultural communication in the global context. The session allowed participants to apply a theoretical approach to the complexities of globalizations across various disciplines and for community organizers.The next workshop I attended highlighted the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS). It focuses on the stages that people move through in their acquisition of intercultural competence. This workshop focused on intercultural theory and its applications for educators, trainers, consultants, and non-profit employees. It provided a theoretical underpinning for many of the workshops presented during the institute. The presenter then discussed the development through the ethnocentric stage (denial, defense, minimization) and through ethnorelative stages (acceptance, adaptation, integration). And finally, I attended a session on film-based approaches for intercultural education. With a variety of film clips, this interactive session explored sequencing films and facilitating discussions in a manner most likely to improve multicultural understanding and intercultural competence. The facilitators applied the (DMIS) model to film selection and analysis. They explained how the power of film can transform attitudes and the way people view the world. Facilitators encouraged participants to consider the following when selecting films: (1) Do I show the entire film? (2) How do I deconstruct the film so it is not taken out of context? (3) How do I set the film up? (4)What type of pre-context assignment should I give to students to help them be prepared to move more quickly along the various levels of the model? (5) What films take students across a great divide culturally? (6) What films explore deeper cultural context and does not perpetuate stereotypes? (7) What films challenges their belief systems yet help them develop interculturally? (8) Did I leave enough time to the process the film with my students? (9) Which stage in the DMIS model are my students currently experiencing? (10) Does this film help them progress to a higher stage in the (DMIS) model?

*Listed below are just a few of the suggested films for cross-cultural learning developed by the workshop presenters and the class:

Classics Old And New

• Chairy Tale
• Not In Our Town
• A Class Divided/The Essential
• Cold Water
• The Way Home
• True Colors
• Tale of/Land of O's (Update)
• Guess Whose Coming to Dinner
• Blue Eyed
• Ethnic Notions
• Skin Deep
• Powers of Ten

International

• Kandahar (Afghanstan)
• Himalya (Nepal)
• Heaven and Earth (Vietnam)
• Heart of the Dragon (China 12-part)
• Ghandi (India)
• Frida (Mexico
• Dersu Uzala (Russia)
• Search for the Afghan Girl (National Geographic)
• Schindler's List (Germany)
• Skyline (Spain)
• Tompopo (Japan)
• Three Seasons (Vietnam)
• The Way Home (Korea)
• Whale Rider (New Zealand)
• Crying Game (Ireland)
• Cry Freedom (South Africa)
• City of Joy (India)
• Heaven (Iran)
• Chariots of Fire (England)

Domestic USA - African American

• Amistad
• A Raisin In The Sun
• Boyz N The Hood
• Color Purple
• Do The Right Thing
• Eyes On The Prize I and II
• White Man's Burden
• Crash (highlights several ethnic groups)
• Fried Green Tomatoes
• Glory
• Ghosts Of Mississippi
• Grand Canyon
• Hoop Dreams

Domestic USA - Asian

• Come See The Paradise
• Daughter from Danag (PBS)
• Dim Sum
• Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
• Double Happiness (Canada)
• Eat a Bowl of Tea
• American Game Japanese Rules
• Becoming American
• Blue Collar Buddha
• Carved in Silence
• Great Wall
• Green Dragon
• Joy Luck Club
• Karate Kid
• Picture Bride

Domestic USA - Latino/Hispanic

• Real Women Have Curves
• Selena
• Spanglish
• Stand and Deliver
• Tortilla Shop
• West Side Story
• Chicano! (4 part)
• El Norte
• Fools Rush In
• La Bamba
• Lone Star
• Mi Familia/My Family

Domestic USA - Native American

• Black Robe (Canada)
• Dance Me Outside (Canada)
• Dances With Wolves
• Fast Runner

* I invite each of you to add films for cross-cultural learning.

2009 Aging In America Conference

The Aging in America Conference is sponsored by the American Society on Aging and the National Council on Aging. This conference is held annually to demonstrate the best practices in education, professional development, research and businesses in the field of aging. The conference this year emphasized some best practices in a variety of areas; however I was most interested in information related to intergenerational exchange, the life course, health & wellness and women.

I attended health related workshops on training professionals and maintaining health & wellness. These workshops highlighted the need to appropriately train professionals and students working with older adults. There were concrete exercises and illustrations to demonstrated and provide an understanding of the significance of healthy living on the life course and older adults' choices. Some of these exercises could easily be incorporated into the classroom. For example in one workshop, one exercise illustrated the difficulty of decision making for older adults by providing a list of essential items for daily living and then giving specific circumstances by which items might be crossed off the list. For instance, the list may be a budget including prescriptions, produce, gas, co-pay for doctor's visits, etc. As an exercise, you would need to under specified circumstances that limited income or related to health prioritize the items on your list. In many instances, items may need to be removed from the list. This type of exercise could easily be altered and adapted to aging courses at all levels.

Another workshop attended related to incorporating technology and women's issues by accessing websites and agencies housing aging statistics and linking that to both in-class and online course materials. This would provide learning materials that are not only up-to-date but it would also allow students to concretely see how to link credible online source material with text and lecture information. Additionally, this workshop provided some ideas on classroom blogs and discussion board materials to enhance learning of age related concepts at all levels.

There were other workshops that demonstrated the best practices in business and clinical settings. These provided some useful information on how to help better train students for the field of aging. Health professionals and business owners discussed the need to train and educate a more compotent aging service provider. There were illustrations of program training that demonstrate where the field is going and what students will need to know. For instance, there were policy discussions in relation to health care reform and long term care that provided concrete examples of how to help professionals and students better understand the application in real world scenarios. This discussion also demonstrated the need to seek out internship and practicum opportunities with agencies and businesses representing the best in the field and local area.

While at the conference, I also gave a presentation on a collaborative senior level learning assessment that would require gerontology and music majors to work together to create a music learning program for older adults. The interactive audience provided valuable feedback on what types of activities might be most useful for both students and older adults. Additionally, suggestions for implementation and curriculum development were provided. The presentation undoubtedly will lead to the develpment of a better learning experience for students and will enhance the potential partnership between the music and gerontology programs.

Overall, this conference was really beneficial. Unlike more academically focused conferences, this conference brought together professionals, educators and business owners in a venue that allowed for useful exchange. In order to succesfully educate students to succeed in the field of aging, it is important to keep up with what is going on in all sectors of the field. Therefore, this conference by demonstrating the best practices in health, education, business and research provides numerous teaching and learning opportunities and other vital information.