World Social Work Day in Rotterdam

Today social workers around the world joined together to celebrate World Social Work Day on March 15, 2011. This annual event, celebrated on the third Tuesday in March, focuses on social work contributions to society and is part of an on-going dialogue about how to address challenging social conditions worldwide.
Here's a short speech by the president of IFSW:

World Social Work Day 2011: Message from IFSW President Gary Bailey, MSW, ACSW from IFSW on Vimeo.

The theme for this year's Social Work Day 2011 was “Social Work voices responding to global crises: Together we develop the Agenda!“
And this challenge was taken up here in Rotterdam within our School of Social Work.
The mission of the social work profession and the development of social policy are rooted in a set of core values. These core values, embraced by social workers, social work educators and policy practitioners and developers the world over, are the foundation of social work’s unique purpose and perspective.
In June 2010, at the global social work conference in Hong Kong, three key social work organisations at the global level initiated a discussion to develop a Global Agenda for social work and social development, a common Global Agenda for years to come, articulating a set of common goals. The challenges which are collectively faced at present are so enormous that there is an overwhelming need for a united voice and solidarity.
What started in Hong Kong was the beginning of a process of shared engagement among social work and social development practitioners and social work educators the world over.
With this in mind we planned to have the kick-off for the joint social work module for all year 1 students on today's World Social Work Day.

From many sides an appeal had been made to encourage all classes in schools of social work around the world, service agencies, other sites where social work and social development organisations are involved and communities linked to social work and social development to discuss and comment on the Global Agenda. And this opportunity was seized by a number of people within our university, not only by way of a big event for all year 1 students, but also by stimulating all lecturers to pay attention to the issue in their lessons. A learning package with tips and suggestions was developed specifically for that purpose, with a focus on poverty as the main issue. Now it's time to harvest and analyse all the tips and suggestions for the Global Agenda.
A great and unifying initiative that will remind all involved that social work is truly an international profession practised all over the world and rooted in a common set of core values. Here are some images of the event which took place in the Scottish church in Rotterdam:



And here's a link to how World Social Work Day was celebrated in other countries.

Canadian and American surveys on international education

Canadian students are convinced of the benefits of studying abroad and of the value of having international students on their campuses. A survey of nearly 3,000 students looked at their attitudes to the internationalisation of Canadian campuses as well as their own opportunities to pursue studies abroad. The students indicated that the "ability to work in diverse cultural settings" was important in terms of getting a job.
Similarly, a majority considered "knowledge of international affairs" to be an asset in eventual job-seeking. 9% of students responded they had already participated in a study abroad programme, while another 26% said it was likely that they would pursue studies abroad in the future.
Not surprisingly, nearly half the respondents said they would prefer to study in English-speaking countries, particularly the UK and Australia; 10% indicated they would like to study in France.
Less than two weeks later University World News, "the global window on higher education", posted an article saying that most Americans consider international exposure to be an essential part of the student experience. A survey by the Washington-based international educators' association NAFSA, entitled Educating Students for Success in the Global Economy, found that Americans are committed to the principle that in order to thrive in the future, we must prepare students today for life and careers in an age of global connectedness and global competition.
In short, there is overall recognition that the country's future success rests on its ability to prepare students with the skills necessary to navigate in a competitive international landscape, to thrive in the global workplace, and to leverage their talents and skills in ways that move a country forward in an increasingly connected world.
(Interestingly, one question addressed the contentious and polarising issue of facilitating the immigration of skilled higher educational professionals to the US. Although support wavered - at 40% - the overall data showed that those more strongly in favour of international education recognised that the recruitment of international talent was a necessary way to fuel excellence in higher education.)
It's clear that universities have an important role to play in preparing students for the new era of global engagement! And international students within your university can play a significant part in nurturing global citizens.
Source: www.universityworldnews.com

dear international students: welcome to Rotterdam !

This week we could welcome the new group of international students at our Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. And what a large and diverse group it is with students from 10 different countries !
For the kick off we had chosen the 11th floor of the high rise as our venue, which meant that we had an excellent overview of Rotterdam lying at our feet.
Especially Monday and Tuesday we spent time in getting to know each other better by way of ice breakers, games, and all sorts of introductory activities, which was a good start. However, it was the international buddies that had been doing the most important tasks in getting the students landed in Rotterdam after arrival from their respective countries. Collecting them from Schiphol or otherwise, gathering keys, taking them to their accommodation etc.: a big thank you to them!
Later in the week the first lessons were given and the serious work started.
Here's a visual impression of the first Monday meetings:

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Revealing, simple and effective !

Clipped from: www.ifitweremyhome.com (share this clip)

Representing large facts in relation to a person's own home is much more revealing than a simple list or presentation of facts. From this understanding, a new site was launched: www.ifitweremyhome.com. A resource worthwhile exploring within international education, and particularly a tip for our Global Citizenship learning track as it provides an easy gateway to understanding life outside your home.
The site immediately focusses your attention on the fascinating issue: "the lottery of birth is responsible for much of who we are."
You only need to use the country comparison tool to compare living conditions in your own country to those of another and you 'll get a short but comprehensive list of comparative data. It's really easy to get started by selecting a region to compare on the map to the right, and begin your exploration.
And here's the question that keeps me puzzling: If you were not born in the country you were, what would your life be like? Would you be the same person?
Feel free to respond.

Last preparations before the start

In the run up to the start of the international class this year, we had a preparatory meeting today with a great number of lecturers who will be teaching part of the programme. It was good to share with each other who was going to teach what over the next 3 months. All in all, there will be around 30 staff members who have taken up the challenge to teach in English.
In the past months it was stimulating to see and hear that so many had responded positively to our appeal to give a few lessons to the coming group of international students. A group (by the way) that has steadily grown over the last few years. When the school of social work joined forces with the social of education a number of years ago, we started out with a small (but highly motivated) group of 7 or 8 students. Since then the numbers have only grown and grown and this year we are expecting around 30 students, although we're still not 100 % sure of the exact number of students turning up.
During this preparatory session we discussed a number of issues, among which: what to expect when teaching in an international classroom. As a teacher / lecturer you are a role model to the students, but students with different cultural backgrounds have had different role models in their respective countries where their teachers employed different styles of teaching. When students are used to one teaching style and their teacher uses a different one, the result can be confusion, dissatisfaction, or cause other problems. This preparatory meeting was also meant to develop awareness of different teaching styles and how they differ from one culture to another.
Generally speaking, many lecturers do not realise that the more casual and accessible approach of Dutch teachers in classroom sessions is completely different compared to the teaching styles in countries like Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Turkey, to name just a few.
For example, when students in their own home education system are primarily taught using a more authoritarian style they may be reluctant to participate in group or pair activities because of fear of making mistakes, or because of the unfamiliarity with the procedures. Students like most people feel uncomfortable with the unknown.
Into our international class will come students of differing cultural
backgrounds and academic histories, bringing with them certain experiences,
attitudes, expectations and preconceptions which constitute their own individual
cultural characteristics. It's then up to the teacher to make sure that the way things are done in the classroom are clearly introduced, explained and clarified when questions arise. It was Geert Hofstede who suggested that there are 2 possible strategies to cope with the perplexities of cross-cultural learning situations: 1. teach the teacher how to teach, and 2. teach the learner how to learn.
He proposed that the focus of the teacher's training should be on learning about his / her own culture: getting intellectually and emotionally accustomed to the fact that in other societies, people learn in different ways.
Here's the presentation I gave:

Preparatory meeting lecturers International Class

View more presentations from Anja S.

A few hours after the meeting I came across this webpage, succinctly stating a few common issues in international classrooms, a tip !