Enhancing Education for International Students Essay

The impediments in facilitating learning in the realm of international students have been an issue among teachers and educational institutions. Through this dilemma, different studies in such literature have been proliferated to create avenues for changes and developments in such area. In the end, by properly incorporating these changes, appropriate measures and practices can be made so as to make education and learning worthwhile for international students. The paper seeks to showcase several important studies and articles that seek to address the challenges posed by facilitating education among international students. By doing this, better enforcement of education by institutions and teachers can be possible. Such compilation can be an important catalyst in addressing the needed changes by the academic institutions. Though this may seem an elaboration of important developments in the realm of education, this may sound to be general in nature compared to the variety and complex problems experienced by students. That is why the paper seeks to further limit the scope into reading and writing solutions adequate for international students. Addressing the overall problem Determining the dilemmas and hurdles faced by international students, one must be keen to understand that the difference in practices & culture and the language barrier remains to be the main catalyst for such experience. Lee in her article critically outlines the impediments and barrier of learning and development of international students. Seeing this, the article reflected important factors that led to such problems. â€Å"They recognized the need to adjust to the American-type classrooms, which includes, among other things, more interaction between professors and students, smaller classes, more explicit writing style, idiomatic language in spoken and written English, and a less formal classrooms. † (Lee, 1997, p. 94) Seeing this, Lee proposes several important solutions that administrators and teachers can implement in a classroom inhabited by international students. These actions are primarily focused on the process on which education is facilitated – oral, written and language skills. One important component in addressing the problem is by enhancing the listening capability of students. An important component in these suggestive methods is by both making the instructor and international student adapt at the same time in the classroom. â€Å"The tendency of American professors to modify textbooks and use outside sources to develop a unique class design creates obstacles for students who have listening difficulties. † (Lee, 1997, p. 94) Another important component indicated by Lee is the realization that there are cultural differences among students in the classroom. Local students may find and understand the topics if it talks about American culture, however this may not be the case for international students. â€Å"Students who are unfamiliar with examples may not understand the concept and so have additional information to decipher. † (Lee, 1997, p. 95) Instructors and teachers must prevent the occurrence of culture shock. By doing these, international students may feel at ease and can create further improvement in the acquisition of information and knowledge Internationalising Education Though a curriculum an educational institution may seem to provide, there must be an effort to continue to adjust it according to international standards. The study of Arkoudis showcases several important ways international students’ education in the classroom can be facilitated. One important facet is the creation of standardized teaching and learning. By doing this, an institution can both help facilitate education and learning not only for international students but also to locals as well. â€Å"There are also benefits for domestic students, as they engage with culturally and linguistically diverse students who offer multi-cultural perspectives on local and global issues. † (Arkoudis, 2006, p. 8) Another important point given by Arkoudis is the realization that a standardized curriculum must be developed so as to look into the welfare of international students. By focusing on how the content of a particular institution is given, proper facilitation of each discipline is achieved. â€Å"For some disciplines it seems that academics already consider the content as international, usually because the discipline is practiced in the same way across different countries. † (Arkoudis, 2006, p. 7) Also, there is another important component in the facilitation of education. This involves the creation of access to lectures particularly among students so as to give them the opportunity to further review materials in the classroom. By facilitating this, international students can cope with the challenges inside the classroom. â€Å"There are strategies that can be used in the design and delivery of the lecture that can assist in making the conventional lecture more accessible for international students† (Arkoudis, 2006, p. 9) Group participation has also been an important facet of American education for it gives opportunities for students to actively take part in the lesson given in a group setting. Arkoudis however argues that this may pose a hindrance for learning particularly among international students. These are due to several language barriers and their relative hesitation either caused by difficulty adjusting or shyness. â€Å"Contributing to discussions can be seen as a risky undertaking if the students are not comfortable with their English language ability or are unfamiliar with the cultural conventions for ‘breaking into’ the conversation. † (Arkoudis, 2006, p. 11) Seeing this, the teacher must actively create important measures and schemes that will improve the capability of international students to interact during group discussions.