Teaching across Cultures (Building Pedagogical Relationships in Diverse Contexts)

Teaching across Cultures: Building Pedagogical Relationships in Diverse Contexts captures the tensions and the transformational potentials of teaching across multiple cultural contexts. The book evolved from cumulative self-studies that examined one teacher educator’s teaching practice, the cultural impact on that practice, and how she facilitated transformative teaching and learning. While every act of teaching occurs across cultures such as institutional culture, invisible cultures, classroom cultures, among others, educators who teach in cross-cultural settings have to navigate the unique complexities of cross-cultural teaching. Successful teaching in cross-cultural contexts can be facilitated through responsive pedagogy, building relationships, and teaching in the third space. These transformational approaches not only help to identify and close the perpetual gaps in teaching and learning, but they also position effective teaching within a pedagogical common ground that values student voices, facilitates pedagogical flexibility, and uses diversity as a teaching tool. In a world of ubiquitous and interactive learning environments, both the physical and virtual spaces play a vital role in teaching and teacher-student relationships. The book points to the necessity of teacher educators’ learning through diverse professional networks, and more importantly, through self-study. It is only through this introspective examination of one’s teaching and students’ learning as well as taking an ontological attitude toward teaching, can educators achieve success in diverse contexts.