According to the United Nations, nearly a quarter of a billion people now live outside their country of birth, and it is predicted that this number will increase dramatically over the next decade or so. This international movement of people means that, increasingly, teachers and educators work with immigrant and refugee children and families who…

In the complex and diverse region of Oceania, researchers often work across more than one cultural understanding. Thus, a researcher's position with regard to their research requires careful ongoing negotiation because position, when understood through relationality, is fluid. Negotiating position requires acute reflexivity of the researcher but…

This paper argues that all learners need teachers who are not only professionally qualified but also culturally competent. This is particularly so with teachers of indigenous students, who face the conflicting expectations of schools and those of their home cultures. References to Pacific students will be used to illustrate some of the conflicts…

The "Handbook on Innovations in Learning", published in 2014, responded to a call by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to "leverage the innovation and ingenuity this nation is known for to create programs and projects that every school can implement to succeed." In December 2015, passage of the "Every Student Succeeds…

Studies on second language (L2) learners' strategies tended to characterize strategies as individual learners' cognitive predispositions or personality traits, leaving a critical question unanswered: Why do learners use different strategies in different contexts? From a sociocultural perspective, this article pursued this question by focusing on…

As the oil reserves in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are forecast to become depleted over the next 50 to 150 years, the emirate of Abu Dhabi has set a vision to develop a knowledge economy in order to develop alternative sources of revenue in areas such as tourism, alternative energy and innovative business enterprises. Reformation of its…

This article reconceptualises the meaning of critical theory and its tools of emancipation and critique within the subjective content of cross-cultural literature, globalisation and learning organisation. The first part of the article reviews literature on globalisation and learning companies. The second part discusses the critical approach and…

Here I emphasize the applicability of the sociological imagination to an international audience by sharing my journey of teaching sociology in Japan. I found my own sociological imagination helpful in critically evaluating the literature on Japanese higher education and the construction of the Japanese student as a form of Orientalism. As I…

In this discussion on differences between white and black students in academic achievement, it is pointed out that apparent differences in scholastic ability may actually be differences in ways of thinking and relating to schooling which arise more from cultural background than from innate cognitive ability. It is suggested that disparities that…

"Good" schools are typically defined as environments in which good students attend, good teachers teach, good parents participate, and good communities exist. This definition suggests that students maintain high test scores with the focus on going to college. In other words, good schools are typically exclusive in maintaining high…

Provides teachers with selected background knowledge and strategies that enhance the learning process for English as a Second Language (ESL) students in secondary classrooms. Discusses the stages of language development and cultural adaptation that all second-language learners navigate through. Outlines important linguistic and cultural processes.…

Discusses developments in international online learning and suggests ways for people to build courses from their own cultural perspectives. Highlights include advantages of international collaboration; differences in cultural environments; and resources for bringing online communities together to discuss topics of common interest. (Author/LRW)

Faculty/staff workshops provide a way of enhancing teaching and learning strategies and pedagogical techniques. We include faculty/staff development workshops designed to create team that taught interdisciplinary courses which address issues of diversity and democracy for first year students. Strategic planning of the workshop and responsiveness…

Because of the newness of the concept of multicultural education in many schools and the lack of published materials available to teachers, it becomes the responsibility of the teacher to design a program aimed at meeting the needs of their classes. Certain objectives may be achieved through reading books or stories about young people from…

Describes a project at Texas Woman's University involving adjunct class sessions to help underprepared minority students in teacher education succeed academically. Adjunct class sessions for three required freshman courses provided volunteer students with study strategies and course content discussions. Underprepared students who participated…