Conference Presentations by Fran Martin
The Association of Canadian Deans of Education (ACDE, 2014) Accord on Internationalization addres... more The Association of Canadian Deans of Education (ACDE, 2014) Accord on Internationalization addresses five areas of interrelated practice: experiences of International Mobility; international teaching partnerships; international research partnerships; the internationalization of Canadian curriculum; and the preparation of educators and leaders for schools, post-secondary educational systems and other locations of educational practice. This paper focuses on the first and third areas of practice, using as an example a University level partnership between Chengdu University of Technology, China and University of Regina, Saskatchewan, and a faculty level visiting scholar program that is a feature of the partnership. The accord also warns that: " Current economic imperatives of globalization have intensified the drive towards profit-seeking, standardizing, and potentially exploitative internationalization activities, often without full consideration of or particular attention paid to the vulnerability of marginalized communities ". A number of benefits of internationalization are noted in the accord: the potential for building partnerships based on reciprocity, social accountability, and sustainability; the potential for system change by expanding frames of reference and possibilities for rethinking, relationships and educational, economic, and social practice; and the potential for increased intercultural understanding and dialogue through a realization of interdependence. These are laudable aims, but how they are interpreted and achieved in practice is not well understood. This paper reports on research that focuses on the third – increased intercultural understanding – using the context of a visiting scholar program " How prepared is international education to take on the challenge of intercultural communications? To this end, a clear understanding of culture, language, and the intersections of these with a plethora of issues related to power, privilege, voice, silence, and free speech is essential. " (Asgharzadeh, 2008: 357).
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Conference Presentations by Fran Martin