Loes Damhof | Hanze University of Applied Sciences (original) (raw)
Papers by Loes Damhof
Futures Literacy (FL), developed by UNESCO (2014), is a capability that provides insight into how... more Futures Literacy (FL), developed by UNESCO (2014), is a capability that provides insight into how we approach unforeseeable challenges by using the future to innovate the present (Miller, 2015). When we only use the past to predict the future, detecting novelty is difficult. By knowing how we are using the future, we can integrate complexity and novelty in our choices and therefore make better decisions. Hanze University has adapted FL to higher education by developing intensive Futures Literacy Knowledge Laboratories (FLKLs) for Professional Masters. This paper focuses on the hypothesis that participants become more Futures Literate after participating in a Lab. Operationalizing underlying skills and measuring improvement during FLKLs is an important step towards an evidence-based approach. Therefore, this paper will focus on the development of a method of measurement that is aimed at measuring the effects of the FLKLs.
More than a decade ago, Kof Annan noted that the process of globalization was forging a new "worl... more More than a decade ago, Kof Annan noted that the process of globalization was forging a new "world without walls" that would require rethinking the assumptions that guide our daily lives (Annan 2002). Advances in communication technology and transportation have resulted in social relationships that cross national borders and contribute to the four aspects of globalization originally noted by Held, McGrew, Goldblatt, and Perraton: "the widening, intensifying, speeding up and growing impact of worldwide interconnect-edness" (1999, italics added). These global interconnections make intercul-tural collaboration an increasingly important component of daily life and require us to develop the skills to negotiate complex relationships across cultures, time zones, and geopolitical boundaries (Spitzberg and Chagnon 2009). Globally networked classrooms (GNCs) are well suited to prepare students for the complexities of globalization. As classrooms without walls in which students located in different countries work together, GNCs can support powerful intercultural learning when designed to enhance a shared learning culture (Starke-Meyerring and Andrews 2006). We take our definition of intercultural learning from Lane, who argues that, "[iJntercultural learning refers to the acquisition of knowledge and skills that support the ability of learners to both understand culture and interact with people from cultures different from their own" (2014). By learning to collaborate and communicate with classmates from other cultures as well as international peers, students can acquire these skills. Simply throwing culturally different students into tasks together does not guarantee intercultural learning. By strategically designing courses that create a shared learning culture operating across national and cultural boundaries, GNCs can foster an understanding of globalization and intercultural communication in a way that conventional courses cannot. In the course The Global Village (TGV), which has been offered twice in the past two years, students and instructors at a Dutch and an American university explored the changing local versus global dynamic while creating a shared space for learning. We sought to create one classroom in which students from two continents learned about globalization by working together to create a common product. Experiencing this process made it possible
Talks by Loes Damhof
There are many different types of COIL courses with objectives ranging from cross-cultural exchan... more There are many different types of COIL courses with objectives ranging from cross-cultural exchange to intercultural collaboration (DeWitt, Damhof, Oxenford, Schutte & Wolfensberger, 2015). Our goal in the GNC that we teach, The Global Village, is intercultural collaboration. Achieving intercultural collaboration in a globally networked classroom demands a different approach towards intercultural understanding - a theory that does not focus on cross-cultural differences, but is based on creating common ground.
We began our journey into globally networked learning as COIL Institute Fellows. In our course, T... more We began our journey into globally networked learning as COIL Institute Fellows. In our course, The Global Village, students experience a form of intercultural learning that is possible because of globalization. Reflective practice formed the basis for course design and adjusting direction while teaching the course. We present narrative research describing the path that we took to understand the process of teaching and learning based on the conceptual framework of Dutch sociologist, Evelien van Asperen.
Globally networked learning environments (GNLEs) allow students and faculty in different parts of... more Globally networked learning environments (GNLEs) allow students and faculty in different parts of the world to share a common learning space and collaborate using online tools. The goal of these global classrooms is to deepen students’ understanding of course material by sharing learning experiences across institutional contexts and national boundaries (Starke-Meyerring and Wilson, 2008; Little, Titarenko and Bergelson, 2005). As two faculty who teach a globally networked course, we share what we learned from our intercultural partnership. Our conversations about the teaching and learning process became the basis for creating and revising the course activities in our global classroom (Brookfield, 1995; Shadiow, 2013). By reflecting on the critical incidents that are a normal part of intercultural exchanges, we developed common ground for our teaching and for our students’ learning (Landremann, et al., 2007; McAllister, et al., 2006). In this workshop, we invite participants to generate their own process of critical reflection by sharing classroom scenarios and asking participants how they might respond to each situation. The primary goal of this workshop is to identify important considerations when facilitating teaching and learning in diverse, intercultural classrooms, such as globally networked learning environments.
Other by Loes Damhof
Futures Literacy (FL), developed by UNESCO (2014), is a capability that provides insight into how... more Futures Literacy (FL), developed by UNESCO (2014), is a capability that provides insight into how we approach unforeseeable challenges by using the future to innovate the present (Miller, 2015). When we only use the past to predict the future, detecting novelty is difficult. By knowing how we are using the future, we can integrate complexity and novelty in our choices and therefore make better decisions. Hanze University has adapted FL to higher education by developing intensive Futures Literacy Knowledge Laboratories (FLKLs) for Professional Masters. This paper focuses on the hypothesis that participants become more Futures Literate after participating in a Lab. Operationalizing underlying skills and measuring improvement during FLKLs is an important step towards an evidence-based approach. Therefore, this paper will focus on the development of a method of measurement that is aimed at measuring the effects of the FLKLs.
More than a decade ago, Kof Annan noted that the process of globalization was forging a new "worl... more More than a decade ago, Kof Annan noted that the process of globalization was forging a new "world without walls" that would require rethinking the assumptions that guide our daily lives (Annan 2002). Advances in communication technology and transportation have resulted in social relationships that cross national borders and contribute to the four aspects of globalization originally noted by Held, McGrew, Goldblatt, and Perraton: "the widening, intensifying, speeding up and growing impact of worldwide interconnect-edness" (1999, italics added). These global interconnections make intercul-tural collaboration an increasingly important component of daily life and require us to develop the skills to negotiate complex relationships across cultures, time zones, and geopolitical boundaries (Spitzberg and Chagnon 2009). Globally networked classrooms (GNCs) are well suited to prepare students for the complexities of globalization. As classrooms without walls in which students located in different countries work together, GNCs can support powerful intercultural learning when designed to enhance a shared learning culture (Starke-Meyerring and Andrews 2006). We take our definition of intercultural learning from Lane, who argues that, "[iJntercultural learning refers to the acquisition of knowledge and skills that support the ability of learners to both understand culture and interact with people from cultures different from their own" (2014). By learning to collaborate and communicate with classmates from other cultures as well as international peers, students can acquire these skills. Simply throwing culturally different students into tasks together does not guarantee intercultural learning. By strategically designing courses that create a shared learning culture operating across national and cultural boundaries, GNCs can foster an understanding of globalization and intercultural communication in a way that conventional courses cannot. In the course The Global Village (TGV), which has been offered twice in the past two years, students and instructors at a Dutch and an American university explored the changing local versus global dynamic while creating a shared space for learning. We sought to create one classroom in which students from two continents learned about globalization by working together to create a common product. Experiencing this process made it possible
There are many different types of COIL courses with objectives ranging from cross-cultural exchan... more There are many different types of COIL courses with objectives ranging from cross-cultural exchange to intercultural collaboration (DeWitt, Damhof, Oxenford, Schutte & Wolfensberger, 2015). Our goal in the GNC that we teach, The Global Village, is intercultural collaboration. Achieving intercultural collaboration in a globally networked classroom demands a different approach towards intercultural understanding - a theory that does not focus on cross-cultural differences, but is based on creating common ground.
We began our journey into globally networked learning as COIL Institute Fellows. In our course, T... more We began our journey into globally networked learning as COIL Institute Fellows. In our course, The Global Village, students experience a form of intercultural learning that is possible because of globalization. Reflective practice formed the basis for course design and adjusting direction while teaching the course. We present narrative research describing the path that we took to understand the process of teaching and learning based on the conceptual framework of Dutch sociologist, Evelien van Asperen.
Globally networked learning environments (GNLEs) allow students and faculty in different parts of... more Globally networked learning environments (GNLEs) allow students and faculty in different parts of the world to share a common learning space and collaborate using online tools. The goal of these global classrooms is to deepen students’ understanding of course material by sharing learning experiences across institutional contexts and national boundaries (Starke-Meyerring and Wilson, 2008; Little, Titarenko and Bergelson, 2005). As two faculty who teach a globally networked course, we share what we learned from our intercultural partnership. Our conversations about the teaching and learning process became the basis for creating and revising the course activities in our global classroom (Brookfield, 1995; Shadiow, 2013). By reflecting on the critical incidents that are a normal part of intercultural exchanges, we developed common ground for our teaching and for our students’ learning (Landremann, et al., 2007; McAllister, et al., 2006). In this workshop, we invite participants to generate their own process of critical reflection by sharing classroom scenarios and asking participants how they might respond to each situation. The primary goal of this workshop is to identify important considerations when facilitating teaching and learning in diverse, intercultural classrooms, such as globally networked learning environments.