Assignment 5: Applying the Learning

Located in southern China, I work as the principal of Canadian International

School Guangxi Gaojie (CISGG). We are an accredited BC offshore private school,
where Chinese students are taught British Columbia curriculum from grades 10 to
12 by BC certified teachers, and upon graduation receive a BC dogwood diploma.
The appeal of the school is to improve students English and facilitate an easy
transition to the Canada for post secondary studies. One of the biggest issues of
my job is blending the best of the east and west harmoniously, which is not an easy
task, as educational values differ between the two cultures. Most of the teaching
staff are relatively recent graduates from Canada, who have opted for a full time job
and new experience rather than fight to get on a substitute teacher list. The
cultural differences of our environment make for a very different teaching
experience for the teachers than they are accustomed to in Canada.
It is important for these teachers to have a high cultural intelligence not only
to make them more adept to teaching Chinese students, but to adjusting to life on
this side of the Pacific Ocean. A high cultural intelligence is not only important in
educational terms, but also in dealing with parents, and working within a Chinese
company. This issue of cultural harmony is critical to the success of teachers,
students and the business of the school. I was particularly struck two of the
courses readings: Plums (2007) Cultural Intelligence - A Concept for Bridging and
Benefiting from Cultural Differences and Montiel-Overalls (2009) Cultural
Competence. A Conceptual Framework for Library and Information Science
Professionals. Both articles provide valuable insight and frameworks for looking at
cultural intelligence, the area I am hoping to further develop and improve in
CISGGs staff.
The way I envision the professional development, it will occur in a series of
different stages. A good starting point for acquiring cultural competence is to
examine ones own cultural ideas, values and norms (Montiel-Overall, 2009).
Similar to what we did at the beginning of this course in our discussion group, I will
have the staff spend time reflecting on their personal culture. Through sharing, this
will be a great opportunity for the staff to be aware of the differences culturally
between them. Even though they are all Canadian, the backgrounds and what they
identify with as their culture will undoubtedly display their diversity. The idea to
incorporate this stage of the professional development was instigated upon reading
a discussion post from Colleen Huck who wrote that it is important to know your
thoughts/feelings and what you bring to the table before you assess what other

people have brought (whether that be your culture, your knowledge, your bias, you
communicative style etc.)
Continuing with the idea of focusing on themselves, at the next stage of
professional development, the staff will be challenged to think about their own
cultural intelligence. The staff will complete a four factor cultural intelligence
survey (appendix A). Upon completing the survey, they will tally their totals which
will help identify areas of cultural intelligence where they are strong and areas that
have room for improvement. In the first two stages of the professional development
the Chinese support staff employed by the school will be included. By including
them it could make the discussions richer and bring in other cultural perspectives
that are necessary for everyones growth. In addition, the Chinese staff could see
where the Canadian teachers are coming from, hopefully helping to foster a more
harmonious and productive work environment.
The final stage of the professional development will steer more towards
education. The teachers will listen to a National Public Radio podcast that I found to
critique in the courses fourth assignment. Alix Spigels Struggle for Smarts? How
Eastern and Western Cultures Tackle Learning (2012) is perfect for opening up a
conversation on the differences in educational culture between the east and west.
In particular, the podcast focuses on the concept of struggle, pointing out that the
east sees struggle as a sign of opportunity, where in the west we are more
conditioned to associate struggle with failure. Not only could this shift the way
teachers approach their teaching to our Chinese students, it could act as a
springboard to jump into other differences between western and eastern cultural
educational values.
In the conclusion of the professional development, I will hand out copies of
Plums article for the teachers to read on their own time. Teachers will be required
to post a response to the article within the week on the staff Edmodo site. The Plum
article gives an excellent overall discussion on cultural intelligence and will provide
a nice cap stone on the day of professional development. Improving cultural
intelligence is beneficial for all teachers, but it is especially critical in an offshore
school environment. By dedicating time and energy in professional development to
the improvement of cultural intelligence, the staff will make their lives in China
more manageable and make them more effective in the classroom.

Appendix A
Instructions: Select the response that best describes your capabilities.

Select the answer that BEST describes you AS YOU REALLY ARE (1=strongly
disagree; 7=strongly agree).

CQ
Questionnaire Items
Factor

CQ-Strategy:

MC1

I am conscious of the cultural knowledge I use when

interacting with people with different cultural
backgrounds.

MC2

I adjust my cultural knowledge as I interact with people

from a culture that is unfamiliar to me.

MC3

I am conscious of the cultural knowledge I apply to crosscultural interactions.

MC4

I check the accuracy of my cultural knowledge as I

interact with people from different cultures.

CQ-Knowledge:

COG1 I know the legal and economic systems of other cultures.

COG2 I know the rules (e.g., vocabulary, grammar) of other

languages.

COG3 I know the cultural values and religious beliefs of other

cultures.

COG4 I know the marriage systems of other cultures.

COG5 I know the arts and crafts of other cultures.

COG6 I know the rules for expressing non-verbal behaviors in

other cultures.

CQ-Motivation:

MOT1 I enjoy interacting with people from different cultures.

MOT2 I am confident that I can socialize with locals in a culture

that is unfamiliar to me.

MOT3 I am sure I can deal with the stresses of adjusting to a

culture that is new to me.

MOT4 I enjoy living in cultures that are unfamiliar to me.

MOT5 I am confident that I can get accustomed to the shopping

conditions in a different culture.

CQ-Behavior:

BEH1

I change my verbal behavior (e.g., accent, tone) when a

cross-cultural interaction requires it.

BEH2

I use pause and silence differently to suit different crosscultural situations.

BEH3

I vary the rate of my speaking when a cross-cultural

situation requires it.

BEH4

I change my non-verbal behavior when a cross-cultural

interaction requires it.

BEH5

I alter my facial expressions when a cross-cultural

interaction requires it.

The Four Factors of Cultural Intelligence (CQ)

CQ-Strategy is how a person makes sense of inter-cultural experiences. It reflects
the processes individuals use to acquire and understand cultural knowledge. It
occurs when people make judgments about their own thought processes and those
of others. This includes strategizing before an inter-cultural encounter, checking
assumptions during an encounter, and adjusting mental maps when actual
experiences differ from expectations.
CQ-Knowledge is a persons understanding of how cultures are similar and how
cultures are different. It reflects general knowledge structures and mental maps
about cultures. It includes knowledge about economic and legal systems, norms for
social interaction, religious beliefs, aesthetic values, and language in different
cultures.
CQ-Motivation is a persons interest in experiencing other cultures and interacting
with people from different cultures. Motivational CQ is magnitude and direction of
energy applied toward learning about and functioning in cross-cultural situations. It
includes the intrinsic value people place on culturally diverse interactions as well as
their sense of confidence that they can function effectively in settings characterized
by cultural diversity.
CQ-Behavior is a persons capability to adapt verbal and nonverbal behavior so it
is appropriate for different cultures. It includes having a flexible repertoire of
behavioral responses that are appropriate in a variety of situations and having the
capability to modify both verbal and nonverbal behavior based on those involved in
a specific interaction or in a particular setting.
(Van Dyke, 2005)

Bibliography
Montiel-Overall, P. (2007). Cultural Competence in Collaborative Teaching between
Teachers and Librarians. Paper presented at the International Association of School
Librarians conference, Taipei, July 1620, 2007.
Plum, E. (2007). Cultural Intelligence - A concept for bridging and benefiting from
cultural differences. Retrieved from:
http://www.kulturelintelligens.dk/Cultural_Intelligence_Plum.pdf
Spiegel, A (2012). Struggle For Smarts? How Eastern And Western Cultures Tackle
Learning. National Public Radio. Retrieved from: http://www.npr.org/sections/healthshots/2012/11/12/164793058/struggle-for-smarts-how-eastern-and-westerncultures-tackle-learning
Van Dyne, L. (2005). Four Factor Cultural Intelligence Scale. Retrieved from:
http://www.linnvandyne.com/shortmeasure.html