Teaching for the Future: Experiential Learning and the Use of New Strategies and Techniques Available to the International Studies Classroom

Document Type

Presentation

Presentation Date

3-22-2006

Abstract or Description

Though professors of academia for decades have engaged in the Platonic dialogue with their students, recent studies have demonstrated that between 50-90 percent of student recall depends upon their direct participation in the material in which they are being instructed (National Training Laboratories, 2003). Such instructional strategies estimate that students who participate in discussion group sessions recall over 50 percent of material which they learn, while ?practice by doing? contributes to about 75 percent retention. By far the most impressive retention statistic, however, is that students retain over 90 percent of the material to which they are exposed if they are required to use the material immediately or engage in teaching others. Perhaps no other discipline in the halls of academe changes as rapidly as international studies. Each day presents new information and new challenges. This paper suggests that professors of international studies must ?relearn? what they have learned. That is, teaching must become more active and interactive utilizing the new techniques and technologies available today. It can no longer be assumed that 150 minutes per week is adequate time to impart to students the complexities of an ever-changing world. E-mail and voice mail are fine to communicate with students, but discussions outside of class in interactive chat rooms and other outlets can capture the nuances of meaning which might otherwise be missed. In short, professors of international studies must constantly be engaged and encourage active learning on the part of their students.This paper provides a brief survey of the teaching technologies and strategies available to professors of international studies today. It will demonstrate that the use of active learning, in the form of simulations, student presentations, and problem-solving situations will better prepare students to understand the complexities of international studies. By utilizing the technological advances in teaching excellence, professors can more fully engage their students and provide them with the tools to face the challenges of their futures. As a discipline, international studies cannot assume that teaching facts and figures is adequate to an understanding of the world. International studies students must experience the world as closely as possible in the classroom before they, ultimately, will be forced to confront it for themselves.

Sponsorship/Conference/Institution

International Studies Association Annual Meeting

Location

San Diego, CA

Source

https://convention2.allacademic.com/one/isa/isa06/index.php?click_key=3#search_top

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