New Spatial Imaginaries for International Curriculum Projects: Creative Diagrams, Mapping Experiments, and Critical Cartography

This article explores the complex relational landscape of international partnerships where local and transnational education objectives are entangled. We present a methodological practice for experimenting with diagrams and maps. Our emphasis on spatial rendering of local/global relationality is intended to invite discussion about the postcolonial context of international education work and the geopolitics of transnational curriculum. We pursue a diagrammatic and archipelagic form of creative abstraction, which we present as a posthuman cartographic practice. To illustrate this practice, we focus on a specific international curriculum development project funded by the World Universities Network.

Grandparents and Parents: An Essential Partnership for Longevity Societies

This presentation hypothesizes that an innovative collaboration by the adult generations will be necessary to enable conditions needed for family success in a longevity society. Unprecedented challenges of parents and grandparents are examined. Reasons why adults have to regard youth as a source of learning about their unique experiences in an age-separated society are explained. International curriculum development studies to support families of children from birth through adolescence are described. A curriculum that provides a common knowledge base about child and adolescent guidance is proposed to harmonize efforts of adults to support younger relatives. Curriculum for retirees should focus on continuing responsibilities other generations expect of them, learning about the lives of younger family members, and gaining awareness of parenting practices to reinforce lessons. Training volunteers in assisted living and long-term care facilities to be indigenous leaders of grandparent classes is discussed as a practical way to offer relevant learning and improve social support. Instruments are examined that assess ethnic relationships between adult generations, adults and adolescents, and track results of education intervention.

Introducing Chinese Hanzi at the beginning of teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL)

The high dropout rate of students studying Chinese is a concern for educators in teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL). However, very limited studies have been undertaken to investigate the impact of the important part of CFL learning ‘Hanzi’ in the successful teaching and learning of CFL. This paper therefore investigated the rationale and significance of Hanzi’ instruction and the need to integrate Hanzi instruction into teaching of CFL from the very beginning of teaching CFL. Readers will find this paper useful in understanding the importance of Hanzi instruction in teaching CFL, and how to construct a contemporary, international curriculum that can adequately address the fundamental concerns of the teaching and learning of CFL. This paper can be used to initiate a research agenda and inform an initiative thinking for curriculum development, to be used as a signpost to set up a conceptual framework on international curriculum development of CFL.

Internationalization of Counselor Education: Lived Experiences of US Counselors-in-Training Abroad

In response to globalization in the counseling profession and the incorporation of international immersion courses in counselor education programs, the purpose of this study is to understand the lived experience of counselors-intraining participating internationally in a study abroad course. The research question was: What is the experience of a counselor-in-training who has participated in a study abroad trip as a part of their training program? Utilizing van Manen’s phenomenological methodology (1990), the researcher explored the experiences of four counselors-in-training participating in an international study abroad course. Overall emergent themes included experiencing new contexts, emotions, and new learning with an emphasis on “experiencing.” These themes highlighted implications for counselor educators in international curriculum development and course planning as well as informing counselorsin-training on potential impacts of international immersion courses.