Tuesday, August 8, 2017: Kickoff event for the new "Intercultural Teaching" series, focusing on teaching and learning culture in China

Clausthal University of Technology sees itself as an international university in both research and teaching. This international character is also reflected in the student body, which has a higher-than-average proportion of international students compared to the rest of Germany.
But do we know how to handle this international character in our teaching? In addition to the many advantages of a diverse student body, there are also challenges that we, as a community of faculty and students, must address.
In this series of events, we will therefore first introduce different teaching and learning cultures and examine various aspects of intercultural teaching. Afterward, we want to work together on ideas for how each and every one of us can contribute to ensuring that our students, regardless of their background, leave the university with a solid education.

The “Intercultural Teaching” event series begins with the focus topic “Teaching and Learning Culture in China.” Dr. Jörg Schröder (Clausthal International Center) will introduce us to Chinese teaching and learning culture. He will discuss the school-based socialization and educational background of Chinese students, the challenges posed by differences in German and Chinese cultural standards, learning biographies and learning styles, the motivation and purpose of studying abroad, and the challenges Chinese students face in everyday university life.

Jörg Schröder, Dr. phil.; studied German language and literature, Sinology, and German as a Foreign Language at the universities of Trier, Bochum, and Lanzhou. Certified trainer in intercultural competence at universities (DAAD International Academy). Lecturer in German as a Foreign Language at the University of Trier, among other institutions; spent many years in China as a DAAD lecturer at Wuhan University (1994–2000) and Zhejiang University in Hangzhou (2003–2008). Since 2009, lecturer in German as a Foreign Language and Intercultural Communication at Clausthal University of Technology.