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COMPASS
MAGAZINE,March 2003.
COVER
STORY:
Getting
Internationalized
by
Courtney Donovan Smith / ¥ÛªF¤åµÛ
Translated by Vicky Huang and Tiger Yang
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If
you're looking for the true meaning of "internationalization"
in Taiwan, there's no better place to start than international
educational experiences. Whether one is talking to a Taiwanese
just back from years of graduate study in Britain, or an
American working towards Mandarin fluency at a local language
school, first-hand perspectives offer tremendous insights
into the ups and downs, benefits and difficulties of broadening
one's horizons and knowledge in a foreign country.
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With
the season of educational fairs upon us and a new
batch of students preparing to hurl themselves into
the unknown, TAIWANFUN interviewed Taiwanese who¡¦ve
studied overseas, foreigners currently studying in
Taiwan, and overseas education professionals to gain
some insights into the experience. All were overwhelmingly
positive; every one of the students saying they would
do it again if they could.
Ya-Chi
Huang describes the benefits of studying overseas
as twofold: "Learning about different cultures,
and improving my English" Enhancing language
skills has always been one of the prime motivations
for studying overseas, as Victoria Xie of the Taipei
Language Institute (TLI) notes of students coming
to Taiwan to study Chinese: "Students here are
immersed in the language." As linguistic abilities
improve, so does confidence. Dale Mackie of Wan Hsyan
Overseas English (WHOSE) says of summer English program
students: "When they return, their confidence
in speaking English is much higher. They become more
outgoing, and more willing to state their own opinion."
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Gaining
familiarity with the values, concepts and patterns of a
different culture has always been an important goal for
those studying abroad. "When you are involved in another
culture it will broaden your perspective," says Brandon
Shultz, who studies Chinese in Taiwan. Sylvia Huang, who
studied in Scotland, puts it this way: "Studying overseas
really broadened my vision."
Another
advantage many commented on was the flexibility of studying
overseas and differences in teaching methods. "It
creates students that are independent problem-solvers,"
says Mark Uerkvitz of the Learning and Achievement Foundation,
about studying in America. Sean Jones of the United
Kingdom Education Advisory Service (UKEAS) agrees: "Studying
overseas is popular because students have more control
over what subjects they want to study." Students
also commented on this. "The best part about studying
in the UK is that the teachers try to help you find
your own answers," says Claire Yang. |
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Ya-Chi
sums up the practical issues: "First, you have to know
the requirements of the school. Second, you have to know
the environment of the school and, third, you have to calculate
the expense. You need to be open to accept different people
and different cultures. And don't always stick around with
Taiwanese people. Otherwise, you won't learn English."
TLI¡¦s Victoria Xie says, "The wrong attitude or a
sense of superiority to the local culture will make learning
to integrate impossible." Similarly, Brandon noted,
"If you are going to study abroad, you have to go in
with the attitude of a learner. Remember that people have
different viewpoints and that you are there to learn from
them."
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Dale
Mackie of WHOSE points out, "Students who stay
at a homestay return with a better cultural understanding
and significantly higher improvement in their English
abilities." But, he suggests, "make sure the
educational institution has a rigorous screening and
follow-up program when approving homestay families."
Perhaps Sara Lin's response best sums up the advice
of respondents: "I would encourage them to go!" |
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