Teaching and Learning Stories from the Field, a podcast from the Teaching & Learning Centre at Seneca College Episode 5: Globalizing our Classrooms - Developing Intercultural Competence Transcript Jennifer Peters 00:08
Hello, and welcome to "Teaching and Learning Stories From the Field," from the Seneca Teaching & Learning Center. Today we will hear from Holly Cybulski. Holly will tell a story of how she developed her course, Globalizing our Classrooms; Developing Intercultural Competence. From red carpets to film festivals, to publicity campaigns for Grammy and Juno award nominees, Holly Cybulski's award-winning industry profile is vast concentrating her professional endeavours in entertainment communications. Whether advising a client for an interview or her corporate communications grad-cert students Holly's motto is simple. "Say what you mean, and mean what your say". A passionate lifelong learner, she's an accredited public relations professional by the Canadian Public Relations Society, a graduate of three universities, including a Master's degree in Strategic Communication from the UCLAN in England, and has been a member of Seneca's community for almost a decade. In addition to being a Professor in the School of Media, she's also a member of the Teaching and Learning Centre's team and recently launched the Intercultural Competency Program for faculty. So without further ado, here's Holly story.

Arushi Manners 01:17
So let's start at the beginning. Why did you create this course?

Holly Cybulski 01:20
I've been fortunate to be a member of the Seneca community for almost 10 years now. And it's been incredible to watch how our college has grown and expanded and so many new individuals are joining our classrooms, joining our teams. And throughout that time, I started to observe that there was an incredible opportunity really to explore what we're doing in the classroom, how we're interacting with our team members. My understanding is that just in the last year or so, we've had a 20% increase in international students joining our classroom. And I think that they need to be recognized. And so my motivation in creating this course was also to align what we're doing and how we're practicing in the classroom with Seneca's strategic plan, our values of respect and community and diversity. And I was fortunate to have the opportunity to connect with the awesome Teaching and Learning team and they welcomed these ideas. Yeah, I acknowledge I'm not an interculturalist I'm actually an entertainment publicist in industry before I became an educator, but I am somebody who's incredibly interested in this topic and the subject matter. So I created this course with the motivation to really help individuals and increase in awareness regarding, what we do in the classroom and what we say and how we say what we say really does matter.

Arushi Manners 02:40
Thanks, Holly, I'm definitely curious to learn more about this course. And so just looking at the title, your course is called Globalizing Our Classrooms. And how does one globalize our classroom.

Holly Cybulski 02:51
That's a great question. I think it's a complex question. I find that when I have mentioned to individuals, I'm teaching them intercultural competence course that language seems to be it gets lost in translation.
it really means recognizing the individuals that we're interacting with and acting with intention and being mindful of what, again, I keep repeating that, what we're saying and how we say it and interacting with individuals in a way that is respectful and inclusive of those individuals being involved in a conversation. Globalizing our classrooms speaks to inviting the perspectives of the amazing students that are on our teams each semester. It's giving thoughtful consideration to representation. It's being mindful of introducing methods that are inclusive to allow a student to demonstrate knowledge in various ways. And as I said, I think I would highlight the most important piece to globalizing our classroom though is just taking that step back and reflecting upon our content, our practice and our interactions to make sure that we are being mindful of how we are conducting ourselves to create a safe and really celebratory space for everyone to participate in each day.

Arushi Manners 04:12
And that is so important. Diving a little bit into the course content. Would you mind telling us a little bit about how it's structured?

Holly Cybulski 04:21
Absolutely. So the course itself. So it's over four weeks and it faculty are invited to participate, but we've also had many other members of the our administration team join it. The concepts are transferable. And each week we explore one piece of a four-part module. So there's four parts. Beginning with identity, transitioning to understanding, then content, and then finishing with engagement. And each week we take the previous week's content and we apply it too, so for example, with understanding, it's thinking about the perspectives of others, and discussing representation, exploring elements of unconscious bias. And then applying that to the content model. Okay. So what are we doing in the classroom? And then looking at this from both the theoretical and an academic perspective, but also very practical methods as well of what we're doing in our classroom each week or each day. And then within each module, we also focus on one or two primarily of the five learning outcomes for the course, but. It's designed to be very interactive and engaging. That's the priority of this course. It's to create a safe space also for the participants to share their ideas, their experiences, but also share their concerns and challenges so that we can be solution-oriented.

Arushi Manners 05:39
Thankfully. I think you've alluded to this a little bit, previously. but as the instructor of this course, tell us a little bit about the principles that guide your teaching practice.

Holly Cybulski 05:52
And can I just clarify when we say my teaching practice, do you mean mine as the instructor of this course or just as an educator, as a whole or both? Maybe it's both...

Arushi Manners 06:04
Perhaps a little bit of both because your, what you're bringing into this course I would assume you're modeling some of the things that you're bringing into your own classroom as well.

Holly Cybulski 06:13
With regards to this course design you're absolutely right. Arushi in that some of the content is certainly reflective of my own personal teaching practice. What I strive to accomplish in my classroom. But equally, I also do share examples of where I think I may have messed up or missed an opportunity and reflection that I intend to revise and apply in the future. Maybe assumptions of knowledge that I have made. One topic, for example, that we talk about is this aha moment we had of, when we say "office hours". We just assume that somebody actually knows what that is. But there's this incredible book, The Privileged Poor, by Dr. Anthony Jack. And he speaks to, but, but what are office hours? And, in my research, once I started to dive deep in his book, I realized my goodness, there are so many things that we say in our classrooms that we assume will have the exact same meaning to the recipient of that message. But what if somebody has joined us from a different educational experience? And they actually, I've never heard that term office hours. That's a perfect example of when I start to reflect on what I do and my class is not just within this course, but in my teachings. And I realized am I saying things and assuming that it has the same meaning. And how has that impeding our effectiveness as a team to be successful at, and aid in the academic success of my students. So this course itself, I do share those stories. I invite the participants to share their stories as well. I keep using that term in a community of practice is really the goal. And that's how it's designed. I did my own research and due diligence, of course, academically in preparation for this course content, but it is certainly balanced with practical pieces in addition to the theory, It's now what can we do to encourage open dialogue? To create a respective inclusive and safe space for members of our team to feel heard. To feel like I'll say respected. And then, like I said, we also transitioned to not just those daily informal interactions, but from a formal perspective. I think that it's important that we recognize that diversification and communication channels is definitely a key to success. When we're thinking about how we globalize our classrooms, are looking at interactions from that intercultural competency lens. Whether it's, the body language that we're using and how it can be interpreted or misinterpreted. And I apply that to I hope I apply that to how I interact with many individuals to be mindful of that, to ensure that I'm being clear and I'm acting with authenticity in those daily attractions. I think that's incredibly important. Really? It comes down to humans. Doesn't it? It just comes down to people with with people.

Arushi Manners 09:09
Yeah and I love the example that you shared. of things and when what a way to be authentic when you're willing to share the things that have gone right to your classroom, but also the things that may not have gone right and what you've learned from that. So thank you for bringing that into this course. What do you hope that professors will take away from taking your course and are these concepts transferable to both in class and in virtual settings?

Holly Cybulski 09:36
I think intercultural competence is transferable to all aspects of our lives professionally or personally, without question. With regards to what I hope professors will take away regarding this specific course in engagement to their classrooms. I think that it's important that first of all, we compartmentalize. And what I mean by that is I've received some feedback from professors who seem to feel a little bit overwhelmed at the concept of trying to, as I've described before, act with intention or being mindful of what they're saying and how they're saying. Because in there, they're almost, worried that it's going to impede their ability to do what they intend to do in their classrooms.
But I hope that participants in this course recognize that, I use the example. If you can't boil the ocean, but you can make a pot of soup. We can do something step by step by step and with each step we are improving the experience of all of the members of our teams. And I use that word intentionally. We talk about how students I hope our are seen as members of our teams. That we're mindful of that interaction as well. I also hope that professors who take this course develop an element of confidence, went back to the sins and wins. I share examples. Like once when I asked students to tell me the story of the three little pigs as part of a presentation
skills course only to then recognize that many of the students did not know that fairytale. That was my assumption. And, sharing those stories between each other so that they're encouraged to experiment. It's okay to explore and it's okay to misstep. But it's how you can self correct and move forward and apply those learnings to future practice, which it'll..it will increase your professional practice in your confidence, in your classroom. And I think that's where the evaluation is key. And we need to be brave about doing that right. But again, if this is new territory, it's like anything. It's a leap of faith. But to know that you're not alone. And it's most importantly I think the key is enjoy this journey and I know that sounds cliche. But there is so much richness of people when you do invest the time, it just is an incredibly eye opening transition with the interactions and the aha moments you will have with your students, if they feel represented and they feel heard. So I think that's the most important piece I hope they take away.

Arushi Manners 12:20
And I think you've really highlighted that this is a journey that we take with our students.
It's not a journey we take them out on our own. And that connection between intentions and action and really being mindful about that. So with that in mind, what impact do you think this course will have on students?

Holly Cybulski 12:39
With regards to students, I've had the opportunity to have many informal conversations to inform the course design and really hear from the lens of our students. What do they need or what are we not offering them? And so I hope that this helps our students feel supported? I hope it helps our students feel celebrated. Part of the design of this course discusses the bridge that we can be to our students academic success. And what I mean by that is if we can establish a relationship that was rooted in trust and it's rooted in respect between professor and students. That is going to empower us to help that student achieve their dreams. And I hope that, that's what if we're thinking from the lens of what our professors can apply to their pedagogy on a daily basis. I think that if we can create that relationship and that interaction or dynamic, however you wish to define it. That it is going to help our students who are already managing so many other pieces, they're managing culture shock and they're managing if they're working remotely, maybe they're managing technological challenges. There's just so many other variables. That if we can simplify that interaction so they can come to us to ask for help. We can then help them. Even if it's outside of our sphere of knowledge, if that makes sense. There's so many other amazing resources and we as professors can be that bridge to increase the awareness to help support them. And really I can keep saying achieving their dreams is really the end goal for our students. Is that clear?

Arushi Manners 14:23
Yeah, thanks for sharing that. I love that message. And I was wondering just for listeners who are more interested and intrigued by this course. Would you mind giving us the key takeaways from each of the four modules that you mentioned earlier.

Holly Cybulski 14:39
Happily. I summarized the entire course design. The most important key takeaway from any module. And you'll hear this repeated, and I know I've said it already in this interview. About what we say and how we say it
really does matter. And in each module, we continue to explore what that actually looks like. So with regards to identity, one's identity, the first module. Identity informs how we perceive the world around us. And I would argue that it's the beginning of creating those connections. And it's, we have to be mindful not to make assumptions or projector biases, but at the same time that element of identity can certainly inform how somebody is behaving or why they are doing, or maybe not doing what we would assume would be expected in our classroom settings. And that could be simply because of their different educational experience, which transitions to the next module,
understanding. And I really think there's a great quote from a video we watch in the course. Every single person is great at doing things you don't expect them to be. And I think that's really the foundation, but I hope we can bring to our classrooms to give the students that safe space to explore and challenge themselves. Because we are offering that trust and understanding. But we have to do that through our actions. It's not just about saying this is a safe space. How do we actually model that behaviour in our classrooms? So we explore that and then that transitions of course, to the content. So as I mentioned earlier, the diversification of assessments for example where possible in relation to a learning outcome, is it. Is it probable that we could offer a student, maybe an oral presentation or oral example, or written that giving them a choice based on how they feel most confident to demonstrate that knowledge in relation to their understanding? We also explore, and I think this is incredibly important, the representation in our classroom, whether it's the guest speakers that we're inviting to our classrooms. Discussing how can we select case studies or other elements of our course design from a more global lens especially now in a virtual space. We're so blessed with that opportunity to invite guest speakers from all over the world. It's incredible opportunity we can capitalize on. And then the final module. It's really about engagement. And that is the culmination of all the other three previous pieces. Because that's really what we're trying to accomplish. And that's my intention behind this course. And as I said before, You know, what we say and how we say it matters. So how we say something can effectively engage. But it also can disengage a student unknowingly to us language we use. Unfortunate micro-aggressions or micro-invalidations that we use in the classroom. Again, we may not recognize what we're saying. Is having that impact on how that student is interacting and engaging in your classroom setting and with their colleagues.So that final piece really looks at it from the lens of inclusivity and what have we actually... What can we accomplish through our daily interactions to ensure a students feel acknowledged, represented, supported in our class.

Arushi Manners 17:59
What we say and how we say it matters. That will be my takeaway from this interview. I love that you sort of reiterate that especially since we're in a virtual space. It's even more important to be mindful of how we say things. And how they might be received. And so you've talked us through the process of your course and what that looks like. And I'm wondering if you could change one about this process. And then the second iteration of this course, perhaps what would that one thing be?

Holly Cybulski 18:35
With regards to actually changing the specific course content I have reached out to colleagues who participated in this first round to receive their feedback. To see where and how I can improve, for example. One piece of information I received was interestingly, also to apply my model of representation to invite other perspectives as guest speakers, to the course content. So that's certainly something I'm exploring. With regards to one thing that I could change about my process in designing this course, I would dare suggest I think that most people who have designed courses may say the same thing, which is time, and I was given ample amount of time and support from our community. So that's by no means a question, but it's one of those topics that is so incredibly important. I feel that it's never enough. I can never learn enough. I can never know enough. Dive deep enough into the readings, if you gave me two weeks, I'd asked for three years. So I think that.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
That's a natural part of the learning process. I think that we all experiences in it, whether it's, our students feel the same when they have to submit an assignment to us. Oh, if. One more day. It would be perfect. It's transferrable to all who are learning. I think.

Arushi Manners 20:00
I absolutely know that feeling. Thank you for that. And I'm left wondering how your colleagues at Seneca supported you in the creation of this first iteration of the course. Was that collaboration an easy process?

Holly Cybulski 20:14
Without question. It was an easy process. In fact, I'd like to take the opportunity to just acknowledge the many champions behind the course design and I felt incredibly supported. Many individuals contributed their ideas. People were so generous with their time and investment. Their feedback, their support and their patience with me as, also as I learned and developed and grew. So I think that whether it's it's my immediate team in F-CAD, it's of course the Teaching and Learning team and leadership in, in that department. This was a collaborative effort, although perhaps I am leading this course by no means, am I the only person contributing to the content. And so I was. I think that's actually how this goal was achieved. It was achieved through a collective success between everyone who prioritize this and believe that this content was of value to build the community of practice within our team and Seneca.

Arudi Manners 21:19
And so just before we close, I'd like to ask you, if you a faculty came to you asking for more resources as a result of taking this course, where might you direct them?

Holly Cybulski 20:31
So we do actually have a Microsoft Teams site that I would be happy to add anyone who wishes to join. That's something that I've been using over the last year to share everything from let's say, interfaith calendars or celebration reminders to celebrate holidays. Whether it's reading materials, items in the news, video links and such. So that's certainly an area that I would welcome anyone. You don't have to have taken this course to be able to join that team. Of course, participants in this course also have had the opportunity to access reading lists. And like I said, other video and academic materials. And if someone would just wishes to learn independently this is definitely a priority topic from an academic lens. There is a wealth of information. And as I mentioned before, there are intercultural competence courses, independent of our college that they could register for, there's online modules.
And most importantly, I think it's, that's the beauty of Google and I'm not oversimplifying. If you were to simply just Google some key search terms to start your journey, to guide you through the wealth of information that is there and help your search, if you will. I think that could be just a really simplistic way to start because the more you read the more, And I know that again, that sounds pretty obvious, but because there's just so many topics to explore. I think you need to also work from your heart and that's your place of authenticity of where you are interested in exploring.

Arushi Manners 23:10
And do you have any favourite anecdotes or takeaways that you'd like to close with today, Holly?

Holly Cybulski 23:15
Well, Arushi, you know what I'm going to say. As I said about five times probably throughout our time together. By no means, am I making light of it because I sincerely believe that this is the most important thing to be mindful of is what we say and how we say it matters and that applies to everything it could apply not just to the maybe more obvious pieces, like the instructions that we would include in assessment or using language like professionalism, or accommodation, or office hours. These are words that we assume have the same meeting, meaning pardon me from a global lens. But even something as simple as respecting someone's identity. Pronouncing their name correctly, everything that we do has an impact on that relationship. And either can move us towards trust and engagement or away from it, through otherizing someone in our interaction. So what we say and how we say it does truly matter.

Arushi Manners 24:13
Thank you. I think that's a beautiful way to close the interview today. And that can be something that I will be keeping in mind to inform.

Holly Cybulski 24:25
Thank you for your time. I really appreciate the opportunity to share these ideas with you.

Jennifer Peters 24:27
Thanks to Holly for sharing her story of developing her course, Globalizing Our Classrooms; Developing Intercultural Competency. For more information about her story, including the link to resources mentioned, please visit our website at bit.ly/podcastTLC The podcast will be taking a break for the summer. We will return to September with new episodes. Thank you for joining us and see you next time when "Teaching and Learning Stories From the Field," from the Seneca Teaching & Learning Center, returns.