ONL212- Reflections on learning

Designed by rawpixel.com / Freepik Many universities gather students from different corners of the world. However, geographically diverse and sometimes dispersed teams face many challenges.  Cultural differences which can create social distance pose one of the biggest problems. They can result in lack of emotional connection, that leads to misunderstandings and mistrust. For a few years I have been teaching international teams: those connected only by the internet and those which meet in the classroom. I have noticed that when team members come from different backgrounds or nations communication can decline, misunderstandings appear and cooperation weakens. My students are united by a common goal - developing their knowledge of business English. However, because more and more companies today rely on international workforce to succeed in the work market and at the same time draw benefits of international diversity, my students have to be prepared to operate internationally. And it is

Openness and asking questions School photo created by master1305 - www.freepik.com "I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." Albert Einstein I have been teaching for many years and observe my students struggling to be successful. I equip them with numerous learning tools, support them and do my best to develop good relations inside student groups. However, no matter how much I believe myself to be approachable and open to help students, few take advantage of this opportunity. I started to wonder not only what obstacles exist between me and my students but also what makes them closed to asking questions in and out of the classroom. There are numerous reasons, some psychological in nature. Definitely shyness is one of the most obvious. Some students feel uncomfortable because they are naturally inhibited and reserved. They often have no courage to participate and ask questions. It also goes together with two more fears: the fear of peers and the fear of appe