Along came a swagman: teaching Australian university curricula and methods in Southern Italy Online publication date: Thu, 10-Dec-2009
by Francesco Sofo, Michelle Berzins, Salvatore Ammirato, Antonio P. Volpentesta
International Journal of Innovation in Education (IJIIE), Vol. 1, No. 1, 2009
Abstract: The development of critical thinking skills within certain individuals can be enhanced through international and intercultural experiences (Vincenti, 2001). To test this assertion the effects of exposing a group of Italian university students to a curriculum delivered in a week-long intensive format by a visiting Australian university professor were measured. A pre- and post-delivery survey on critical thinking skills found statistically significant self-reported improvements on three of the 12 items of the critical thinking inventory (Sofo, 2007). These improvements include a marked difference in perceived ability to move beyond lower-order cognitive skills such as knowing and comprehending to actively applying core and higher-order skills including the ability to identify assumptions, gain fresh perspectives and systematically explore different perspectives as part of a team. Beyond the specific items tested within the critical thinking inventory, the students also experienced cross-cultural facilitation which incorporated andragogical teaching methods with a discipline alternate to their own.
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