Session 2A

Alan Skilbeck - University of Adelaide

1. Towards a working description of Internationalisation

What is Internationalisation? – a discussion of what comprises internationalisation in the University of Adelaide context.
Points
• Is it possible to work as a team if we have no working definition?
• Is it possible to have a practical, hands-on program of internationalisation, or is it just a feel-good word that everyone understands differently?
• Must a teacher be an internationalist to be an internationalising teacher?
• Existing definitions of internationalisation – is there one that fits?
→ End this half of paper with a proposed working definition of internationalisation

2. Internationalisation at work

Rationale / underpinning philosophy of how to use internationalisation in the classroom. What should it deliver?
PEP course = a natural vehicle for internationalisation
Activities that actively use internationalisation
Teaching 1. Independent learning
2. Reading
3. Writing
4. Listening
5. Speaking

Bio data:

Alan Skilbeck is one of the earliest baby boomers. He has degrees, diplomas, certificates and other pieces of paper from Flinders University and the University of Adelaide in English Literature, Language, Teaching and International Studies/Politics. His last masters’ dissertation was titled The position of the lowest paid workers in The United Arab Emirates.

For over a year, Alan taught English Literature and English Language in Tamil Nadu, one of the poorest states in India. From this, he got a divorce, near bankruptcy and a startling awakening about what the world is really like - none of which he regrets because he learned so much in the process.

During the two years he lived in Abu Dhabi, Alan worked as part of a team - that was scattered all over the world: Frankfurt, Oxford, Abu Dhabi, Chicago - to design an English Literature curriculum to meet the requirements of students in some inner-city United States’ schools. He also taught ESL in a very large international high school. In his spare time, he discovered how big, powerful and widespread the people trafficking industry is.

In Australia, Alan’s application to write a PhD on the globalised slave industry was refused so now he’s writing a novel about it instead.