Greetings all, Re cross-cultural pedagogy, etc.: Back in the late '60s- early '70s, I lived in Puerto Rico, doing my own research in marine biology, teaching graduate students, and advising them in their theses' research. Although our grad. students preferred instruction in English (almost all were quite fluent, and recognized that it could open wider opportunities to them to publish and to find research support), I also gave talks, in Spanish, to local high school students, as part of an attempt to encourage interest in the sciences. So I have some experience of the matters you've been discussing.
As an aside to this "off topic," one of my conclusions from this, and from other contacts with students from other cultures, is that there is a very important and noticeable division of student attitude that seems to transcend culture. It is whether the reason for study is to BE something, or to DO something. E.g., whether to "be a scientist," or to try to find answers to scientific questions. That is often the difference between those who argue about grades received in their courses, and those who argue about topics raised in their courses. I suspect it is those of the latter sort within my attitude-categorizing scheme, which Dr. Pickard describes: " ....... But in every class I get a very few who make it all fun. Questioning, demanding clarification, objecting to my more outlandish outbursts, stimulating. Great students. ..... ." Of course there are those who want to be "professors of," vs. those who want to help students to understand things. Bill Maddux
