1. Knowing where you’re going: essential preparation for living abroad
  2. What is up with culture?
  3. Your Learning Style: Culture-learning strategies
  4. Language Learning Tools

 

preparing to study abroad

Knowing where you are going:
essential preparation for living abroad

Much of what you will learn abroad you can learn before you leave the U.S. Once you arrive at your host-site you will not be bothered by finding out trivial knowledge, you will be ready to delve deeper into the culture and its community. Also, you should consider the answers to these questions about the USA. It is very likely that people will ask you to comment on these topics as they apply to the US.

Please answer the questions below and turn them into Stacy (swest@willamette.edu) by the due date noted in your syllabus.

Basics for travel – (Find resources for answering these questions here)

  1. What is the currency? And monetary exchange rate with USD?
  2. What is the international calling code from the U.S.? Do you know the U.S.’s international calling code?
  3. In what time zone is your host country located? What is the hour difference from your home?

Life and Culture -

  1. What is the population of the country? What about your host city? Host University? 
  2. What cultural backgrounds are present in your host-country and city?
  3. What impact has colonization and immigration had on your host-country? Are there refugee populations?
  4. Learn about the indigenous peoples and their history.
  5. Understand the class structure. What will your status as a student be in your host-country? What percentage of students in this country go to college?
  6. What are the major religions/spiritual beliefs in the country?
  7. What is the most popular sport? What are the names of the teams?
  8. Are there sports that are popular with certain portions of the population?

Politics –

  1. What are the names of the political leaders and political parties?
  2. What are the hot topics of the day?
  3. Have there been recent conflicts involving your host country? Does the U.S. play a role in those conflicts?
  4. Start reading online newspapers from your host country.

Ask yourself: What am I assuming about my host culture and country?

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preparing to study abroad

What is up with culture?
www.uop.edu/sis/culture/

Understanding a new culture doesn’t come naturally! This interactive site will teach you how to learn about and absorb culture while studying abroad. There are quizzes to help you understand your own culture, and stories about cultural miss steps and how they were overcome. 

Please read all of Module 1 and complete the interactive portions. Please turn in your answers to the following sections: 1.3.1, 1.3.4, 1.4.1, 1.4.6 (just your scores, not each answer), 1.5.4 (simply indicate the numbers you selected for each characteristic), and 1.6.4 (just your score). Although you only need to complete certain sections please read through the entire Module. Turn in the answers to Stacy (swest@willamette.edu) by the due date noted in the syllabus.

Dr. Bruce La Brack, Professor of Anthropology and International Studies at School for International Studies, is the primary author and editor of What’s Up With Culture? See the full acknowledgements. http://www.pacific.edu/sis/culture/pub/CULTURE_ISSUES_2hw1.htm

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preparing to study abroad

Your Learning Style

Because studying abroad involves so much experiential learning it is beneficial to better understand and apply learning styles. Because you will be experiencing new structures and styles of teaching while abroad, it is helpful for you to understand the way you learn. When you are aware of your strengths and weaknesses associated with different styles of learning you will be able to adjust your habits to improve upon your retention of the material, whether it be in class or in interactions with the host culture.
Download and complete the Learning Style Survey (Enter your WU username and password to access the survey.)
The Learning Style Survey found in Maximizing Study Abroad: A Students’ Guide to Strategies for Language and Culture Learning and Use by Paige, R. M., Cohen, A. D., Lassegard, J., Chi, J. C., & Kappler, B. (2006, 2nd Ed) is used with permission from the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) at the University of Minnesota. More information about this CARLA publication can be found at: www.carla.umn.edu/maxsa/guides.html

Now that you understand your learning style, apply it to culture learning. This Culture-Learning Strategies Inventory (Enter your WU username and password to access the survey) is a mix of a survey and list of tips that will help you understand and analyze your host culture more effectively.
The Culture-Learning Strategies Inventory and Index found in Maximizing Study Abroad: A Students’ Guide to Strategies for Language and Culture Learning and Use by Paige, R. M., Cohen, A. D., Lassegard, J., Chi, J. C., & Kappler, B. (2006, 2nd Ed) is used with permission from the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) at the University of Minnesota. More information about this CARLA publication can be found at: www.carla.umn.edu/maxsa/guides.html

Please answer the following questions and turn them into Stacy (swest@willamette.edu) by the due date indicated on your syllabus. Please keep the inventories and a copy of your answers for yourself; they will be interesting to review while you are abroad and when you return.

Learning Style Inventory -
1. What type of learner are you?
2. Are you surprised by your results? Why?
3. Taking into consideration the type of learner you are, what challenges do you think you will face in your academic and experiential learning abroad?

Culture-Learning Strategies Inventory -
1. Name two culture-learning strategies that you didn’t previously consider that you think you will use while abroad. Why or how do you think it will be successful for you?
2. Which culture-learning strategy or strategies could be difficult for you considering your learning styles?

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preparing to study abroad

Learn the Language

If significantly improving your language skills a goal of your time abroad, participating in a foreign language every day will obviously help you learn. The following resources will maximize your language learning while abroad (and maybe even make it easier). To complete this assignment take the Language Strategy Use Survey and turn in your answers to questions #1-4 to Stacy (swest@willamette.edu) by the date noted on your syllabus.

Take the Language Strategy Use Survey

This survey will help you understand how you learn languages so that you can approach the language from the most productive angle. The Language Strategy Use Inventory analyzes how you listen, learn vocabulary, speak, read, write, and translate in the foreign language.

Download the Language Strategy Use Inventory (enter your WU username and password to access the survey)

The Language Strategy Use Inventory and Index found in Maximizing Study Abroad: A Students’ Guide to Strategies for Language and Culture Learning and Use by Paige, R. M., Cohen, A. D., Lassegard, J., Chi, J. C., & Kappler, B. (2006, 2nd Ed) is used with permission from the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) at the University of Minnesota. More information about this CARLA publication

Analyze your Responses

As you probably noticed, the survey is filled with language learning tips. Take the survey with you abroad and remember these suggestions when you are immersed in the language.

1. Ask yourself why you haven’t used these learning tools in the past. Have you not had the opportunity? Have you not wanted to use the tools? Why (e.g. fear of speaking in class)?

2. Do you learn similarly to other students? Ask others about their outcomes to the survey.

3. Ask those who have already been immersed in another language how they were most successful. Do their suggestions match your learning style?

4. Ask them about what they wish they had done.

Other tips for improving language skills

Make Yourself a “Good Language Learner" 1

A good language learner:

You can use many different strategies to become or improve as a good language learner. Incorporate the ways you learn (from Your Learning Style), the language learning processes you currently use and the tips from the survey to become a successful language learner.

Visit the Language Learning Center (LLC)

The LLC has a very wide variety of resources to help you learn language including movies, television in many stations, grammar tools and more. You can find the LLC in the Basement of Smullin.

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1 Rubin, J. (1975). What the “good language learner” can teach us. TESOL Quarterly, 9, 41-51.