NEWS

On November 30 and December 1, 2023, a two-day workshop titled "Learning Multicultural Facilitation: Nurturing the Abilities of Faculty and Students" was conducted for education professionals nationwide. On that day, 29 university faculty and staff members from across Japan gathered at APU to participate in the workshop.

The training was organized by Professor Tatsuya Hirai from the Education Development and Learning Support Center, Professor Miki Cutting, the Director of the Center, Associate Professor Kumiko Tsutsui, Professor Toshiki Nakai from Ehime University, Associate Professor Hiroko Akiba from Tokyo Gakugei University, and Associate Professor Yukako Yonezawa from Tohoku University. The workshop, based on the new book "Multicultural Facilitation: Educational Practices for Learning Together through Diversity" (published by Akashi Shoten), authored by Professor Hirai, Professor Nakai, Associate Professor Yonezawa, Associate Professor Akiba, and others, incorporated presentations by the instructors, small group discussions, and individual work.

Participants included educators guiding diverse students, staff handling student support, and staff in charge of dormitories, bringing together individuals with various backgrounds. During the presentations by the instructors, practical examples from APU, such as "Minnesota FD (*1)" and "Multicultural Cooperative Workshop," were introduced, illustrating how a multicultural environment can be leveraged to activate the learning of faculty, staffs and students. In a case example where TAs (*2) play a significant role in lecture management at APU, students actively involved as TAs took the stage, presenting practical points in multicultural facilitation. Lively exchanges of opinions occurred during small group discussions, and in the Q&A session, essential questions were raised, such as the "effectiveness of multicultural facilitation initiatives" and the "definition of multicultural facilitation," sparking intense discussions.

Participants expressed that practical examples presented by the instructors and advice exchanged among participants during the workshop were valuable. Some mentioned that they gained insights they would like to incorporate into their educational practices in the future.

*1 Faculty Development
*2 Teaching Assistant