Instructor interview for Place-Based WAC/WID writing instruction in Social Work, clip 21 of 21

Abstract

Brief excerpt from interview: What I've noticed in the class is that a lot of the students that come from other places begin to understand where they're from with a new lens . . . So despite the fact that they don't have a Native Hawaiian context or a local context, many of them, and in particular the very high performing students . . . find that there are aspects of where they are from that influence them as they are here. And that becomes very powerful not just for them, but also for the class, many of whom are not widely travelled. It creates an interesting exchange.

Because of the place-based orientation we have here, it cues me in whenever I go some place else about how I need to be adaptive to their environment rather than demanding they adapt to me.