Global Training & Global Teaching

Consider these two statements about a presentation of any kind delivered to learners or listeners from a culture different from your own:

"Your methods of delivery and your relations with your learners/listeners are best guided by...
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1. the unique learning style of each separate learner/listener."
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2. the expectation about how-best-to-learn that the learners/listeners share with others from their own cultural background."
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This webpage invites you to explore Statement 2 above.

You found this webpage, most likely, because you are facing a challenge related to international training, international teaching, "training localization," or similar endeavor involving someone from one cultural background facing learners or listeners from one or more different backgrounds.
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Here you have the opportunity to discover what a sociocultural perspective has to contribute to an overall understanding of the ways, in other regions of the world, adults and older youth have become accustomed to absorbing knowledge and skills in classrooms, training rooms, and meeting rooms.
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A sociocultural understanding is highly applicable in cases in which the national background of the presenter, teacher, trainer, facilitator, or instructor is different from that of the learners or listeners.
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A Sociocultural Perspective on Training Localization

Over many decades, anthropologists, ethnographers, sociologists, and psychologists have been studying a wide variety of classrooms around the world. Insider accounts have been written by teachers, trainers, professors, students, and trainees. A few accounts from long-bygone eras can be found as well. These analyses reveal either classroom activities within a single nation, or contrast the classrooms of two selected nations.
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Study of these descriptions and analyses leads to the conclusion that there are typical patterns of interaction that differ across national cultures in reasonably stable and predictable ways.
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Each culture's pattern of classroom interaction is anchored in assumptions and values shared by the members of that culture. An understanding of these patterns, and of their differences across cultures, can be converted into practical "how-to" guidelines for teachers, trainers, instructors, facilitators, professors, and business presenters.
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This is the meaning of "training localization" from a sociocultural perspective. And this is what Dr. Cornelius Grove has been working to accomplish over several decades.
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Teaching Abroad? Training Abroad? Presenting Abroad?

The driver of Dr. Grove's research, writing, consulting, and training has consistently been to develop practical "how-to" guidelines for those who teach, train, or present to others from unfamiliar cultures.
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Animating his efforts has been a determination to avoid the assumption that technological wizardry would eventually solve every challenge of knowledge-transmission across distances and cultures.
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Does technology increase the efficiency of the process of knowledge-transmission? Yes, definitely!
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Does technology improve the effectiveness of the relationship between presenter and learner? No.
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The latter issue, about interpersonal relationships and classroom cultures, has been Dr. Grove's focus.
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Others who make similar claims are almost all looking at these issues from the psychological perspective of "learning styles." A learning-styles approach focuses on presumed characteristics of each separate learner, then expects the teacher, trainer, or presenter to adapt to each individual. (Is that possible?)
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Dr. Grove looks at these issues from the sociocultural perspective of "instructional styles." This approach focuses on the cultural characteristics of groups of learners (e.g., some might be Chinese, others Brazilian, others Argentinian...). The teacher, trainer, or presenter is then expected to adapt his relationship style to approximate the expectations of groups of learners.
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If you are, or will be, teaching or training or presenting abroad -- or if you're staying home and facing learners or listeners who have come from abroad -- then Dr. Grove's insights can benefit you.
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International Train-the-Trainer (or -Teacher or -Presenter)

Dr. Grove offers a train-the-trainer workshop for professionals who find themselves in the role of teacher, trainer, instructor, facilitator, or presenter facing learners or listeners from unfamiliar cultures:

Dr. Grove's Toolkit for Effective Presentations to Nationally Mixed Audiences

For an overview, click on "Dr. Grove's Toolkit Training" the lefthand (black) column.
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Additional Outcomes of Dr. Grove's Research Effort

1. At a global conference in Singapore, Dr. Grove's presented a lengthy paper entitled...
Understanding the Two Instructional Style Prototypes:
Pathways to Success in Internationally Diverse Classrooms
This is one of the bases of "Dr. Grove's Toolkit." To read a short abstract of this paper, click here.
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2. Available, too, is a much shorter, more practice-oriented paper by Dr. Grove entitled...
How People from Different Cultures Expect to Learn
This also provides insight into "Dr. Grove's Toolkit." To read this paper in full now?, click here.
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3. For an interactive introduction to Dr. Grove's perspective on training, teaching, and presenting across cultures, set aside ten minutes to participate on-line in his...
Worldwide Presentation Quiz
To begin this fascinating quiz, click on "12-Item Interactive Quiz" in the lefthand (black) column.
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4. During the mid-2000s, Dr. Grove began working on a book on instructional styles in cross-cultural perspective. He decided to include a chapter on why Americans think about learning and classroom instruction in a characteristic way. His research for that chapter required five years...and soon will be published as a book. For details, click on "Book Currently in Press" in the lefthand (black) column.
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5.Beginning in the autumn of 2013, Dr. Grove intends to return to his book on instructional styles.
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Additional Information

A. For more insight into Dr. Grove's perspective on "learning styles," click here.
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B. For a full professional biography of Dr. Grove, click here (use "Back" to return).