CHAPTER 9: How Crossover Pedagogy has Helped me as A Scholar, Teacher, and Administrator

In my 12 years in the United States, I have cotaught, copresented, and coauthored with senior tenured faculty every year. My first coteaching experience was at the University of Wyoming, coteaching an elective course of a hundred students each semester in an auditorium. It was a non-Western political culture course exposing students to the fundamental beliefs and politics of the so-called Eastern world. I was in charge of the teaching the Chinese culture and language portion of the class to an auditorium full of students. This included a Chinese word or phrase in the beginning of each class, so that students could add Mandarin Chinese to their tool box of useful conversation in order to enhance their business and future endeavors. I also taught them how to use chopsticks, the significance of the Lunar New Year, and how to introduce themselves in Mandarin Chinese. I designed various activities to engage students in learning the language and culture, while leading class discussions on cultural diversity to boost awareness and sensitivity.