Animating the classroom: Pedagogical responses to internationalisation

Abstract

Internationalisation of the postgraduate classroom has become a feature of UK business schools, but traditional seminar-led learning often does not suit international students’ learning needs. This article reports on a pilot project that used experiential drama workshops, held in a local theatre, as a response to the challenges created by internationalisation. As part of a collaborative auto-ethnography between two academics and a theatre practitioner, the article focuses on a theatre workshop where UK and Chinese MA Management students (the latter being the majority) were given full creative control to create a theatrical performance about the collapse of Enron. We outline how the project provided students with an opportunity to learn about ethical leadership through a series of experiential drama exercises and how it equipped the lecturers with tools and understandings that were subsequently used to teach leadership and critical management studies in a more inclusive way. We conclude by discussing the benefits of using drama techniques to address internationalisation challenges and urge business schools with a large international cohort to engage in a degree of pedagogical risk-taking in order to foster alternative ways of learning that are more inclusive and experientially based.

Citation

Mangan, A., Kelemen, M., & Moffat, S. (2015). Animating the classroom: Pedagogical responses to internationalisation. Management Learning, 47(3), 285-304. https://doi.org/10.1177/1350507615598908

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 19, 2015
• Publication Date: Aug 19, 2015
• Journal: MANAGEMENT LEARNING
• Print ISSN: 1350-5076
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Volume: 47
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 285-304
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1350507615598908
• Keywords: Drama, ethical leadership, ethnography, experiential learning, improvisation, internationalisation
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1350507615598908