The Description-Interpretation-Evaluation (D-I-E) approach to debriefing? This model is an important debriefing tool that can help students approach culture learning more systematically and strategically. Here is how it works: Step 1: D = Describe * Describe the object/situation/content in concrete terms. + What happened in the interaction/experience/situation? ‘+ What was said? What did you see? What did you feel at the time? Step 2: 1 - Interpret + Think of possible explanations for what you observed or experienced. + What do the words spoken and actions mean to you? + What adjectives would you use to explain the experience or situation? + Try to find at least three interpretations of the interaction or occurrence. What cultural information have you used to produce these interpretations? Step 3: E— Evaluate + Evaluate what you observed or experienced. ‘+ What positive or negative feelings do you have regarding the experience or situation? + How might you have felt if you were a member of the host culture and held the dominant cultural values and beliefs? Note: In order for culture learning to be effective, these steps should be done in order. Often, we tend to evaluate before we interpret, which leads to stereotypes rather than to informed generalizations. Almost any culture or language item can serve as the input for the D-I-E analysis. You can use it to frame the opening discussion of a video, a text, a cultural object, or a photo in a textbook. You may also use it as a way to organize a written assignment or a small-group discussion, ‘This model can be used at all levels, is a low-risk exercise, and combines the cognitive (description and interpretation) and affective (evaluation) dimensions of culture leaning. While it can be used to understand any cross-cultural experience, itis especially valuable for culture-specific learning, Asking questions using D--E The D-I-E model is a great tool for teaching new culture and language concepts. The process requires asking good questions, Start by having students observe a culture or language behavior, then describe it. Description is the best place to start because it encourages the learner to carefully observe as well as refrain from making instant interpretation and judgments. Through descriptive questions, your students may find out much more information that will assist them in forming interpretations and subsequently evaluating the event. The following example illustrates how the process works. After watching a video clip, participating in a simulation, or having an actual experience in a specific culture a student makes the following comment: “These people dont trust outsiders. They're rude.” To help the student process the experience, you can ask: “What happened that led you to this interpretation (that they dont trust you)?” If necessary, follow-up with more specific requests such as, “Describe for me exactly what was said” or “Describe what happened to you and how you felt about it.” * Adapted from materials by Kappler & Nokken, 1999, Culture-Learsng Activities 69Description: The villagers often follow me around when I go to the market Now that an actual description has been provided, the student can be encouraged to consider his or her own explanations (interpretations) for the behavior and to seek additional explanations. You could ask, “Why might the villagers follow you around?” Interpretations: The people here don't trust outsiders. The people here have not seen many foreigners, so they're curious. The villagers are not following me—it just feels that way because Took at them as one big group. They build trust slowly with outsiders Now you can continue to follow-up and ask what the evaluations might be of each interpretation. Evaluations: Ifthe interpretation is that people don't trust outsiders, one evaluation might be that they are rude. For an interpretation that they build trust slowly, the evaluation might be that it fels too slow. Note that the goal is not necessarily to remove emotions from the students’ reactions, but rather to help the students be aware that the emotions are connected to their own interpretations and value structures, Moreover, the goal is to help students develop multiple interpretations based on their ability to describe what actually occurred in specific events, rather than to make global juidgnient’: Tips for teaching the D--E approach: , + Have your students generate different explanations of the original event (as you can see from the example, D-I-E can help students avoid jumping to conclusions by requiring them to come up with different interpretations of the event) { * Make sure your students dont use interpretive and evaluative statements when you ask for a description , + Show your students the difference between an evaluation that is about the other culture and an evaluation that is about themselves in that culture—the former tends to be associated more with negative judgments and the latter with greater appreciation of the culture (even when it is challenging) + You can help students prepare for study abroad experiences by using the model with “critical incidents” that are built around a study abroad experience The dimensions of culture learning Another set of concepts that can be very helpful for facilitating culture learning comes from co- author Michael Paige’ dimensions of culture leaning model (in Bennett & Paige, 2003). Paige organizes the larger concept of culture learning into several categories Learning about the self as cultural + Understanding that every person is influenced by culture and has a culture * Gaining cultural self-awareness (gaining an understanding of one’ own cultural values) Learning about the elements of culture + Investigating values, beliefs, attitudes, and customs * Considering different learning styles and communication styles. + Examining culture group history, products, and artifacts (such as technology, music, the ( arts—the sum total of what a group of people create together, share, and seek to transmit to the next generation) 70 Maximising Study Abroad