126 CJHE / RCES Volume 38, No. 1, 2008 This book presents a very good overview of the multifaceted and complex nature of educational development work. One of its strengths is the structural coherence achieved by identifying in Chapter One the major themes that are more fully developed in subsequent chapters whose authors effectively crossreference each other’s chapters to support their own ideas. Despite such coherence, the quality of the writing is somewhat uneven, and a few chapters could have benefited from further development or editing. On the whole, however, the significance of the book’s content far outweighs the language limitations of a few individual chapters. The authors draw on their wide range of experiences as educational developers to discuss an equally wide range of issues which appear to be universal. In addition, the extensive use of case studies throughout the book adds authenticity to the complex issues discussed and allows readers to envisage how they might apply the lessons from the cases to their own contexts. The inclusion of numerous website addresses as additional resources for the reader further enhances the book’s usefulness and is consistent with the sharing, collaborative culture of the educational development community across the globe. In this regard, it is somewhat surprising that North American perspectives and experiences are largely missing from this book which emphasizes the globalization of higher education and its implications for educational development. Yet, both Canada and the USA are known to have a long, reputable history of distinguished leadership in the educational development field and the inclusion of experiences from their contexts might have further enhanced the book’s global appeal. In the final analysis, however, the key messages of this book will be appealing and useful to decision-makers at every level in institutions of higher education, wherever they may be located. Carroll, J., & Ryan, J. (Eds.) (2005) Teaching international students: Improving learning for all. Routledge: New York. Pages: 168. Price: 46.95 USD (paper). Reviewed by Carl E. James, York University Teaching international students: Improving learning for all is a collection of essays that draws on the experiences of scholars and teachers who have worked with international students in countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, the United States, Japan and Azerbaijan. Noting that “higher education (HE) institutions in English-speaking countries now contain a more socially and culturally diverse student population than ever before, including increasing numbers of international students” (p. 3), Janette Ryan and Jude Carroll attempt to address the problems, challenges, pressures and struggles faced by teachers (and students) and the changes that result. “The book,” Ryan and Carroll write, “explores these dilemmas and attempts to offer suggestions for new paradigms and new solutions” (p. 9). “International students” are understood to be “students who have chosen to travel to another country for tertiary study. . ., [and whose] previous experience will have been of Book Reviews / Comptes rendus 127 other educational systems, in cultural contexts and sometimes in language that is different (or very different) from the one in which they will study (p. 3). Referencing the UNESCO (2003) report, Global Education Digest, Janette Ryan and Jude Carroll note that in 2000/2001, international students in higher education made up 11% of the students in the United Kingdom, 13% in Australia, 3% (or about “half a million students”) in the United States, 3% in Canada, and in 5% in New Zealand. With reference to other reports, the authors indicate that in 2004, the number of full-time international students in the UK increased to 16%, and in Australia, it was 24% in 2005. It was also noted that in 2004, almost 195,000 international students in the UK were from outside of the European Union – an increase of about 45,000 over their number 2001/2. Australia, too, has had a significant increase in the number of international students, and it is predicted that this number will grow from the 303,342 in 2003 to 810,000 by 2018 (Ryan & Carroll, p. 4). This book, then, is not only about the changes in the demographics of a significant number of higher education institutions, but also how the presence of these students have changed and will continue to change the culture, specifically the “Western academic culture” as Carroll (p. 34) writes, of these institutions. Moreover, as Ryan and Carroll suggest, “National statistics as those quoted above cannot capture the impact of local changes in individual HE institutions in English-speaking countries such as the US, UK, Australia, Canada and new Zealand, nor do they show how dramatically some national HE systems have changed” (p. 4). The essays in the book speak to the inevitable institutional changes and adjustments that institutions, and concomitantly instructors, need to make if they are to be responsive to the experiences, needs, interests, expectations and aspirations of international students, particularly if international students are to feel welcome, and not seen as mere income meeting the growing financial needs of “Western institutions.” The culture, then, of these institutions must be accommodative of these students, and as Schmitt writes, “add diversity to university classrooms because they bring with them an assortment of previous learning experiences, diverse views of the world and, in many cases, experiences of communicating and studying in more than one language” (p. 63). In speaking to the accommodation and integration of international students into institutions, the contributors raise crucial questions and issues with which institutions and instructors must grapple. For instance, Janette Ryan and Jude Carroll point out, that the “presence of international students, with their diverse paradigms and life experiences, provides us with an opportunity to ask who the university is there to serve and to what end. Are we as teachers in universities custodians of convention and a defined body of wisdom, or do we believe that we have a duty to forge new traditions and epistemologies? Is our role transformative or reproductive?” In attempting to address such questions and issues, the contributors provide useful and practical suggestions and examples of things to avoid as well as activities and actions that have worked for them. The book is divided into three parts. Part One explores the role of culture 128 CJHE / RCES Volume 38, No. 1, 2008 in the interactions and learning of teachers and students. According to Carroll, contrary to the commonly held notion, teachers are just as much “carriers of culture” as incoming students” (p. 27). Therefore, if teachers are to effectively work with their international students, they must become “more knowledgeable about their own academic culture” – seeing their “academic culture as ‘systems of belief, expectations and practices about how to perform academically’ (Carroll, p.27). Contributors (Ryan & Hellmundt; Carroll, McLean & Ransom) warn against seeing the cultural differences of students as “deficits,” generalizing about them, or reading their behaviours and expectations negatively – “‘they never speak’, ‘they plagiarise’, they want too much support’, ‘they take too much of my time’” (p. 28). In such context, “teachers need to be patient, sensitive and adaptable” engaging with students in explicit ways “about teaching methods,” “about assessment,” and “about teacher-student relationships”. (Carroll, 30-34). And for students who are transitioning to English and might be experiencing “crisis of confidence,” Carroll suggests that communication should be done in “what has been called ‘Plain English’” therefore providing students “thinking time so they can spend less time decoding what you say and more time engaging with your ideas” (Carroll, p.39). Part Two of the book focuses on the pedagogies and methodologies of teaching. In the introductory chapter to this section, McLean and Ransom write about “the culturally imperialistic way in which concerns about language and academic skills are often considered” (p. 45). Knowing this, they argue that “culturally aware teaching” whether it is lecturing, facilitating participation in tutorials and seminars, or speaking to the issue plagiarism, involves “observing and understanding students as individuals and exploring their responses rather than judging them by ethnocentric standards (p. 60). Moreover, “promoting genuine internationalism,” De Vita writes, involves fostering intercultural learning and interactions among all students, giving “careful attention to processes of group formation and awareness of the complexities and difficulties involved in intercultural work” (p, 82). Indeed, internationalization, as Ryan reminds us, “is not just a matter of adjusting, or ‘adding’ to curriculum content to ensure that it suits international students, but making sure that home students also gain global and international understandings” (p. 94). Evidently, an effective response to the needs, interests and aspirations of international students requires the internationalization of the curriculum – something which is not likely to come about simply because international students are in these institutions (Leask). Contributors who write on this topic (Part Three) suggest, universities should have a global perspective in their programme delivery since, as Webb writes, they “are an integral part of the world economy and the world’s social and political infrastructure” (p. 109). As such, university curriculum, course content, pedagogical approaches, and assessment cannot be static but dynamic – constantly shifting to facilitate students’ understanding and engagement with the political, economic and cultural realities of the changing world. Concomitantly, the structure of the university – including Book Reviews / Comptes rendus 129 things such as its mission, staffing profile, students profile (including “home/ domestic students”), teacher preparation, recruitment and promotion, organization and staff development, and international and external communication – “cannot be effected by university edict alone, but only through the creative utilisation of the imagination and agency of those who comprise the university (Webb, 117). To conclude, Teaching international students provides useful insights into the experiences and related issues of international students in Western institutions. Its theoretical discussions and helpful suggestions can prove very useful for all of us who teach in the increasingly racially and ethnically diverse institutions of higher learning, particularly those in metropolitan cities. The argument that is advanced about the need for systemic changes in today’s institutions is quite crucial, for it speaks to the need for administrators and teachers to recognize and accommodate, not only the cultural, social, linguistic, navigational, familial and aspirational capital that the growing numbers of international students bring into our institutions and to their learning process but those of ethno-racial minority “home students” as well. Yosso (2005) suggests that these dynamic inter-related forms of capital provide individuals with the support necessary to successfully resist the oppressive conditions, and navigate the structural inequality that often operate as barriers to making their dreams a reality (p. 77). While the contributors to this anthology appropriately identify cultural differences as a key factor influencing the relationships and interactions among teachers and students, and international and “home” students nothing was said of how racism or colonialism might be operating to affect the learning-teaching context. Indeed, these systemic factors play a significant role in mediating individual interactions, and are responsible for the resistance to the changes – both individual and institutional – that must come about if our situations are to be responsive to the needs and aspirations of all students. References Yosso, T. J. (2005). Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community wealth. Race, Ethnicity and Education, 8 (1), 69-91. Currie, J., Petersen, C. J., & Mok, K. H. (2006) Academic Freedom in Hong Kong. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books. Pages: 204 Price: 70.00 USD (cloth). Reviewed by Ying Yu, University of Hong Kong. The authors of the book bring insights and expertise from three different disciplines (education, law, and public policy) to explore the issue of academic freedom in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), as particularly revealed in two recent critical incidents. The book inspires deep thoughts about