EMQ » July–September 2022 » Volume 58 Issue 3
Teaching and Learning Across Cultures: A Guide to Theory and Practice (find it on Amazon)*
By Craig Ott
Baker Academic, 2021
352 pages
US$21.99
*As an Amazon Associate Missio Nexus earns from qualifying purchases.
Reviewed by Mark D. Wood, director of Kingdom Leadership Training Center, Darhan, Mongolia.
You need to read this book. Whatever your role or interest in cross-cultural ministry is, you will benefit from this fine work by Craig Ott. Drawing on many years of experience teaching cross-culturally, as well as his experience teaching a course of the same title at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Ott has written a very readable, yet academically rigorous, volume. Although teaching is central to Christian mission, the literature on cross-cultural teaching is not commensurate. Ott’s work is a notable contribution and brings much-needed attention to the subject.
In the first three chapters, Ott frames the discussion of teaching and learning cross-culturally. These chapters cover foundational issues such as the who and what of cross-cultural teaching and learning (chapter 1) and the definitions of culture and intercultural competency. Chapters two and three address culture and learning style. The rest of the book is organized around five domains in which culture influences teaching and learning. These areas are cognitive (chapters 4–6), worldview (chapters 7–8), social (chapters 9–10), media (chapters 11–12), and environmental (chapter 13). Within the chapters, there are numerous illustrations and sidebars on different topics and case studies.
This book is impressive in both its scope and depth. From theories of human development to orality to online learning methodology, Ott covers a lot of territory. The breadth of the work is also matched by Ott’s cogently bringing contemporary scholarship to bear on topics as well as engaging in many current discussions in evangelical missiology. As the title suggests, one aspect of this book stands out: Ott focuses on teaching and learning jointly as the teacher interacts with the students, which is a helpful and holistic approach. I appreciated Ott’s skillful and sensitive navigation of topics, such as cultural differences in learning and other domains. In North America’s current cultural climate, these topics have the potential to elicit strong responses and might have been avoided altogether. Ott’s explanations serve as examples of skillful sensitivity.
This book will appeal to a wide range of audiences. It is strongly recommended for anyone who anticipates serving cross-culturally or is currently doing so. Pastors serving multicultural congregations would also benefit from this work. I have often looked for a book to recommend to those who do modular teaching or seminars cross-culturally and this book fills that need. It would be a solid choice for numerous college courses, both undergraduate and graduate. If I were to suggest one area for improvement, it would be the inclusion of discussion questions at the end of each chapter. I anticipate that this book will be a standard for years to come.
For Further Reading
Teaching Across Cultures: A Global Christian Perspective (ICETE Series) by Perry Shaw (Langham Global Library, 2021)
Teaching Cross-Culturally: An Incarnational Model for Teaching and Learning by Judith E. and Sherwood G. Lingenfelter (Baker Academic, 2003)
EMQ, Volume 58, Issue 3. Copyright © 2022 by Missio Nexus. All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced or copied in any form without written permission from Missio Nexus. Email: EMQ@MissioNexus.org.
