Designing materials and activities for intercultural training in the classroom

Simon Greenall

Designing materials and activities for intercultural training in the classroom

General issues and writing for textbooks Syllabuses and models Topics Types of culture Activity types Sample material

Teachers concerns
1 Its easy if you have a multi-cultural group. But what can we do in monocultural classes like ours? 2 How can I teach socio-cultural awareness at low levels? 3 Grammar, skills, pronunciation theres so much else to teach. I just dont have enough time to teach socio-cultural awareness. 4 What exactly does a socio-cultural syllabus cover?

 Teachers concerns
5 Much of the material is just anecdotal evidence. So what? 6 My students are never going to live or work in the USA/Australia/the UK. Why bother? 7 Most socio-cultural awareness simply reinforce stereotypes. 8 Is it really my job as a language teacher to teach cross-cultural awareness?

Why do intercultural training? Integral part of communicative competence Essential learning objective Source of motivating material

Intercultural training general issues

Integrating intercultural training into a language course design Monocultural and multicultural groups Teaching at low levels The role of anecdotes Teachers responsibility Generalisation, stereotyping and prejudice

Intercultural training Training writing for textbooks (1) without a C1

Training without a C2 Authors viewpoint:

you we - they

Dealing with cultural taboos

Cultural taboos in textbooks

P olitics Alcohol Religion Sex Narcotics I -isms P ork

Intercultural training Nationality v culture writing for textbooks (2) Ethnicity v culture
Individual v collective Macro v microculture Generalisation v stereotyping Cultural relativism v cultural absolutism Establishing a syllabus

Socio-cultural competence for English at Threshold level

1 Universal experiences 1 Everyday life 2 Living conditions 3 Interpersonal relations 4 Major values and attitudes

Threshold 1990,
Council of Europe,
JA van Ek and JLM Trim

Socio-cultural competence for English at Threshold level

2 Social conventions and rituals 1 Non-linguistic a) Body language b) Visiting rituals c) Eating and drinking rituals
2 Linguistic

Threshold 1990,
Council of Europe,
JA van Ek and JLM Trim

The reculturalisation of English Periods of studying English: where the USA/UK/Australia etc were target cultures where the cultural origins of the language were ignored where the link between language and culture is recognised and sample cultures are explored

So where do we start?
Whats your name? How old are you? What political party do you vote for? How much do you earn?

How old is you? How much is you earning?

 Linguistic, nonlinguistic and social conventions and rituals Customs and traditions Attitudes and beliefs

1 Linguistic, non-linguistic and social conventions and rituals

Greetings Reciprocal speech Silence Smiling Eye contact Gestures Appearance Personal space

Non-linguistic conventions

Linguistic conventions: functions

Greetings and making introductions Thanking Apologising Complaining Giving opinions Making compliments Expressing feelings Expressing ability Back channelling

2 Customs and traditions

Weddings Table manners Buying food Giving gifts Festivals Folk stories

Customs and traditions

Talk about these questions. Youre invited to someones home for dinner. What time do you expect to be invited? What time do you arrive? Do you take a gift? If so, what? When do you expect to eat? What do you say before you start eating? In which hand do you hold your fork? Do you compliment your host? Can you smoke during the meal? How do you know when to leave?

3 Attitudes and beliefs

Superstitions Face Men and women Ancestors Networking Time

Materials and activity types

Cultural self awareness Cognitive training C2 comparison Experiential training Critical incidents Cultural resonance L1 interference

Cultural self-awareness: Missing you already!

What do you miss when youre away from home? What do you look forward to when you return?

Missing you already!

The crossword The Sunday papers. A nice cup of tea. Baked beans/ sausages/Marmite The sense of humour. My cat. The radio cricket commentary. Manageably sized insects My own bathroom. My bed.

Missing you already!

What do you miss when youre away from home? What do you look forward to when you return?

2 How can I teach sociocultural awareness at low levels?

Desert Island words Think of eight favourite words to take to your desert island, and one phrase or saying.

Desert Island words

1 family 2 Oxford 3 book 4 television 5 mountain 6 Venice 7 beer 8 another

Favourite sentence

Its out of the question!

Desert Island words Think of eight favourite words to take to your desert island, and one phrase or saying.

C2 comparison: town twinning

Read the passage and decide which town in Britain it describes. In Shakespeares day this was a market town surrounded by forests. In the nineteenth century it became one of the great industrial cities, at the heart of an extensive system of canals and waterway. It now has an excellent art gallery, a wellrespected university, a theatre and one of the countrys leading orchestras. With a population of over a million, dozens of industries are situated here, including the motor industry, plastics and chemicals. Now decide which town in your country you

Cultural self awareness: macro and microculture

Here is a list of furniture and features of a house. Which ones do you expect to see in a typical home in your country?

balcony , garden , bath, stairs shower, separate bathroom and toilet, dining room, living room, large kitchen
Find out which items you're likely to use to describe an English home.

Cultural icons
Look at some coins or bank notes from your country. Who or what is shown on them? What values do they represent? What product, manufactured in your country, is famous in other countries? Describe its features. Decide what kind of person is likely to buy it, or would like to buy it. Design a postage stamp which shows people, places, objects or symbols which represent the spirit and values of your home town or country.

Experiential training
Student A Keep smiling and touching Student B, and sit close. Try to keep the conversation going. Ask lots of questions and repeat each answer in a different way to make sure you have understood. Student B Answer Student As questions, but only give the essential information. Dont look at Student A. You dont like people touching you, but youre too polite to say anything.

Critical incidents: face

I invited a friend to a dinner party at my apartment last Thursday. She replied, Yes, Id love to come, but it might be difficult. I didnt hear from her so I expected her to come. But she didnt. Why didnt she call me and let me know?

Critical incidents
I was visiting German for the first time and I received an invitation to visit my most important customer in her house. I took her a bunch of twelve red roses and her husband a bottle of wine. When I gave her the flowers, she just looked embarrassed.

A British colleague invited me to join his friends after work. We went to a pub where he bought me a drink and he suggested a meal in a restaurant. At the end of the meal, I was surprised to see everyone take out their wallets to pay the bill. My friend expected me to pay as well, but I feel it was mean of him not to pay for me, as he invited me.

Cultural resonance
What ideas do you associate with these colours? green white yellow blue red What are the qualities of these animals? sheep goat donkey dog frog What words do you associate with these ideas? home book beach New Year school English

Cultural resonance
What do these numbers, objects and symbols mean to you? Numbers: 3 4 7 8 9 13 Flowers: carnations chrysanthemums Gifts: clock penknife handkerchief Tools: scissors red ink

L1 Interference
Today is 26 January. Someone says Its 26 January, isnt it? What do you say? A No, it is. B Yes, it isnt. C Yes, it is. D No, it isnt. Someone says, My mother sends you her best wishes. What do you say? A Send them back B Send her mine. You say to someone The traffic was really awful. The person replies Really? What do you reply? A Yes, really. B Yes, it was. C No, really!

L1 Interference
You go with a friend to a nice restaurant. Your friend says, this is a nice restaurant, isnt it? What do you say? A Yes, it is. B Of course it is. C No, it is.
Someone says Do call by if ever youre in the neighbourhood. What do you say? A Yes, I will. B No, I wont. C How about next Wednesday?

Materials and activity types

Cultural self awareness Cognitive training C2 comparison Experiential training Critical incidents Cultural resonance L1 interference

Types of culture
Surface culture and deep culture Microculture and macroculture Target culture and sample culture

Cultural resonance: surface and deep culture

Surface culture: weather forecast

Cultural resonance: deep culture

Dogger, Rockall, Malin, Irish Sea: Green, swift upsurges, North Atlantic flux Conjured by that strong, gale-warning voice, Collapse into a sibilant penumbra It was marvellous And actual, I said out loud, A haven, The word deepening, clearing, like the sky Elsewhere on Minches, Cromarty, The Faroes.
Seamus Heaney Glanmore Sonnets

Cultural self awareness: macro and microculture

Say which of these food items people in your country usually buy each week.
rice oranges potatoes fish sausage beer water flour noodles eggs tea coffee oil butter yoghurt shrimp bread sugar cheese

Which items do you (or your family) usually, sometimes or never buy each week?

Teachers concerns
1 Its easy if you have a multi-cultural group. But what can we do in monocultural classes like ours? 2 How can I teach socio-cultural awareness at low levels? 3 Grammar, skills, pronunciation theres so much else to teach. I just dont have enough time to teach socio-cultural awareness. 4 What exactly does a socio-cultural syllabus cover?

 Teachers concerns
5 Much of the material is just anecdotal evidence. So what? 6 My students are never going to live or work in the USA/Australia/the UK. Why bother? 7 Most socio-cultural awareness simply reinforce stereotypes. 8 Is it really my job as a language teacher to teach cross-cultural awareness?

From cultural bump to culture shock

Perpetrator Recipient Mild interest Amusement Surprise Recognition of difference in behaviour

Culture shock
Recognition/ignorance of offence Confusion Embarrassment Perception of of offence Incomprehension Irritation

Communication breakdown

Shame/anger

Anger

Six conclusions
1 The key to an awareness of other cultures is an awareness of your own. 2 Intercultural training can be integrated with the grammatical, functional syllabuses and skills syllabuses.

Six conclusions
3 Intercultural training is not an option. Its absence can compromise effective communication. 4 Cross cultural awareness does not imply assimilation or mimicry but the understanding and appreciation of different values.

Six conclusions 5 We cannot give our learners specific information about every culture, but we can make them aware of the possibility of differences. 6 Effective communication = Linguistic competence and intercultural competence

Designing materials and activities for intercultural training in the classroom

Intercultural training in the classroom should lead to the enjoyment of recognising similarities between cultures, and to the celebration of difference.

Designing materials and activities for intercultural training in the classroom

Strangers are only friends you havent made yet. Irish saying

s.greenall@macmillan.com