ASSESSING INTERCULTURAL

INSTRUCTION IN FL TEACHING PRACTICES

Mª Elena Gómez ParraUniversity of Córdoba

Spain Rennes, 11th-13th June 2007

Index0. Introduction1. The theoretical background2. The design of the experiment3. The booklet for the analysis 4. Conclusions

Homines dum docent discunt

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0. Introduction• New teachers’ role: intercultural

mediators • Reasons: geographical,

economic, social …• Task: to make students

interculturally competent

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0. Introduction• Objective: to measure the

intercultural competence of in service teachers.

• How? By a questionnaire handed out to future teachers (F. of Education)

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0. Introduction

• Why? New role of teachers

• When? During two years (practices period of students)

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0. Introduction

• Hypothesis: in service teachers generally lack intercultural competence.

• This questionnaire will help to raise awareness of their intercultural

needs and their pupils’.

1. Theoretical background

•Language and Culture (Byram 1989, Kramsch 1996, etc.)

•Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis: language shapes thought

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1. Theoretical background

•Cultural assumptions as a source of misunderstandings

•Onion’s model

•Cultural iceberg

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1. Theoretical background

•What you get is what you see?

Paralanguage•Haptics Kinesics•Oculesics Chronemics•Body coverings …

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1. Theoretical background

•Byram’s (1997) concept of intercultural competence:

“to be able to interact effectively (using linguistic and non-linguistic resources) with people from another country in a foreign language”

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1. Theoretical background

•Some disagreement with Byram’s (1997) concept of intercultural competence:

the cultural distance between speakers of the same lg.

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1. Theoretical background•The Council of Europe:

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEF)

The European Language Portfolio (ELP)

Hegemony of English European Citizenship

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2. Design of the Experiment

• What? To measure if the school-system is preparing pupils to be intercultural mediators

• Who? In service teachers by future teachers

• Why? Intercultural needs of both subject groups and society demands. “Security distance” and “not-real-

assessment”

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2. Design of the Experiment

• When? In their practices period • Distribution of Practices in the FCE of

the UCO:1st Year: Observation,15 days (around

February)2nd Year: Participation,1 month (around

March)3rd Year: Intervention, 2 months (one around January and the other around April)

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2. Design of the Experiment

• So, who? 20 students in their 1st and 2nd year 10 selected + 10 at random Mixed group

• Why? Experiment for 2 years (at least) Not the “first teacher” in the class Possibility of continuation

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3. The booklet

Section 1: The teacher of English

Section 2: Speaking and Listening

Section 3: ReadingSection 4: Writing

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3. The booklet

Rennes, June ‘07SECTION ONE:

THE TEACHER OF ENGLISH. SHEET 1

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Personal profile of the teacher Your notesHow proficient is s/he in English? Does s/he use English as the communication language in the classroom?

Does s/he have a positive attitude towards the English/American … culture?

Does s/he travel frequently to an English-speaking country?

Does s/he frequently use his/her travel anecdotes as a resource?

Does s/he frequently use his/her knowledge about English/American … literature as a resource?

Does s/he frequently use his/her knowledge about English/American … songs as a resource?

Does s/he frequently use his/her knowledge about English/American … food as a resource?

Could s/he be said to be ‘English-culturally interested’? Can pupils perceive that?

Before gathering data for this section, ask for permission to the teacher (it is important not to make him/her feel uncomfortable with this situation). Through an interview, or by your own observation, collect data on the following.

3. The booklet Purposes:

To assess the teacher’s general profile (competence, attitude)

To make students and teachers aware of the real purpose of this analysis

To make students aware that they must go through the whole doc.

Rennes, June ‘07 SECTION ONE: THE TEACHER OF ENGLISH. SHEET 1

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3. The booklet

Rennes, June ‘07 SPEAKING AND LISTENING ANALYSIS. SHEET 1

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EVALUATING THE METHODODOLOGYACTIVITY/RESOURCE

PAIR/ SMALL GROUP

SMALL/LARGE GROUP

CHILD WITH ADULT

SMALL/LARGE GROUP WITH ADULT

Interactive speaking & listening activitiesRole play, dramatic play, drama & storytellingVideo and/or photo-based discussions Cross-curricular exercisesSongs, chants Choral/drill repetition

3. The bookletSpeaking + Listening:

Time pressure for the studentsInteraction between the two skills

Purpose: to evaluate the type of groupings in interactive and communicative activities

Rennes, June ‘07 SPEAKING AND LISTENING ANALYSIS. SHEET 1

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3. The booklet

Rennes, June ‘07 SPEAKING AND LISTENING ANALYSIS. SHEET 2

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EVALUATING THE METHODODOLOGYACTIVITY/RESOURCE

PAIR/ SMALL GROUP

SMALL/LARGE GROUP

CHILD WITH ADULT

SMALL/LARGE GROUP WITH

ADULTInteractive speaking & listening activities on cultural differences Role play, dramatic play, drama & storytelling based on traditional talesVideo and/or photo-based discussions on famous facts or peopleCross-curricular discussions (based on common cultural facts such as food, weather, etc.) Culturally-diverse songs and chants Choral/drill repetition of words in different languages

3. The booklet•Purpose: to observe if there

is some introduction of the intercultural component in the English class (same type of activities as those in

Sheet 1)

Rennes, June ‘07 SPEAKING AND LISTENING ANALYSIS. SHEET 2

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3. The booklet

Rennes, June ‘07 SPEAKING AND LISTENING ANALYSIS. SHEET 3

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RECORD OF ANALYSIS An aide reminder of things to look for:

Look for signs of evaluate Look for Tick those features found& reflective thinkingquestioning listening attentively supportingcommenting body language assertingrepeating gestures planningparticipating eye contact collaboratingdescribing facial expression initiatingresponding confidence narratingreinforcing awareness of audience speculatingexpressing opinions awareness of purpose hypothesizingarguing body contact negotiatingdiscussing justifyingrequesting categorizingreasoning recallingpersuading comparingturn takingacknowledging

3. The booklet•Purpose:

To help students summarize the final objective of their observations

To connect the interaction of language and paralanguage (kinesics, haptics, oculesics…)

Homework for students

Rennes, June ‘07 SPEAKING AND LISTENING ANALYSIS. SHEET 3

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3. The booklet

Rennes, June ‘07READING ANALYSIS.

SHEET A 25

A. Opportunities and ExperiencesThe kinds of opportunities and experiences that are offered in school will influence the way children view reading. The quality of the books themselves will also influence the child’s interest and engagement, as will their organization and display. The variety of topics will make them aware of the fact that reading is not boring and, of course, this skill is the perfect opportunity to introduce intercultural topics. The reading environment, both physical and social, will obviously also be a powerful factor in supporting children’s development as readers.

Please, take the time to discuss the following questions with other students.

•What messages about reading are implied by reading in school?•What kind of topics must be introduced? •What overt messages about reading can be given to the children in class and how? •What overt messages can be given about intercultural reading in class and how?•What covert messages can be given if reading is mono-cultural?•What range of reading material should be available for the children in the class?•What choices must children have in their book selection?•How should be reading done? Alone? With each other? Reading of the teacher to the children? Choral reading? •What physical aspects of the classroom environment can promote reading for pleasure and information? Do you consider useful to have racks/bookshelves with books and/or comfortable seating?•What time aspects of the planning could be improved to leave some time for reading in the English class? Would you consider that useful?•How can be parental involvement encouraged and supported?•From all your discussion and reflection about this how would you answer these questions:

•“How must be reading taught in school?” (list main points only) 2. “How can be reading used for intercultural purposes?”

3. The booklet•Purpose:

Students’ reflection; writing only the two final questions

To emphasize reading as the “star skill” to introduce interculturality

Question: wide range of topics (messages, physical environment, parental involvement …)

Rennes, June ‘07 READING ANALYSIS. SHEET A

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3. The booklet

Rennes, June ‘07 READING ANALYSIS. SHEET B

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AUTHOR AND

YEAR

TITLE AND PUBLISHE

R

GENRE(non fiction, picture book, poetry, novel etc.)

HOW COULD YOU USE IT? (reading alone, in groups,

teacher to children… When during the class? In what place/s would be the

pupils?)

THE TOPIC: Is it

intercultural?In which way?

What is the message implied?

1

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Please list 5 books (children’s Literature in English) that you think could be valuable in the classroom. Try to make them interculturally varied (you can search the Web).

3. The booklet•Purpose:

Students’ own proposals: intercultural awareness on reading

Not to dismiss new ideas: (Internet search)

Rennes, June ‘07 READING ANALYSIS. SHEET B

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3. The booklet

Rennes, June ‘07 WRITING ANALYSIS. SHEET A

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Please, write an account of your writing activity, the procedure and the predictable results.

A. Opportunities and ExperiencesWriting is a means of recording learning, communicating and thinking, and plays a central

part in the whole curriculum. To support children’s development as writers we also need to help them become more reflective writers through discussion of their own texts, an awareness of readers’ needs and an ability to reflect upon themselves as writers and the writing process. In addition to this, we have the opportunity of introducing intercultural topics to be developed in their writings.

You are asked to evaluate a writing activity with the children. Select one from the following possibilities, explain the instructions you would give to the children (implementation), and finally state the pros and cons of the activity:

•retelling a traditional tale for a class book;•developing a play script for later performance or reading;•writing instructions for a game, problem solving or craft activity;•writing poetry and illustrating it for a class anthology;•selecting a personal theme, or recalling an earlier experience, each child could, in a writing workshop, choose and direct their own work;•writing notes from a class discussion on cultural facts about weather, food, politics, etc. •writing a newspaper account of, for example, a fairy tale or a local event;•shared writing sessions with pairs or groups composing their tale - or with teacher as scribe.

3. The booklet•Purpose:

Raise students’ awareness of the importance of making writing also intercultural

Assess which of the eight activities is the best for this goal

Rennes, June ‘07 WRITING ANALYSIS. SHEET A

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3. The booklet

Rennes, June ‘07 WRITING ANALYSIS. SHEET B

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Writing Activity Topic/Purpose Audience

B. Classroom Practices in WritingIn discussion with other students, please, comment on the following questions:

1. List a possible range of writing activities undertaken by children across at least two days, in table form as below.2. What can be the children’s attitudes to writing, what kinds of writing are foreseeably popular and what aspect of writing can they think is most important?3. What is the pupils’ attitude towards intercultural topics? Do they accept the difference/otherness? 4. Do students take writing as homework? Are parents aware of the intercultural activities students are carrying out? Do you know if they have a positive attitude? 5. How should be spelling, grammar, and punctuation taught/learnt in this classroom?6.How should the teachers and the children respond to, and assess, writing?

3. The booklet•Purpose:

Measure children’ interest in writing

Assess pupils’ interest in the intercultural value of writing

Rennes, June ‘07 WRITING ANALYSIS. SHEET B

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3. The booklet

Rennes, June ‘07 READING & WRITING ANALYSIS.

ANALYSIS SHEET

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EVALUATING THE METHODOLOGY

ACTIVITIES/RESOURCES

TYPE OF ACTIVITY

ALONE/GROUPS/TEACHER AND PUPILS

TOPIC INTERCULTURAL

Interactive reading & writing activities

Cultural information found

Combined skills (i.e. reading + speaking , et. al.)

Rhymes, poems reading and memorizing

Vocabulary learning exercises

Fill-in-the-gaps activitiesFree writingGuided writing Grammar exercises Cross-curricular exercises (biology, history, arts and crafts …)

Ordering a story

3. The booklet•Purpose:

Combine the analysis of reading and writing intercultural activities

Again, raise students’ and pupil’s awareness on intercultural facts

Rennes, June ‘07 READING & WRITING ANALYSIS. ANALYSIS SHEET

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4. Conclusions

Teaching only ENGLISH is no

longer a goal in itself

Change on the teacher’s role

New society’s demands

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4. Conclusions

Future teachers of English,

in-service teachers and pupils:

progressive awareness of

Intercultural societal needs

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ASSESSING INTERCULTURAL

INSTRUCTION IN FL TEACHING PRACTICES

Mª Elena Gómez ParraUniversity of Córdoba

Spain Rennes, 11th-13th June 2007