Intercultural Learning and

Adult Education

28.3.2012Daniel Kober (University of Duisburg-Essen)

Agenda

•Definition of „culture“

•Intercultural interaction

•Intercultural trainings

•Impact on adult education and perspectives

What is „culture“?

Task

Please discuss with one partner how you would characterise „culture“!

You have 10 minutes to collect your ideas.

CultureCulture(„cultus / („cultus / cultura“)cultura“)

AgriculturAgriculturee

ArtsArts StandardStandard TraditionsTraditions

narrow narrow definitionsdefinitions

widewidedefinitionsdefinitions

closcloseded

openopen

Definition•system of a collective behaviour

•shared values, norms,traditions and symbols

•collectives: nations, organisations, groups etc.

•influence on: perceptions, cognitive processes, emotions, interpretations and actions

•„normality“ and orientation

•open and dynamic

•enculturation, socialisation

Hofstede:Cultural

Dimensions

Alexander Thomas:Critical Incidents

•Examples

Why do we have to deal with

intercultural learning?

Trends leading to a higher quantity of

intercultural interactions...

•Globalisation

•Internationalisation

•Migration / Mobility

Exercise„Interaction“

Context

SenderSender RecieverRecieverInteraction

Code

Code

Decode Decode

Decode

Perceptas

Conceptas

verbalnon-

verbalpara-verbalextra-verbal

Intercultural interactions can lead to...

misunderstandingsangerfear

agressions......new perspectives

ideasinnovations

That is why it is neccessary for adult education to cope with intercultural interactions.

What can we as adult educators

do?

Trainings

•information vs. interaction

•culture-specific vs. culture-unspecific

4 types of intercultural

trainings

information

culture-specific

interaction

culture-unspecific

I

II

IV

III

Perspectives

•Intercultural coaching

•Intercultural mentoring

•Intercultural mediation

•e-learning tools