Developing Intercultural Competence

1. Developing Intercultural Competence Gateway 2 Cindy Lee

2. Contents • Preface • Conventional Language Teaching Theories • Conventional Teaching Practice • Intercultural Communication Theories • The Components of Intercultural Competence • Next Step for Language Teachers • Conclusion

3. Preface • This session is based on the British scholar - Michael Byram’s various works on intercultural communication and intercultural competence. • At the end of this session, it will point out a new role for the language teacher.

4. Conventional Language Teaching Theories • Develop new way of presenting language • Develop linguistic skills • Create linguistic fluency and accuracy • Address how to use language appropriately

5. Conventional Teaching Practice • Use the native speaker as a model for learners • Transfer the experience of learning the first language to learn the foreign language • Emphasise the linguistic or grammatical competence

6. Intercultural Communication Theories Concentration (1) • Lingua Franca (a): • The foreign language or the English language is a communicative medium among foreigners • Example: People from Japan, Italy, Taiwan, Germany and Britain use English to communicate when they meet with each another.

7. Intercultural Communication Theories Concentration (2) • Lingua Franca (b): • It is neither appropriate nor desirable for learners to model themselves on native speakers. • Example: When a Taiwanese does business with a Spanish or has holidays in Singapore, why does he/she need to sound like an American in such an international context?

8. Intercultural Communication Theories Concentration (3) • Intercultural Speaker means someone has abilities to: - interact with ‘others’ - accept other perspectives of the world - mediate between different perspectives - be conscious of the evaluations of the difference

9. Intercultural Communication Theories Directions • Developing learners’ intercultural competence is as important as improving their linguistic skills • An innovative mission for language teachers lies in helping students possess the components of intercultural competence

10. From Intercultural Communication To Intercultural Competence Intercultural competence is the key to successful intercultural communication. So, what features contribute to intercultural competence?

11. The Components of Intercultural Competence (1) • Intercultural Attitudes • Curiosity and openness to other cultures • Readiness to suspend disbelief about on other cultures • Belief about one’s own culture 學員在了解本國文化的情況下,對異國文化能充滿好奇心並能以開放的心態看待甚至接受他國的文化風俗.

12. The Components of Intercultural Competence (2) • Intercultural Knowledge • Knowledge of social processes • Knowledge of how social groups function • Realize other people have multiple identities “跨文化的知識”除了意指了解某一地區或國家的文化之外,更重要的是指學員能了解普遍的社會問題,以及族群及文化認同等議題.這些了解可以從國內的觀點出發再延伸到對異國社會的認識. 各地域/國家,各語系的族群都絕非是單一性的,了解這些多元文化特質的知識是相當重要的.跨文化可以避免未來接觸外國友人或事務時,產生誤會或文化衝擊.

13. The Components of Intercultural Competence (3) • Intercultural Skills • Ability to compare two or more cultures • Ability to interpret the culture perceived • Ability to relate one’s own cultural experiences 由於無論教師或是學員都不可能得知所有的跨文化知識,因此學員必須具備跨文化的溝通技巧,以備不時之需.這包括了能夠探知及比較異國和本國文化差異的能力,也包含了能運用本國文化經驗以解決不期然的文化衝突的能力.最終的目標是幫助學員能從容面對不同的文化背景,並能妥善處理當下所遭遇到的難題.

14. The Components of Intercultural Competence (4) • Critical Cultural Awareness • Acknowledge respect for human dignity • Recognize the human right • Become aware of one’s own values and how these influence one’s views of other people’s values 最後是能有客觀的警覺性.藉由學習外語或接觸外國文化的機會,學習尊重他人.同時亦能省視自身的價值觀,並認清是什麼樣的價值觀正影響著自己看待世界的角度.

15. Next Step for the Language Teacher (1) • M. Byram and many other scholars believe that the role of language teachers is changing and should be changing. • The role of a language teacher is to develop intercultural skills, attitudes and awareness of values just as much as to develop knowledge of a particular culture/nation or of different cultures within one’s own country.

16. Next Step for the Language Teacher (2) However, the task for the language teacher is not to deliver cultural content word by word, but “to facilitate learners’ interaction with some small part of another society and its cultures, with the purpose of relativising learners’ understanding of their own cultural values and behaviors, and encouraging them to investigate for themselves the otherness around them, either in their immediate physical environment or in their engagement with otherness which internationalization and globalization have brought into their world.” --- M. Byram, A. Nichols and D. Stevens(2001)

17. Conclusion (1) The attempt of developing intercultural competence is ambitious. However, Many teachers believe in it and have responded to this new role with their professional imagination and innovative approaches to introduce an intercultural dimension into their work.

18. Conclusion (2) How about you? Are you willing to take a step further?! In the following sessions, we will see more practices working with teenagers. Welcome you on board!

19. THE END Thank you!