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'Knowing me, knowing you'. Exploring Aspects of Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICCC) Carole MacDiarmid, University Of Glasgow. ICCC. Overview Defining terms: what is ICCC? Its place in language learning Focus on developing observation skills
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'Knowing me, knowing you' Exploring Aspects of Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICCC)Carole MacDiarmid, University Of Glasgow
ICCC • Overview • Defining terms: what is ICCC? • Its place in language learning • Focus on developing observation skills • Participant observer & Informer (that’s you!)
ICCC • But first of all… • What was the problem? • I ask for bread at end of day, shopkeeper raises his eyebrows , I’m confused…(In Turkey) • Last week a new student said “hi, how is your family?” • An e-mail from a student: “Dear respected teacher, I am so sorry to disturb you ,but i can not find the second article..” • You take red & white flowers to a guest’s house • A teacher discusses education and women's rights, some students say very little..
ICCC • Unfamiliarity can cause… • Confusion • Misunderstandings • Possibly break downs in communication if serious • The importance of considering attitudes, behaviour, beliefs, values
ICCC • Learning a language… • (an anecdote) • (Carole, Gary, motorbike, rain, fall…) • Communicative competence • the language • discourse competence • sociolinguistic competency • strategic competence • + • Intercultural Communicative Competence
ICCC • Intercultural Communicative Competence • ICCC refers to the ability to understand cultures, including your own, and use this understanding to communicate with people from other cultures successfully. • (British Council: http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/knowledge-wiki/intercultural-communicative-competence accessed 01/10/09) • Intercultural communication competence is the ability to encodeand decode meanings in matches that correspond to the meaningsheld in the other communicator's repository. • (Beamer, L. 1992. Journal of Business Communication, Vol. 29, No. 3, 285-303) • Understand, observe, reflect …& communicate
ICCC • What it isn’t: • Having to about learning another ‘dominant’ culture • All the ‘ins and outs’ of language & context • ‘We did see Noah sailing down the street in his Ark at one point but, hey, we can't all be lucky and have 1 in a 100 year floods when we go on holiday’ (shared religious reference) • ‘No more tour buses wiv Essex Man and Woman for us (or should that be Jummy an' Merry fae Larkha'?). You wot, mite? ’ (shared popular culture & accent reference) • Having to learn about lots of different cultures
ICCC • Why bother? • Who do people speak to? • (some of my students)
ICCC • Why bother? • Who do people speak to? • Native English Speaker (NS) + Native English speaker (NS) • NS+ to Non Native English Speakers (NNS) • NNS + NNS • Understanding your own cultural identity, behaviours, beliefs , practices, can help you understand others • (HSBC advert: • ‘HSBC understands that people value things differently’)
ICCC • ICCC…. • …a desirable outcome of learning… a learner with the ability to see and manage the relationships between themselves and their own cultural beliefs, behaviours and meanings… • (Byram, M. 1997. Teaching and assessing intercultural communicative competence. Multilingual matters ). • ..part of it is knowing yourself & your own cultural.. becoming a cultural observer… • (Corbett. J. 2003. An intercultural approach to English language teaching .Multilingual matters).
ICCC • Focus on developing observation skills • How do people greet each other? • How do people greet each other in Taiwan?
ICCC • Task: Greeting people in Taiwan • (behaviours) • When you see … • An acquaintance from class • Your parents • Your grandparents • Friends of your parents (that you don’t really know) • A visitor from another country • …..how do you greet them? • (e.g. smile, kiss, shake hands, bow, ‘high five’???)
ICCC • Task: Family… • (values) • Who is important in your life? • Your immediate family • Your extended family..
ICCC • Task: The family (ask and answer) • In your country: • Who is the most important person in your family? • Who lives with who? • Do you live with your parents? • When do young people leave home? • Where do grandparents live? …) • How often do you see your immediate family? • And your extended family? • Why do you think that is? • How does it affect what you do/your lifestyle?
ICCC • Task:Festivals (customs & traditions) • Think of an important festival in your country and discuss the following questions: • What does it celebrate? • When is it? • How do people celebrate it (what do people do (& do you • know why?))? • What do you think of this festival? (do you like it, why/not?)
ICCC • Compare to a festival in Britain • What does it celebrate • When is it? • How do people celebrate it (what do people do (& do you • know why?))? • You can find out more about festivals in Britain at: • http://elt.britcoun.org.pl/elt/ • (from the list on the left hand side- previous issues, go to Festivals in Britain then select:The Changing face of British festivals)
ICCC • An English man in New York (Sting) • An Englishman in New York • I dont take coffee I take tea my dearI like my toast done on one sideAnd you can hear it in my accent when I talkIm an englishman in new yorkSee me walking down fifth avenueA walking cane here at my sideI take it everywhere I walkIm an englishman in new york