ASSESSING INTERCULTURAL INSTRUCTION IN FL TEACHING PRACTICES

1. ASSESSING INTERCULTURAL INSTRUCTION IN FL TEACHING PRACTICES Mª Elena Gómez Parra University of Córdoba Spain Rennes, 11th-13th June 2007

2. Index 0. Introduction • The theoretical background • The design of the experiment • The booklet for the analysis • Conclusions Homines dum docent discunt

3. 0. Introduction • New teachers’ role: intercultural mediators • Reasons: geographical, economic, social … • Task: to make students interculturally competent

4. 0. Introduction • Objective: to measure the intercultural competence of in service teachers. • How? By a questionnaire handed out to future teachers (F. of Education)

5. 0. Introduction • Why? New role of teachers • When? During two years (practices period of students)

6. 0. Introduction • Hypothesis: in service teachers generally lack intercultural competence. • This questionnaire will help to raise awareness of their intercultural needs and their pupils’.

7. 1. Theoretical background • Language and Culture (Byram 1989, Kramsch 1996, etc.) • Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis: language shapes thought

8. 1. Theoretical background • Cultural assumptions as a source of misunderstandings • Onion’s model • Cultural iceberg

9. 1. Theoretical background • What you get is what you see? Paralanguage • Haptics Kinesics • Oculesics Chronemics • Body coverings …

10. 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”

11. 1. Theoretical background • Some disagreement with Byram’s (1997) concept of intercultural competence: the cultural distance between speakers of the same lg.

12. 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

13. 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”

14. 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)

15. 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

16. 3. The booklet • Section 1: The teacher of English • Section 2: Speaking and Listening • Section 3: Reading • Section 4: Writing

17. 3. The booklet 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. SECTION ONE: THE TEACHER OF ENGLISH. SHEET 1

18. 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. SECTION ONE: THE TEACHER OF ENGLISH. SHEET 1

19. 3. The booklet SPEAKING AND LISTENING ANALYSIS. SHEET 1

20. 3. The booklet • Speaking + Listening: • Time pressure for the students • Interaction between the two skills • Purpose: to evaluate the type of groupings in interactive and communicative activities SPEAKING AND LISTENING ANALYSIS. SHEET 1

21. 3. The booklet SPEAKING AND LISTENING ANALYSIS. SHEET 2

22. 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) SPEAKING AND LISTENING ANALYSIS. SHEET 2

23. 3. The booklet RECORD OF ANALYSIS An aide reminder of things to look for: Look for signs of evaluate Look for Tick those features found & reflective thinking questioning listening attentively supporting commenting body language asserting repeating gestures planning participating eye contact collaborating describing facial expression initiating responding confidence narrating reinforcing awareness of audience speculating expressing opinions awareness of purpose hypothesizing arguing body contact negotiating discussing justifying requesting categorizing reasoning recalling persuading comparing turn taking acknowledging SPEAKING AND LISTENING ANALYSIS. SHEET 3

24. 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 SPEAKING AND LISTENING ANALYSIS. SHEET 3

25. 3. The booklet • A. Opportunities and Experiences • The 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 overtmessages can be given about intercultural reading in class and how? • What covertmessages 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 aspectsof 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 usedfor intercultural purposes?” READING ANALYSIS. SHEET A

26. 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 …) READING ANALYSIS. SHEET A

27. 3. The booklet Please list 5 books (children’s Literature in English) that you think could be valuable in the classroom. Try to make them interculturallyvaried(you can search the Web). READING ANALYSIS. SHEET B

28. 3. The booklet • Purpose: • Students’ own proposals: intercultural awareness on reading • Not to dismiss new ideas: (Internet search) READING ANALYSIS. SHEET B

29. 3. The booklet • A. Opportunities and Experiences • Writing 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. WRITING ANALYSIS. SHEET A

30. 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 WRITING ANALYSIS. SHEET A

31. 3. The booklet B. Classroom Practices in Writing In 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? WRITING ANALYSIS. SHEET B

32. 3. The booklet • Purpose: • Measure children’ interest in writing • Assess pupils’ interest in the intercultural value of writing WRITING ANALYSIS. SHEET B

33. 3. The booklet READING & WRITING ANALYSIS. ANALYSIS SHEET

34. 3. The booklet • Purpose: • Combine the analysis of reading and writing intercultural activities • Again, raise students’ and pupil’s awareness on intercultural facts READING & WRITING ANALYSIS. ANALYSIS SHEET

35. 4. Conclusions • Teaching only ENGLISH is no longer a goal in itself • Change on the teacher’s role • New society’s demands

36. 4. Conclusions • Future teachers of English, in-service teachers and pupils: progressive awareness of Intercultural societal needs

37. ASSESSING INTERCULTURAL INSTRUCTION IN FL TEACHING PRACTICES Mª Elena Gómez Parra University of Córdoba Spain Rennes, 11th-13th June 2007