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Fostering Intercultural Communication in Project-Based Telecollaborative Exchanges

Fostering Intercultural Communication in Project-Based Telecollaborative Exchanges. Dawn Bikowski Ohio University TESOL 2011, New Orleans. Project-Based Telecollaborative Exchanges. Project-Based learning Real project, real client, student-directed, active Goals

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Fostering Intercultural Communication in Project-Based Telecollaborative Exchanges

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  1. Fostering Intercultural Communication in Project-Based Telecollaborative Exchanges Dawn Bikowski Ohio University TESOL 2011, New Orleans

  2. Project-Based Telecollaborative Exchanges • Project-Based learning • Real project, real client, student-directed, active • Goals • Skills—e.g., research, language, communication • Content • Telecollaborative Exchanges • Usually language learners • Learning cultural, social, pragmatic aspects as well as language forms • Uses technology for communication

  3. Global Leadership Center, Ohio University • 2-year undergraduate program for all majors • One blended telecollaborative project per year • All international projects, mostly with international universities (grad or undergrad) • Business and development projects • International partners majoring in Business, English, or Communications • Communication in English • OU students: intercultural communication/competence, research; International students: English, intercultural communication, research

  4. GLC Telecollaborative Projects • Thailand • Mexico • Poland • Liberia • Germany • Vietnam • Ghana • France

  5. Technology Options in Telecollaborative Projects • What works in least-developed context • Try for some video or voice • Skype, Google voice, iVisit, list of possibilities • Use text based • Many language learners prefer asynchronous text • Record for future reference & instructor follow-up • Share-ability • Google docs, PBWorks, Typewith.me, Moodle

  6. Setting up Telecollaborative Projects • Partner selection • Academic calendars • Communication—open and frequent • Project as required, not add on or optional • Ideal: blended courses where both groups visit • Plan well • Work for prevention of problems • Have backup plans

  7. Projects • Involve real clients with real needs who will talk with groups and give them information • Can be large corporations or small businesses • Make sure students can do research on topics • Have students present findings to clients • Have definite things groups need to do and timelines (students, teachers, or both create) • Create projects that require genuine communication and negotiation • Consider assessments carefully—your goals?

  8. Building “The Space” • Make sure all students feel comfortable and welcome—sense of community • All students start project at same time • All students have equal representation, ownership, and a role (e.g., if less proficient in language) • All students can navigate technology and site is not biased toward a certain culture • All students have a “space” for non-project communication (pictures, music, links, etc.)

  9. Finding the Right Students • Choose carefully • Committed, time and effort, interest in cultures, willing to learn, work independently, language, age • Variety: Students contribute different things • Organization, communication, attitude, idea generator, writing, presenting, community builder, etc. • Empower them • Let them make choices when possible • Ask for feedback and be willing to listen • Allow for flexibility • Have high expectations • Don’t micromanage but do support/facilitate/coach

  10. Training Students • How to recognize, avoid, and fix possible miscommunication • How to ask questions effectively • How many per communication, when to re-ask, how to ask a clear & answerable question • How to show interest and consideration about other culture • Specific pieces of language to use, use partner’s language, asking questions, thanking for info.

  11. Training Students II • Look for similarities in cultures, don’t obsess on differences (beware in training) • Music, dancing, movies, going out, shopping, etc. • Politeness and rudeness in other culture • Specific pieces of language—consider having teammates ask each other • Sign names? Greetings? What to call each other? • Train students on own communication style • Encourage students to build relationships

  12. During the Project I • Start with ice breaking activities • Sharing pictures, stories, links • Have teams create own ground rules & expectations (maybe consequences) • Communication timeframe expectations • Respect for teammates and cultures • Policies for late or incomplete work • Handling potential miscommunication

  13. During the Project II • Monitor team and faculty communication—Possible indicators • Sharing non-project information • Descriptions of place/family/travels • Expressions of interest about culture/teammates • Joking, humor, emoticons • Collaborative language (praise, appreciation encouragement, offers, anticipation) • Use of names • Prompt replies and questions answered

  14. During the Project III • Build in momentum-building events, esp. in mid- or late-project when get frustrated • Video or phone conferences • Special parties: holidays or project milestones • Remember: Not only culture contributes to success of project • Personality types, projects, technology, course design, instructors, student autonomy level

  15. Try to have fun with it, let the students have fun, relax, and allow learning to occurand relationships to develop

  16. Dawn Bikowski Ohio University bikowski@ohio.edu http://www.ohio.edu/linguistics/people/Bikowski.html

  17. Belz, J. (2003). Linguistic perspectives on the development of intercultural competence in telecollaboration. Language Learning & Technology, 7(2). Retrieved from http://llt.msu.edu/ Belz, J. (2005). Intercultural questioning, discovery and tension in Internet-mediated language learning partnerships. Language and Intercultural Communication, 5(1), 3-39. Bikowski, D. (2007). Internet relationships: Building learning communities through friendship. Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 6, 2. Byram, M. (1997). Teaching and assessing intercultural communicative competence. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters. Deardorff, D. K. (2006). Identification and assessment of intercultural competence as a student outcome of internationalization. Journal of Studies in International Education, 10(3), 241-266. doi:10.1177/1028315306287002 Dervin, F. (2010). Assessing intercultural competence in language learning and teaching: A critical review of current efforts in higher education. In F. Dervin & E. Suomela-Salmi (Eds.), New approaches to assessing language and (inter-)cultural competences in higher education (pp. 157-174). Frankfurt, Germany: Peter Lang. Jaeger, K. (1995a). Learning Landeskunde in higher education. In A. A. Jensen, K. Jaeger, & A. Lorensten (Eds.), Intercultural competence: A new challenge for language teachers and trainers in Europe. Volume II (pp. 155-172). Aalborg, Denmark: Aalborg University Press. Jaeger, K. (1995b). Teaching culture—State of the art. In A. A. Jensen, K. Jaeger, & A. Lorensten (Eds.), Intercultural competence: A new challenge for language teachers and trainers in Europe. Volume II (pp. 19-28). Aalborg, Denmark: Aalborg University Press. O’Dowd, R. (2003). Understanding the “other side”: Intercultural learning in a Spanish-English e-mail exchange. Language Learning & Technology, 7(2). Retrieved from http://llt.msu.edu/ O’Dowd, R. (2007). Online intercultural exchange: An introduction for foreign language teachers. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters. Neuner, G. (2003). Socio-cultural interim worlds in foreign language teaching and learning. In M. Byram (Ed.), Intercultural competence (pp. 15-63). Strasbourg, France: Council of Europe Publishing. Paramenter, L. (2003). Describing and defining intercultural communicative competence—International perspectives. In M. Byram (Ed.), Intercultural competence (pp. 119-147). Strasbourg, France: Council of Europe Publishing. Søderberg, A. M. (1995). Teaching (inter)cultural awareness. In A. A. Jensen, K. Jaeger, & A. Lorensten (Eds.), Intercultural competence: A new challenge for language teachers and trainers in Europe. Volume II (pp. 285-305). Aalborg, Denmark: Aalborg University Press. Ware, P. (2005). “Missed” communication in online communication: Tensions in a German-American telecollaboration. Language Learning & Technology, 9(2). Retrieved from http://llt.msu.edu/ Zarate, G. (2003). Identities and plurilingualism: Preconditions for the recognition of intercultural competences. In M. Byram (Ed.), Intercultural competence (pp. 85-118). Strasbourg, France: Council of Europe Publishing.

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