Cross-cultural Communication

1. Cross-cultural Communication WangJingdong

2. Trial Class • Teaching english to a class of 27 students • The purpose: explore any potential difficulties in teaching this series in a communicative and autonomous-learning way to a large size class, and to try out on-line solutions to them. • Learners: dropouts of the last national university entrance exams.

3. Attitudes towards Communicative Approach • Against -voices: • Yeah, it’s good, but • exclusive concern with exam and certificate • the class size is too big for it • contact hours being cut • “It’s a waste of time to do group work, etc.” Pro-voices: • Open the learners’ mouth • Overcome “mute English” • Quality education

4. Meanings of Being Communicative • Authenticity • Discourse • Exchange of information • Skills integration • Eclecticism • Respect for the learner --learner-centred • Use, not just study • Oracy • Interaction • Fluency as well as accuracy

5. General qualities of a successful autonomous learner • be able to learn, to a great extent, independently as well as collaboratively • be capable of self-discipline • be capable of self-management • be capable of self-monitoring • be capable of initiative-taking • be confident and persevering • be capable of developing one’s own learning style and strategies • be able to lead and control

6. New Orientation preparation

8. Classroom functions in autonomous learning • Monitoring/checking autonomous learning tasks • Classroom teacher-assisted learning tasks • Problem-solving • Interactions between Ss and ST • Autonomous learning training • Highlight the essential points • Assessment-oriented tasks

9. Learning Analysis To learn something: learning as action Being learning something: learning as process Have learned something: learning as result

10. Learning as action • Pragmatic (功利型) • practical (实用型) • shortcut-taking (速成型) • listening-to-teacher (听课型) • competitive (竞争型) • learning-oriented (做学问型) • give-up (放弃型)

11. Learning as process Know something vs know how to do something vs can actually do something knowledge about English vs Skill in using English

12. Learning as result Internalization (内化) Learner-learning-teacher interaction (action) (process) (result) Teacher-dependent learning as if learning can be done by teacher for student

13. Learner Organization and Classroom Management (1) Grouping and group structure grouping: 10 structure: group leader and secretary GL and GS training Group identity Group reshuffle

14. Group identity : team spirit, group pressure and pride • Fresh breeze • Rainbow • Edge • Melody • Crystal • No name • Top girls • sweat voice • yahoo • OICQ • sparkling • Wind flower

15. Group independent pre- & post class activities Teacher-assigned self-initiated textbook-based other-source-based group performance record

16. Patterns of Group Learning • Individuals working alone first before reaching a collective consensus • working in pairs first before reaching a collective consensus • GL eliciting while GS taking notes and summarizing • debating in sub-groups • dividing the job and each doing his/her own share • Reprsttv reporting while others cmt/ch/cmp

17. Problems in group work activities • Some groups cannot do group work due to character clashes or proficiency differences. • Some cannot be group leader for lack of experience, or inability. • In-class group activities cannot be completed at the same time. Some groups get their work done much faster than weak groups. Timing becomes a serious problem. • Some group work tends to switch to Chinese in order to save time.

18. Classroom management • Seating arrangements • in-class intra- & inter- group activities • classroom discourse • timing • on-line reflection:journal & taping • disciplinary control

19. Disciplinary control • Talking about irrelevant things • Absent-minded • Cannot follow for lack of preparation • Some even forgot to bring their books • Late for the class • Escape from their turn of presentation or performance