Fostering Cultural Awareness Through Storytelling at a Multilingual Primary School

2022 ◽  
pp. 1004-1024
Author(s):  
Núria Hernández-Castillo ◽  
Maria Pujol-Valls
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Literary Text ◽  
Intercultural Development ◽  
Intercultural Awareness ◽  
Language Class ◽  
Learning Practices ◽  
Before And After

This chapter is a contribution to teacher education and teacher development studies in the field of plurilingualism and intercultural development through critical reflection. It presents a teaching proposal based on the use of a multimodal literary text for the promotion of intercultural awareness and translanguaging practices at its heart. The teaching proposal, which was implemented in a primary education class from a multilingual school in Catalonia in 2015, was designed ad hoc on the basis of relevant research works on TLA, plurilingualism, and intercultural awareness, and in the light of the interviews conducted before and after the implementation in the workfield. The study was carried out in an English as an additive language class to look into the teaching opportunities of storytelling and picture books to foster interculturality and effective language learning practices with a communicative approach.

Fostering Cultural Awareness Through Storytelling at a Multilingual Primary School

2019 ◽  
pp. 114-134
Author(s):  
Núria Hernández-Castillo ◽  
Maria Pujol-Valls
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Literary Text ◽  
Intercultural Development ◽  
Intercultural Awareness ◽  
Language Class ◽  
Learning Practices ◽  
Before And After

This chapter is a contribution to teacher education and teacher development studies in the field of plurilingualism and intercultural development through critical reflection. It presents a teaching proposal based on the use of a multimodal literary text for the promotion of intercultural awareness and translanguaging practices at its heart. The teaching proposal, which was implemented in a primary education class from a multilingual school in Catalonia in 2015, was designed ad hoc on the basis of relevant research works on TLA, plurilingualism, and intercultural awareness, and in the light of the interviews conducted before and after the implementation in the workfield. The study was carried out in an English as an additive language class to look into the teaching opportunities of storytelling and picture books to foster interculturality and effective language learning practices with a communicative approach.

scholarly journals Research into Practice: Cultural and intercultural awareness

2015 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 130-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Will Baker
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Classroom Practice ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Cultural Dimension ◽  
National Cultures ◽  
Intercultural Awareness ◽  
Pedagogic Theory

This article examines the role of cultural awareness (CA) and intercultural awareness (ICA) in classroom theory and practice. CA and ICA can be roughly characterised as an awareness of the role of culture in communication with CA focused on national cultures and ICA on more dynamic and flexible relationships between languages and cultures. There will be a consideration of findings from CA and ICA research that have not been well applied, those that have been well applied and those that have been over-applied to classrooms. In particular, it will be argued that CA and ICA are more prevalent in pedagogic theory, and to a lesser extent policy, than they are in practice. While the cultural dimension to language learning is now fairly mainstream, where elements of CA and ICA are applied or translated into the classroom they typically take the form of comparisons between national cultures, often in essentialist forms. There is still little evidence of classroom practice that relates to the fluid ways cultures and languages are related in intercultural communication, especially for English as a lingua franca or other languages used on a global scale.

Intercultural Learning – an undergraduate module supporting the development of students’ cultural awareness in international settings

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 187-196
Author(s):  
Silvia Colaiacomo ◽  
Donata Puntil
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Intercultural Learning ◽  
Intercultural Awareness ◽  
Modern Language ◽  
The Public ◽  
Learning Module ◽  
King's College ◽  
Internationalisation Strategy

AbstractThis report illustrates the context and development of the Intercultural Learning module, provided by the Modern Language Centre (MLC), King’s College London. The Intercultural Learning Module is a one semester undergraduate course mostly attended by visiting study abroad students. The module aims to enhance students’ intercultural awareness and skills through an interdisciplinary approach comprising Cultural Studies, Applied Linguistics, Anthropology, Psychology and Research Methods. Throughout the course students carry out an ethnographic project on a cultural topic of their choice, for which they are assessed. The principles and tools of ethnography are deeply embedded in the module content as a process of cultural observation and discovery. Over the past three years, students’ feedback has been very positive and participant numbers have increased consistently. Four parallel classes (2 per semester) run per academic year. Resulting from the increasing popularity of the course and from the internationalisation strategy of the College, the MLC is currently offering a number ofad hoctraining sessions on intercultural awareness and communication to different departments and members of the public. Training sessions differ from the module in depth and scope, but they are underpinned by the same reflection on intercultural theory and practical examples tailored to the audience.

Research on foreign language teaching in Poland 2000–2006

2008 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa Siek-Piskozub ◽  
Aleksandra Wach ◽  
Anna Raulinajtys
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Language Learner ◽  
Teaching Methodology ◽  
Ministry Of Education ◽  
Cultural Issues

This is an overview of research on foreign language (FL) teaching published by Polish researchers in the years of 2000–2006. We begin with an outline of the history and the current sociopolitical situation of FL teaching in Poland, which prepares the ground for further discussion. Next, we focus on studies concerned with the evaluation of the recent teaching methodology. The analysis of bilingual programmes and multilingual competence is discussed in ‘Bilingual education and multilingualism’, the process of learning different aspects of language competence is explored in ‘FL learning and second language acquisition’, and cultural issues under a separate heading, ‘Cultural awareness’. In ‘The language learner’, we review studies investigating learner variables which have an important impact on language learning. With new educational directives from the Ministry of Education, emphasising the need for a more reliable assessment, new concepts and studies evaluating them are discussed in ‘Testing and evaluation’. The availability of computers has produced studies assessing various uses of computers in fostering language learning, presented in ‘Application of new technologies’. Finally, in ‘Teacher education’, we report on studies related to FL teacher development.

scholarly journals Natural Conversation Reconstruction Tasks: The Language Classroom as a Meeting Place

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Ohashi
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Contextual Information ◽  
Practical Method ◽  
Fully Integrated ◽  
Intercultural Awareness ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Natural Conversation ◽  
L1 And L2

This paper, drawing on Pratt’s notion of ‘transculturation’ and Bhabha’s ‘third space’, presents an example of language learning tasks that empower learners’ agency and promote their cross-cultural awareness and sensitivities to a different set of cultural expectations, using a naturally occurred Japanese thanking episodes. The paper discusses the merits of Natural Conversation Reconstruction Tasks (NCRTs) as a practical method for helping L2 learners develop this ‘intercultural competence’. It is based on a qualitative study of the results of one NCRT created for use in the context of teaching Japanese as a L2 in a multicultural society. It suggests the NCRT encourages the learners to explore the intersection where language use, speaker intention and L1 and L2 cultural norms meet. Such a process helps the learners become aware of socially expected patterns of communication in L1 and L2 in terms of the choices of speech act, formulaic expressions, sequential organization and politeness orientation. The learners’ comments suggest that the NCRT helps learners transcend their cultural boundaries by overcoming their narrow understanding of ‘thanking’ as ‘expressions of gratitude and appreciation’ and by cross-culturally widening their views of what counts as thanking. The NCRT with rich contextual information promotes the learners’ intercultural awareness, sensitivity to context and intercultural exploration in the space between L1 and L2, where they have authority and freedom of making sense of conversations, and pragmatics is fully integrated into language pedagogy.

The Effect of Using Flipped Classroom Model to Improve Iraqi EFL Learners’ Pronunciation in English at University Level

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (40) ◽  
pp. 631-654
Author(s):  
Khaldoon Waleed Husam Al-Mofti
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Flipped Classroom ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
English Pronunciation ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
University Level ◽  
The University ◽  
And Control ◽  
Experimental Group

For Iraqi EFL learners who are studying English pronunciation in a traditional instruction method often requires more effort and hard work. Thus, using new methods of teaching such as the flipped classroom model (FCM) is necessary to facilitate learning and improve performance. Hence, this study reports on explanatory research that investigates the effect of using the FCM in the teaching of English pronunciation for Iraqi EFL learners at the university level. The study implemented mixed research methods for data collection in a quasi-experimental analysis. Therefore, two tests were conducted on the assigned groups to measure the effect of the FCM before and after the intervention. Besides, a questionnaire and interviews were used on the experiment group students to collect data about their perceptions of the FCM. The study length (lasted)  was 15 weeks and is comprised of 60 students from the department of English, College of Arts at the University of Anbar. The students were divided into two groups, experimental, and control with 30 students in each group. The findings revealed that there was a significant statistical difference between the two groups in favour of the experimental group with better performance, indicating that the FCM has considerably assisted the Iraqi EFL learners to improve their English pronunciation. Moreover, the students expressed their positive feedback and satisfaction on the use of the FCM in their responses to the questionnaire and the interviews. As such, the current study recommends further research to study the effect of applying the FCM in areas and disciplines other than language learning.

scholarly journals Female English Teachers Perceptions and Experience of Continuing Professional Development in Qatar

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 160
Author(s):  
Saba Qadhi ◽  
Alan Floyd
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
English Language ◽  
Current Model ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Continuing Professional Development ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Language Teaching

The Qatari government views English language learning as crucial to the country’s future success. Anecdotal evidence suggests, however, that English language teachers (ELTs) employed in Qatar may not necessarily have the appropriate training, qualifications, and experience to enable them to teach successfully. Despite growing research and interest in the continuing professional development (CPD) experiences and needs of ELTs in Western contexts, there remains a lack of research in Middle Eastern countries in general and in Qatar in particular. The aim of this study was to address this gap by exploring female ELTs’ perceptions and experiences of CPD in Qatar in order to develop new practical and theoretical insights into our understanding of this area. The study draws on data from life history interviews undertaken with 16 female ELTs with at least 3 years of teaching experience in Qatari schools. The study found that the participants had very different experiences of CPD based on their personal and professional characteristics. This suggests that for it to be perceived as a positive experience, the current model of professional development for ELTs may need revising. We propose a paradigm shift from a traditional “one size fits all” CPD model towards a more dynamic and interactive style of teacher development that facilitates both personal reflection and professional discourse among teachers. It is argued that such a shift would prove a considerable step forward for English language teaching in this country.

scholarly journals Recontextualizing Quality Talk for an Eighth-Grade English Classroom in China

2020 ◽  
pp. 209653112097017
Author(s):  
Liwei Wei ◽  
P. Karen Murphy ◽  
Shenghui Wu
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Small Group ◽  
English Language ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Eighth Grade ◽  
Pedagogical Approach ◽  
Language Class ◽  
English Classroom

Purpose: Conducting meaningful interactions in the target language is essential for language learning. However, in many English language classrooms in China, it is rare that students are provided with such opportunities. In the current study, we presented and critically evaluated the implementation of a small-group discussion approach called Quality Talk (QT) in an eighth-grade English language classroom in China. Design/Approach/Methods: One eighth-grade English teacher and 82 eighth-grade students in a public middle school in Beijing participated in the study using a pretest-posttest, quasi-experimental design. Recordings of teacher coaching sessions and student discussions, researchers’ field notes, and participating teacher’s written reflections were used to identify successful practices and lessons learned with respect to the implementation of QT. Implications for future directions were also discussed. Findings: The results revealed that to successfully implement a discourse-intensive pedagogical approach in a large English language class, it is essential that (a) the materials used for discussion closely align with the school curriculum, (b) students are grouped heterogeneously and scaffolded to engage in discussions both in their native and target languages, and (c) student leadership be leveraged to facilitate discussion in each small group. Originality/Value: The present study delineated the details with respect to implementing a discourse-intensive pedagogical approach in an eighth-grade English classroom in China. We derived several key insights from recontextualizing QT in an English learning, large class context in China. These insights might hold the potential to improve the effectiveness of English teaching and learning in China.

How Gaming Applications of CALL influence inputs of English Grammar: كيف تؤثر تطبيقات ألعاب الكمبيوتر المساعدة في تعليم اللغة على مدخلات قواعد اللغة الإنجليزية

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (47) ◽  
Author(s):  
Atif Obaid M Alsuhaymi
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Computer Assisted Language Learning ◽  
English Language Education ◽  
Full Sample ◽  
English Grammar ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Post Test

The present study aims to research the influences of games through Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) compared to Teacher-Centered Instruction (TCI) on teenagers' achievement in English language education in Saudi Arabia. Two groups of students tested, before and after instruction, so to determine success of the application of pedagogies. The full sample consisted of 22 teenagers, divided randomly, into two equal groups. The first group was the control (TDI) group, which used a school textbook. The second group was the experimental group (CALL), which given a CALL application, based on the game ‘Kahoot.’ Two types of tests were conducted, a pre-test and a post-test, at each of two periods for each group. The pre-test administered before instruction, and the post-test taken after the instructional period. Findings indicate that both groups increased their proficiencies with English object pronouns. However, performance on the post-test by the experimental (CALL) group significantly exceeded that of the control (TCI) group.

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