Yusuf YAYLACI Süleyman Demirel University elt. teacher@mail. ru

Yusuf YAYLACI Süleyman Demirel University [email protected] TEACHING INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION IN ENGLISH: ICC- based ELT “TFL 305 CONTEMPORARY METHODS OF FLT” LECTURES

PURPOSE English is the language of intercultural communication. The rapidly increasing use of English as a language of intercultural communication between non-native speakers means that the issues raised in this course will be of interest not only to students of language education but also to those involved in different fields of study, such as, linguistics, translation, business and industry. The knowledge, skills and attitudes that are necessary for successful intercultural communication have to be practiced, observed and discussed in the ELT classroom

What contributes to the importance of ICC? Mobility of people, student mobility, immigration, rapid international transport, new technologies of communication, and opportunities for project participation in international teams and networks. Europe is obviously developing its own international culture in some areas, even though in general, cultures retain distinctiveness. People still queue, order, argue or complain, and make friends quite differently. Kazakhstan – mainly uses Russian and English for intercultural communication. Except for the former USSR states citizens, English is used as the major language of communication with the other people in the world.

THEORY OF LANGUAGE in an ICC – based ELT method Language - the deepest manifestation of a culture and peoples value systems. The assumption that what is needed for a successful intercultural communication is “to learn the others’ language is not sufficient”. Considering the role of cultural values in various discourse, the major function of language are stressed:

Language is a means of identification, where we indicate group membership and make group boundaries, whether at the national, regional, local, ethnic, political or religious level. It is the most important medium of human communication, since through language we express information, ideas, emotions, attitudes, etc. Language is a means of cognitive conceptual development, facilitates the creation of new concepts. The language is an instrument of action, as certain important acts are performed purely linguistically. Language performs all these functions in humans and human societies, that is why it is so crucial. THEORY OF LANGAUGE in an ICC – based ELT method (2)

PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS about ICC – based ELT What is “culture”? What do we actually teach when we teach ‘culture” in a foreign language class? What are the “skills” required for intercultural competence?

The total sum of commonly held traditions, values and ways of behaving of a particular community refer to culture. [Hofstede, 2005]

Intercultural competence Students are expected to acquire what is necessary to communicate inter-culturally; and develop their critical cultural awareness. the knowledge, skills, attitudes

Cultural Awareness National cultures have a huge influence on peoples’ values, attitudes and behaviors. People coming from different cultures have to negotiate, interact with, understand and respect the behavior and reactions of people from quite different cultures. Thus, it is very important that there is an awareness of cultural differences since multicultural groupings are becoming more common in professional settings and elsewhere around the globe.

Global identifications & shared identities Globalization is currently transforming the fundamental parameters of the post-modern world. Powerful forces of integration in all spheres of life are reconstituting the world into a single social space, creating possibilities of global identifications and shared identities - such as: -'customers for the same goods or services -'addressees of the same messages -'users of the same lingua franca amongst people far removed from one another in time and space

‘KNOWLEDGE’ required for ICC (1) Knowledge about social groups and cultures in one’s own country and in the countries of one’s interlocutors. In Kazakhstan ; students need to acquire a broad knowledge of many different countries and cultures, students should be encouraged to relate this knowledge to the knowledge of their own culture. Knowledge of the processes of interaction at societal and individual levels. if students speak perfect and grammatically correct English, but have no knowledge of the processes of interaction, then communication will be a failure.

‘KNOWLEDGE’ required for ICC (2) − Culture general knowledge; i.e., familiar with the patterns and components of culture − Self-knowledge; i.e., cognizant of his or her own cultural context and how he or she may perceived by others − Culture specific knowledge; i.e., familiar with the culture in question, including its social norms, values and history

“SKILLS” required for ICC (1) Byram divides skills into two categories. The first is the “ability to interpret a document or event from another culture, to explain it and relate it to documents from one’s own” (Byram 1997: 52). The second is the “ability to acquire new knowledge of a culture and cultural practices and the ability to operate knowledge, attitudes and skills under the constraints of real-time communication and interaction” (ibid). - the development of language competence. - skills of analysis and interpretation - skills of relating between different cultures, - the ability to put all this knowledge and skills into practice in real situations.

“SKILLS” required for ICC (2) − Language skills; i.e., the ability to speak a second or third language or an appreciation of the challenges associated with learning and interacting in a second or third language − Interaction analysis/complexity thinking; i.e., able to consider the various factors that may influence behaviour and affect intercultural interactions − Relationship-building skills − Listening skills − Information-gathering skills − Problem-solving skills

“ATTITUDES” required for ICC − Curious − Risk oriented; i.e., motivated to communicate in unfamiliar contexts, willing to make mistakes and learn from them − Ambiguity tolerant / being comfortable with ambiguity − Empathic and imaginative; i.e., able to imagine being in another’s shoes − Open-minded and non-judgemental − Self-reflective − Respectful of difference − Sense of humour Adapted from Judith N. Martin and Thomas K. Nakayama, Intercultural Communication in Contexts (New York, NY: McGraw Hill, 2004), pp. 317–333 and T. Odgers, “Leading in International and Intercultural Education,” (Edmonton, AB: C

Sources of Cultural Information Newspapers: these are a good source of cultural information: local papers will give more of a flavour of everyday life in towns. Video: a number of published ELT video tapes are a good visual source of cultural information. (Today, we have CD/DVD versions of these video tapes, which provide us with better quality.) Talks/discussions: some topics may be suitable for giving information to students in a plenary session. Role play/dramatizations: these can be used to initiate discussion and introspection. Culture quizzes/tests.

Adding intercultural dimension to ELT lessons PROCEDURE: Write questions about the nature of cultural content Determine learning objectives (for intercultural communication) Describe techniques, activities and tools for teaching the cultural content Notes on learners, teachers, underlying reasons etc

Knowing about (getting information) 1) Nature of content : - what is the capital of the US? - sports play an important role in American life. 2) Learning objectives : demonstrate a mastery of the information. 3) Techniques /activities : cultural readings; films/videotapes; recordings; realia (cultural artifacts); personal anecdotes. 4) Note : - how culture is traditionally taught; giving students information and asking them to show that they know it; - teacher role: informant. . .

Knowing how (developing behaviors) 1) Nature of content : skills - buying tickets to a sports event, - cheering for your team at a football game, - acting and speaking like American sports fans. 2) Learning objectives: demonstrate an ability -- an expertise, fluency, confidence, ease. 3) Techniques/activities: dialogs, role plays, simulations, field experiences. 4) Note : - where communicative competence in the language and culture occurs. Students know both what to say and how to do it in a culturally appropriate manner. - teacher role: coach or model.

Knowing why (discovering explanations) 1) Nature of content -- values and assumptions - why are sports so important to Americans? - are you making an observation or an interpretation? - why do Americans have such sports rituals? - how does this compare with your culture? 2) Learning objectives : demonstrate an ability to infer; to generalize; to suspend judgment, and to develop curiosity; tolerance; sensitivity; empathy. 3) Techniques/activities - learners interpret and make explanations based on above activities, - comparisons with their own culture, - ethnography, - reflective writing. 4) Note : Learners engage in actively using their powers of induction, analysis and intuition to draw conclusions about cultural information or experiences -- like anthropologists. - teacher role: co-researcher or guide

Knowing oneself (personalizing knowledge) 1) Nature of content -- self-awareness - what importance do sports have in YOUR life? - how did it feel to act like Americans do at a football game? - would you choose to act like this? 2) Learning objectives: by behavior/statements demonstrate understanding of ones' feelings, values, opinions, attitudes, and act upon them. 3) Techniques/activities - learners examine and make statements about themselves, - reflective writing, - feedback on above activities 4) Note : - learners themselves are the subject matter in a process of guided self-discovery, as they study their own values and their reactions to those of the culture. They decide whether or not to change. - teacher role: counselor or guide

HOMEWORK TASK: Suppose that you are planning to teach an intermediate level general English class for adults. Your students are probably going to interact with foreigners in their home countries and / or abroad since their future work demands it. The topic of the unit you are about to teach is ‘visiting friends and relatives’. Describe the lesson which also include answers to the following questions: How do you describe the oral communicative task? How do you describe the written communicative task How do you include the intercultural dimension in the learning objectives of the lesson? What questions would you ask your students in this lesson?

Yusuf YAYLACI [email protected] 2013 Almaty Saturday, November 25, 2017