QUICK RESOURCE SHEET #34
Intercultural communication
A number of teachers have asked me if I would produce a Quick Resource Sheet on the topic of “intercultural communication.” A quick Google search of the phrase turns up well over a million hits. Though the subject is much discussed, and has a specialized vocabulary prized by professionals - as evidenced by the growing body of literature devoted to the topic, I ask myself if all the ink spilled and keys stroked have led to greater intercultural understanding.
Indeed, at some universities entire courses are devoted to the topic, such as the semester-long course taught at Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico), entitled – naturally enough – “Intercultural Communication.” (See http://www.mty.itesm.mx/rectoria/pi/internationalstudents/Ingles/undergraduate_students/materias/CO99832.htm.)
With that thought in mind, I direct you to the following links, where you can find out what is meant when the phrase is used, what the role of intercultural communication is in the language classroom, and what sorts of activities teachers use to further intercultural communication in their classrooms. As always, if you’re not satisfied with these resources, conduct your own search.
If you have already clicked on the link above you might be asking yourself why a newsletter for teachers highlights a discussion of architecture. Sometimes I can appreciate a unique angle on a familiar subject, as a way of deepening understanding or gaining a fresher perspective. I’m not convinced language teachers can broaden their knowledge of language teaching by restricting themselves to articles dedicated solely to language teaching. At any rate, the value of the article is its focus on the wide range of factors which in various combinations and permutations create what is known as communication. Further, the beauty of this article is that it’s a fascinating read.
http://www.uefap.co.uk/articles/arena.htm
This short and extremely practical article looks at categories of differences and ways of rethinking how those differences affect our interactions with others. The link includes an extensive bibliography.
http://www.ucmh.sld.cu/ingles/web/intercultural.ppt
This brief PowerPoint presentation by a Cuban educator highlights the main points when considering the importance of intercultural communication in teaching, and touches on the distinctions between “intercultural” and “cross-cultural.”
http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Cullen-Culture.html
“Teaching culture is considered important by most teachers but it has remained "insubstantial and sporadic in most language classrooms"
(Omaggio, 1993, p. 357). Omaggio gives several reasons for this including lack of time, uncertainty about which aspects of culture to
teach, and lack of practical techniques. In this paper, we will present a range of practical techniques that we have found to be successful
in culture-based courses and some tips that can help to make the teaching of culture a better experience for both you and your students.”
http://www.iecc.org/
Do you want your students to have an intercultural experience right now? IECC is a free service to help teachers link with partners in other
cultures and countries for email classroom pen-pal and other project exchanges.