USP workshop John Corbett Intercultural Language Education, Graduate Attributes and Materials Design for Undergraduate English Teaching

Structure of presentation What is Intercultural Language Education? Intercultural Communicative Competence ICC and Graduate Attributes Materials Design for Undergraduate Courses – Flipping the classroom – Cross-curricular thinking – Listening and writing

Who am I? Visiting professor from the University of Macau Teaching courses in Scottish Literature… …but also interested in intercultural language education.

Intercultural Language Education Curriculum guidelines

Intercultural Communicative Competence Byram’s 5 ‘savoirs’... 1.Knowledge of self and other; of how interaction occurs; of the relationship of the individual to society; 2.Knowing how to interpret and relate information; 3.Knowing how to engage with the political consequences of education; being critically aware of cultural behaviours...

... Five ‘savoirs’ 4.Knowing how to discover cultural information; 5.Knowing how to be: how to relativise oneself and value the attitudes and beliefs of the other. These savoirs inform the CEFR guidelines.

General and Specific ELT General EFL Ethnographic learning Public spaces Private spaces Doctor-patient Observation and reflection Medical Humanities

Developing Graduate Attributes

What are graduate attributes? Controversial issue: – Focus on ‘employability’ skills OR – Focus on ‘generic’ study skills OR – Focus on personal qualities and professional ‘values’

University of New South Wales

Possible formulation of graduate attributes (UNSW) UNSW graduates will be - Scholars who are: – understanding of their discipline in its interdisciplinary context – capable of independent and collaborative enquiry – rigorous in their analysis, critique, and reflection – able to apply their knowledge and skills to solving problems – ethical practitioners – capable of effective communication – information literate – digitally literate

Possible formulation… UNSW graduates will be – Leaders who are: – enterprising, innovative and creative – capable of initiating as well as embracing change – collaborative team workers

Possible formulation… UNSW graduates will be - Professionals who are: – capable of independent, self-directed practice – capable of lifelong learning – capable of operating within an agreed Code of Practice

Possible formulation… UNSW graduates will be – Global Citizens who are: – capable of applying their discipline in local, national and international contexts – culturally aware and capable of respecting diversity and acting in socially just/responsible ways – capable of environmental responsibility

ICC & Graduate attributes: some overlaps ICC 1. Knowledge of self and other; of how interaction occurs; of the relationship of the individual to society; 2. Knowing how to interpret and relate information; 3. Knowing how to engage with the political consequences of education; being critically aware of cultural behaviours... UNSW Graduate Attributes 1.Capable of effective communication; collaborative team workers; capable of applying their discipline in local, national and international contexts 2.Able to apply their knowledge and skills to solving problems; 3.Ethical practitioners…

ICC & Graduate attributes: some overlaps ICC 4. Knowing how to discover cultural information; 5. Knowing how to be: how to relativise oneself and value the attitudes and beliefs of the other. UNSW Graduate Attributes 4. Capable of independent and collaborative enquiry 5. Culturally aware and capable of respecting diversity and acting in socially just/responsible ways

Graduate can-do’s? Explain the broader application of their specific discipline to general audiences Engage in public discussions about their disciplinary ethics Write and speak broadly useful genres: – Problem-solution arguments – etc

From curricula to materials design ILE/GA aims Learner role Language aims Input TASK Tutor role Activities Settings -- Based on Nunan, D. (1989). Designing Tasks for the Communicative Classroom: Cambridge: CUP.

Pilot materials on moodle With thanks to Maria do Rosario Casas Coelho

Aims: Developing ICC/Graduate Attributes in the language classroom… Encouraging lifelong (language) learning Encouraging interdisciplinary thinking Addressing ethical reasoning Using digital resources (eg TED talks) ‘Flipping’ the language classroom: –

Language Aims: Developing listening skills and written summarising After pre-listening activities, learners are given a task sheet for home listening. Learners listen at home and bring their responses to the next class for an oral discussion. They then write a summary and evaluation of the presentation they listened to.

Input: Technology, Education, Design Website with talks on a diversity of topics Optional language support: – Subtitles in English/Portuguese – Transcripts in English/Portuguese –

Pre-listening activity In this unit, we will consider issues to do with violence and conflict resolution. We begin by listening to a TED talk by Gary Slutkin that considers innovative approaches to dealing with urban violence. Before listening to the talk, consider the following questions: 1.What, in your opinion, are the causes of urban violence? 2.How best might we address the problem of urban violence? Think of three practical things that could be done.

Home listening

Breaking the lock-step Learners choose how long to listen for. Learners choose levels of support: – Subtitles in Eng/Port? – Transcript in Eng/Port? Teachers train learners to reduce ‘scaffolding’ over time.

Classroom discussion 1.Why do you think Slutkin’s approach has been so strongly criticised? What, in your view, are the pros and cons of the approach? 2.What do you feel about his conclusion that in his approach ‘science replaces morality’ and that ‘we need to move away from emotions’. Do you view these outcomes as positively as Slutkin does? 3.Slutkin’s approach is being tested in northern Brazil. Do you think it should be tested in Sao Paulo?

Summarising activity One powerful way of organising essays and summaries is sometimes called a ‘problem-solution’ pattern. It has a basic structure: (a)Statement of the situation, with the problem to be addressed. (b)Statement of the response to the problem. (c)Statement of the results of the response. (d)Positive or negative evaluation of the results. A negative evaluation (or only partially positive evaluation) of the results leads to another response, and the cycle is repeated until a positive evaluation is reached. Look again at your answers to the listening task above. Write a summary of the TED talk based on the problem-solution pattern.

Reflections on this task Encourages use of digital media (TED talks) Encourages learners to take responsibility for learning (eg level of support used for listening) Models interdisciplinary application of knowledge (contagious disease > urban violence) Raises ethical issues (Can science replace morality?) Develops generic summary-writing skills.

The challenges ahead… Design and sequence tasks that: – Address relevant academic language skills – Address ICC/graduate attributes – Use digital resources available on the web – Blend moodle-based activities with classroom activities effectively (eg flipping the classroom) – Stimulate undergraduates and give them rich, enjoyable learning experiences.

More topics…and online exchange?

The big challenge… “A higher education designed around skills is no higher education. It is the substitution of skills for insight; of strategic reason for communicative reason; and of behaviour for wisdom.” Ronald Barnett (1998) The Limits of Competence, p. 61