Lecturer: H. Cindy Lee Creating Interculturality

Cindy Lee Contents What is Interculturality? Creating Interculturality – Step 1 Creating Interculturality – Step 2 Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Conclusion

Cindy Lee Preface This session focuses on Professor Sandra Lee McKay’s work Teaching English as an International Language. In this session, we will see how to create interculturality in English learning.

Cindy Lee What is Interculturality? (I) If we are to use the words of Alexander v. Humboldt, then the meaning of Interculturality for the human individual today is "to grasp as much of the world as possible and to connect him/herself with it as closely as possible." Although technological development and economic integration have produced a global society, it has not become easier to apply Humboldt's postulation – and yet it has become so much more vital.

Cindy Lee Here we extend Sandra Lee Mckay’s concept of teaching English as an international language in which language learners’ own history and culture, as well as to those of the target culture, are emphasised. Students are encouraged to consider their own culture in light of foreign experience. In this sense, it also recognizes one of the important aims of learning English is to explain one’s own culture to others. What is Interculturality? (II)

Cindy Lee Creating Interculturality: Step 1- Recognizing English as an ‘International Language’ (EIL) IL is a language used by the majority of people from different nationalities or ethnical backgrounds. English as an international language does not ‘belong to’ any particular nation or attach to any particular culture. It is a language spoken by people in the international society.

Cindy Lee Step 1- Recognizing EIL Main Characteristics: Cross borders Primary Function: Enable speakers to ‘share’ their ideas and cultural views Cultural Dimension: No longer connected to the culture of the *Inner Circle Countries (*Native English speaking countries: USA, UK, Canada, Australia, etc.)

Cindy Lee Step 2- Learning Culture in EIL Cultural Learning Objectives –Have understanding of other cultures –Appreciate cultural differences –Reflect one’s own culture while learning foreign events –Be able to explain one’s own culture to others in English

Cindy Lee Textbook TeacherStudent Target Culture International Culture Source Culture Step 2- Learning Culture in EIL: Types of Cultural Content

Cindy Lee A textbook exercise requests students to: -Look at photos of various American scenes -Depict and Match them with different periods of American history A class of Korean students do the following reflective activities: –replace the photos in the text with some of various periods in Korea –follow the format in the original English text book –learn not only American history but also review what happened historically in their own country in the same period –learn how to describe Korean history in English Example 1: Learning International Culture and Creating Interculturality

Cindy Lee A textbook exercise asks students –to describe annual Japanese events such as Children’s Day Festival, Haiku, Noh comedy, etc. A class of Japanese students do the following reflective activities: –learn necessary English expressions for description –talk about what specific aspects of their culture mean to them –consider how they would explain elements of their own culture to foreigners Example 2: Learning Source Culture & Creating Interculturality

Cindy Lee Content in a textbook: –provides cultural information of various countries, e.g. Canada, Thailand, Japan, etc. A class of Taiwanese students do the following reflective activities: –Compare and contrast the how people in different countries think about a same event –Consider how the manner of target culture (i.e. American) fits in other countries Example 3: Learning International Culture and Creating Interculturality

Cindy Lee All the examples shown above remind you as an English learner of: gaining a fuller understanding of how English today serves a great variety of international purposes reflecting on your local and global uses of English as an International Language to pay attention to your own history and culture, as well as to those of the target culture, in order to explain and contrast the differences Conclusion

Cindy Lee - End -