1. Intercultural language learning activities in the Chinese language classroom
Joanne Chen
2015

2. Objetives
By the end of this presentation we’ll have…
Experienced intercultural activities
Identified a framework to introduce intercultural activities in the classroom

3. to take an intercultural perspective in language teaching?
Why there is a need
to take an intercultural perspective in language teaching?
The rise of international students from countries all over the world.
US classrooms are more and more like international schools in 2015.
Great opportunity to learn other culture
The study of non-verbal aspects of communication
Community connection

4. Intercultural framework:
Artefact -Any construction of the human being
Fact - Elements of a country’s culture (history, art, institutions, music) and way of life.
Nature of the educational effect: behavior, beliefs, perceptions expressed to language and determine the acceptance (sometimes rejection) of a person in the host community.

5. Who is attending Chinese classes today?
Background Speaker
Speakers of other languages
Native English speaker
Who is attending Chinese classes today?

6. Five Principles of Intercultural Language Learning
Active Construction (thinking skills, solving problems)
Making Connections (of one’s existing conceptions)
Social interaction
Reflection ( identity one’s thoughts and feelings)
Responsibility (for better understanding oneself)

7. Before we start the activities:
Individualism / collaboration
Level of students
Logical Sequence
Space and Budget
Link to the language lessons
Support from others

8. Crossing culture: example 1, popular terms

9. Crossing culture: example 2
出租車
計程車 的士
TAXI
拉丁美洲
美國 TAXI
英國 TAXI

10. Crossing culture: example 3, holidays
Chinese Moon Festival
Chinse New Year
Japanese Moon Rabbit
Japanese New Year
Easter-USA
Korean New Year

11. Noticing Activity Watch the video: Made in China –Factory of the World
What are the three things you learn from the video that you did not know before?

12. Questions you may use: Where is the event taking place
Questions you may use: Where is the event taking place? What is happening? Who are the people involved? Why do they do these activities?
Video Watching
If this took place in your country…
What would happen?
Who would be there?
What would they wear?
What would people do?

13. Activity: Acting Greetings
How do people give business cards in Taiwan /Japan/USA?
Practice giving your business cards to your colleagues
Why (do you think) are business cards given in Japan the way that way?
How did you feel giving the business cards the Japanese way?

14. Activity: Drama / Story
Group students in small group of 3-4
Giving each a reading material – story from other counties
Have each group act out a different story
(for example - 嫦娥奔月 和 亞當夏娃)
Asking students how did they feel being in a different culture situation

15. Writing activity: Experiencing “Haiku” --- Create A bilingual poem Haiku is 17 syllabus which are broken into 3 line, 5, 7, and 5 words per line
中國人吃飯 吃很多很多很多 喝茶喝很多

16. Activity: Quiz and Game
Cultural information can be delivered through quiz or game
Formats: Online, Paper, in-class activity
A way of assessing student’s learning outcomes

17. Processes Analyzing What information did you learn?
How are the actions performed?
Why are these information the way they are?
What did you feel/think about practicing these activities?

18. Raise cultural awareness
What?
How?
Information of the cultural aspects.
Information about the actions.
The actual action, conditions and context
Why?
Self
Explanations for the actions.
Cultural understanding
Feelings
Reasoning
Adapting
Assimilating
Rejecting

19. How would this activity benefit our students?
Reflection
How would this activity benefit our students?