1. Culture and Creativity: Connecting Classrooms
BrazTESOL ILE SIG PCI -
Culture and Creativity: Connecting Classrooms
John Corbett, University of Macau

2. Today’s presentation should…
Reflect on the nature of intercultural learning
Consider how to build online intercultural exchanges
Creative topics for cultural explorations
Challenges when managing online communities

3. Checking understanding
What do you understand by intercultural language learning?
How do you help your learners develop intercultural communicative competence?
Do you connect with other classrooms online? If so, how?

4. Defining intercultural goals: Michael 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...

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

6. Connecting via Facebook

7. Connecting learning communities
Gives learners an audience
Gives learners reasons to communicate
Encourages exploration of
The home culture
The partners’ culture
But this doesn’t happen automatically!

8. Prose …
Think of a local place that means a lot to you. Take a photograph of it.
Describe it.
Post it online.

9. Prose Nice photo, fair description Occasional errors
Idiomatic usage: ‘piece of cake’
Engaging style
113 views…
…no comments

10. Encouraging interaction
Encourage learners to ask questions. And follow-up questions.
Rehearse and draft posts/responses in class…on paper!
Teach emotional lan;guage (kkkk, jajaja, hahaha) and emojis
Teach discussion starters (‘I was just wondering…’; ‘I know it’s a silly question but…’)

11. Macau-Scotland-Argentina…

12. Thinking poetically What is the here and now?
The five senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, hearing...
Memories of sensations just gone...
Feelings (of happiness, longing, restlessness, boredom, frustration)

13. Poems and places
Take a photograph of a place you know well. Imagine being there. Then write down answers to the following questions: –What can you see? –What can you hear? –What do you feel? –What can you smell? –What can you taste? –Is there something you notice or suspect? Look at the answers to your questions. Organise and edit them. Now write a poem about your photograph. Post it.

14. Poetry

15. Poetry

16. Other activities Found language
Send your learners to a public place where people are coming and going, and write down the first 100 words or phrases you hear said.
Translate them into English.
Look around you and note down any signs or notices in English.
Bring the list to class, and, in groups, select some words and phrases, and turn them into a poem, song, or story.
Post it online.
Read two poems, songs or stories by other learners. Tell them if you like their work. Ask a question about each one.

17. Utopian dreams First step
In groups, write down 4 statements about the world that are not to your liking, e.g.
‘In my apartment, the rooms are too small and the walls are made of paper.’
Then cross them out and replace them with positive statements you wish were true, e.g.
‘I wish I lived in a country house with a long blue swimming pool.’

18. Utopian dreams Second step
Think of a beautiful name for an ideal country, e.g. ‘Utopia’ or ‘Lamorna,’
Arrange your dislikes and wishes into a poem with the following form:
In my apartment the rooms are too small and the walls are made of paper,
But, in Lamorna, everyone lives in a country house with a long blue swimming pool.

19. Utopian Dreams Third step
Perform your poem on video and upload it to the website.
Watch videos by two other learners and comment on them.

20. More ideas for intercultural activities

21. Online collaboration websites

22. Summing up: creativity and culture in online communities
Build online communities to share experiences and become cultural explorers
Become literate in online communication
Teachers can:
Encourage learners to write creatively & perform passionately
Be an audience for first drafts
Help develop online skills, encourage curiosity about others’ posts