Interculturality in FL Teaching

Foreign Language teachers recognize the importance of sociocultural aspects in interactions between individuals from diverse linguistic backgrounds, understanding that language acquisition extends beyond vocabulary and grammar. Learning a language involves engaging with a unique worldview and societal norms, as languages are not abstract systems but integral to social communication.

Contemporary FL education aims for interdisciplinary approaches in content selection, prioritizing respect for differences and acknowledging identity traits as agents of solidarity.

Teaching materials play a crucial role in shaping lessons, balancing skill development, and guiding language use.

Educators encourage learners to seek authenticity in understanding FL, bridging local productions with unfamiliar cultural contexts. Learners, by engaging in co-authorship of interculturally developed texts, connect learning with personal experiences, fostering critical reflections and reshaping self-perception and global understanding.

While the communicative approach facilitates explicit cultural teaching, it poses challenges, potentially overshadowing local identities. In a globalized world, learners aspire to grasp FL without cultural erasure, seeking to embrace diverse identities without silencing their own.

(Adapted from: SCHEYERL, D.; BARROS, K.; ESPÍRITO SANTO, D. A perspectiva intercultural para o ensino de línguas, 2014)

Interculturality in FL Teaching

Foreign Language teachers recognize the importance of sociocultural aspects in interactions between individuals from diverse linguistic backgrounds, understanding that language acquisition extends beyond vocabulary and grammar. Learning a language involves engaging with a unique worldview and societal norms, as languages are not abstract systems but integral to social communication.

Contemporary FL education aims for interdisciplinary approaches in content selection, prioritizing respect for differences and acknowledging identity traits as agents of solidarity.

Teaching materials play a crucial role in shaping lessons, balancing skill development, and guiding language use.

Educators encourage learners to seek authenticity in understanding FL, bridging local productions with unfamiliar cultural contexts. Learners, by engaging in co-authorship of interculturally developed texts, connect learning with personal experiences, fostering critical reflections and reshaping self-perception and global understanding.

While the communicative approach facilitates explicit cultural teaching, it poses challenges, potentially overshadowing local identities. In a globalized world, learners aspire to grasp FL without cultural erasure, seeking to embrace diverse identities without silencing their own.

(Adapted from: SCHEYERL, D.; BARROS, K.; ESPÍRITO SANTO, D. A perspectiva intercultural para o ensino de línguas, 2014)

Literature in the Language Classroom Literature in language teaching has a long pedigree. It was a fundamental part of foreign language teaching in the 'classical humanist' paradigm, where an understanding of the high culture and thought expressed through literature took precedence over mere competence in using the language. However, as the teaching English profession developed a more sophisticated understanding of how languages are learned, and as the demand for English shifted its focus from the small-scale production of scholarly elites to the mass production of large numbers of functionally competent users of the language, literature came to be regarded as, at best, an irrelevance and, at worst, positively harmful.

In general, the literature teaching approach has shown a preference for practical exploration in the classroom rather than for empirical research. For the most part, activities fall into one of two categories: those that focus on the linguistic analysis of the text, and those in which the text acts as a springboard for a variety of language activities, including discussion and writing. Not surprisingly, the kinds of activities in the second category in particular draw heavily on techniques developed as part of the communicative approach in general. They tend to utilize generalizable categories such as comparison, completion, re-ordering, matching, extension, and reformulation. Techniques such as opinion and information gap, problem-solving, and role-play/ simulation are also in widespread use, as well as a variety of activities to promote students' creative writing.

Clearly, the appropriacy of the texts selected for a particular class remains a crucial factor in the success of the approach. Texts that tend to be chosen are those that are not too long, not too complex linguistically, and not too far removed from the world knowledge of the students. Above everything else, however, the text has to have the capacity to engage the interest of the student.

(Adapted from MALEY, A. Literature in the language classroom in The Cambridge Guide Teaching ESOL, Cambridge Un. Press.)

Literature in the Language Classroom Literature in language teaching has a long pedigree. It was a fundamental part of foreign language teaching in the 'classical humanist' paradigm, where an understanding of the high culture and thought expressed through literature took precedence over mere competence in using the language. However, as the teaching English profession developed a more sophisticated understanding of how languages are learned, and as the demand for English shifted its focus from the small-scale production of scholarly elites to the mass production of large numbers of functionally competent users of the language, literature came to be regarded as, at best, an irrelevance and, at worst, positively harmful.

In general, the literature teaching approach has shown a preference for practical exploration in the classroom rather than for empirical research. For the most part, activities fall into one of two categories: those that focus on the linguistic analysis of the text, and those in which the text acts as a springboard for a variety of language activities, including discussion and writing. Not surprisingly, the kinds of activities in the second category in particular draw heavily on techniques developed as part of the communicative approach in general. They tend to utilize generalizable categories such as comparison, completion, re-ordering, matching, extension, and reformulation. Techniques such as opinion and information gap, problem-solving, and role-play/ simulation are also in widespread use, as well as a variety of activities to promote students' creative writing.

Clearly, the appropriacy of the texts selected for a particular class remains a crucial factor in the success of the approach. Texts that tend to be chosen are those that are not too long, not too complex linguistically, and not too far removed from the world knowledge of the students. Above everything else, however, the text has to have the capacity to engage the interest of the student.

(Adapted from MALEY, A. Literature in the language classroom in The Cambridge Guide Teaching ESOL, Cambridge Un. Press.)

Literature in the Language Classroom Literature in language teaching has a long pedigree. It was a fundamental part of foreign language teaching in the 'classical humanist' paradigm, where an understanding of the high culture and thought expressed through literature took precedence over mere competence in using the language. However, as the teaching English profession developed a more sophisticated understanding of how languages are learned, and as the demand for English shifted its focus from the small-scale production of scholarly elites to the mass production of large numbers of functionally competent users of the language, literature came to be regarded as, at best, an irrelevance and, at worst, positively harmful.

In general, the literature teaching approach has shown a preference for practical exploration in the classroom rather than for empirical research. For the most part, activities fall into one of two categories: those that focus on the linguistic analysis of the text, and those in which the text acts as a springboard for a variety of language activities, including discussion and writing. Not surprisingly, the kinds of activities in the second category in particular draw heavily on techniques developed as part of the communicative approach in general. They tend to utilize generalizable categories such as comparison, completion, re-ordering, matching, extension, and reformulation. Techniques such as opinion and information gap, problem-solving, and role-play/ simulation are also in widespread use, as well as a variety of activities to promote students' creative writing.

Clearly, the appropriacy of the texts selected for a particular class remains a crucial factor in the success of the approach. Texts that tend to be chosen are those that are not too long, not too complex linguistically, and not too far removed from the world knowledge of the students. Above everything else, however, the text has to have the capacity to engage the interest of the student.

(Adapted from MALEY, A. Literature in the language classroom in The Cambridge Guide Teaching ESOL, Cambridge Un. Press.)

Using my BrainShark

I have been making use of myBrainShark over the last three years and it has been a really successful tool to work with. Students can produce their own PowerPoint slides, load them up onto myBrainShark, and then add their voices to their slides. myBrainShark then packs the PowerPoint presentation with the audio and creates a link to a file that can easily be shared with the teacher. So, students can create PowerPoints on a given topic, record and re-record their voice until they are happy with their recording, and then share their work at the click of a button. Students and teachers can listen to the recordings and add notes/comments as feedback. I have used this tool with great success. I recently got students to create PowerPoint presentations of six to eight slides where they provided personal information about their families, friends, interests, and hobbies. They then added their voice to the PowerPoint presentations and shared them over the internet. I played back their recordings, took notes, and provided them with feedback on the work. In class, I played back some of the best examples and asked the students why they thought I had selected them. myBrainShark is particularly useful because there is no need to share big files and it is an online tool. Once the students have uploaded their presentations and added their voices, they simply share the link. The teacher can click on the link and listen to the recordings directly from the myBrainShark server. This tool can also make an excellent contribution to eportfolios. This tool is especially good for English for Academic Purposes students and those doing Business English. Many of these students will be expected to give PowerPoint presentations during their course and this is a great way of getting them to practice. Students are not limited to PowerPoint. They can load up PDF documents, Word files, pictures, and even videos, and then add their own voice narration. Students can also share their recordings with other students and in this way get peer feedback.

(Adapted from SHRESTHA, P. Book review: Innovations in Learning Technologies for English Language Teaching, 2014)

Using my BrainShark

I have been making use of myBrainShark over the last three years and it has been a really successful tool to work with. Students can produce their own PowerPoint slides, load them up onto myBrainShark, and then add their voices to their slides. myBrainShark then packs the PowerPoint presentation with the audio and creates a link to a file that can easily be shared with the teacher. So, students can create PowerPoints on a given topic, record and re-record their voice until they are happy with their recording, and then share their work at the click of a button. Students and teachers can listen to the recordings and add notes/comments as feedback. I have used this tool with great success. I recently got students to create PowerPoint presentations of six to eight slides where they provided personal information about their families, friends, interests, and hobbies. They then added their voice to the PowerPoint presentations and shared them over the internet. I played back their recordings, took notes, and provided them with feedback on the work. In class, I played back some of the best examples and asked the students why they thought I had selected them. myBrainShark is particularly useful because there is no need to share big files and it is an online tool. Once the students have uploaded their presentations and added their voices, they simply share the link. The teacher can click on the link and listen to the recordings directly from the myBrainShark server. This tool can also make an excellent contribution to eportfolios. This tool is especially good for English for Academic Purposes students and those doing Business English. Many of these students will be expected to give PowerPoint presentations during their course and this is a great way of getting them to practice. Students are not limited to PowerPoint. They can load up PDF documents, Word files, pictures, and even videos, and then add their own voice narration. Students can also share their recordings with other students and in this way get peer feedback.

(Adapted from SHRESTHA, P. Book review: Innovations in Learning Technologies for English Language Teaching, 2014)

Using my BrainShark

I have been making use of myBrainShark over the last three years and it has been a really successful tool to work with. Students can produce their own PowerPoint slides, load them up onto myBrainShark, and then add their voices to their slides. myBrainShark then packs the PowerPoint presentation with the audio and creates a link to a file that can easily be shared with the teacher. So, students can create PowerPoints on a given topic, record and re-record their voice until they are happy with their recording, and then share their work at the click of a button. Students and teachers can listen to the recordings and add notes/comments as feedback. I have used this tool with great success. I recently got students to create PowerPoint presentations of six to eight slides where they provided personal information about their families, friends, interests, and hobbies. They then added their voice to the PowerPoint presentations and shared them over the internet. I played back their recordings, took notes, and provided them with feedback on the work. In class, I played back some of the best examples and asked the students why they thought I had selected them. myBrainShark is particularly useful because there is no need to share big files and it is an online tool. Once the students have uploaded their presentations and added their voices, they simply share the link. The teacher can click on the link and listen to the recordings directly from the myBrainShark server. This tool can also make an excellent contribution to eportfolios. This tool is especially good for English for Academic Purposes students and those doing Business English. Many of these students will be expected to give PowerPoint presentations during their course and this is a great way of getting them to practice. Students are not limited to PowerPoint. They can load up PDF documents, Word files, pictures, and even videos, and then add their own voice narration. Students can also share their recordings with other students and in this way get peer
feedback.

(Adapted from SHRESTHA, P. Book review: Innovations in Learning Technologies for English Language Teaching, 2014)

Brainstorming Prior Knowledge

What do you know about Antarctica, earthworms, ultraviolet light, and Elizabeth I of England? Chances are, if you were going to read a passage about any of these topics, you would spend a few moments reconnoitering in your mind what you already know. You would take stock of your prior knowledge.

Suppose you are paging through a magazine and chance upon an article entitled “Lasers: The Promise of a 21st-Century Technology.” What do you anticipate this author will talk about? Laser tools? Laser surgery? Laser scanners and printers? Laser treatments? Laser light displays? Laser weapons? The principles behind a laser as a beam of light?

Like any proficient reader, you predict the article’s content by recalling your pertinent prior knowledge that might relate to new material in the article. In the classroom, teachers need to assess what students already know about a topic and help them access this useful knowledge as a necessary precursor to comprehension. Frontloading activities that help students connect to prior knowledge jump-start learning about a topic.

Brainstorming strategies provide a promising framework for eliciting students’ prior knowledge before learning. Several classroom variations may be used: LINK (list, inquire, note, and know), Knowledge Mapping, Knowledge Ladders, and Alphabet Brainstorming. With the ubiquity of handheld technology, a brief proviso about the use of these strategies needs to be mentioned: They are intended to engage students in brainstorming what they know and have learned, and should not devolve into “look it up” googling activities.

(Adapted from BUEHL, D. Classroom Strategies for Interactive Learning. Portland: Stenhouse Publishers, 2017)