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Cultural and Intercultural Education in Academic Foreign Language Curricula

Cultural and Intercultural Education in Academic Foreign Language Curricula. Per Simfors, PhD Linköping University. Course Design – Aim of the Ongoing Work:. To integrate linguistic and cultural aspects in language curriculum design at university level

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Cultural and Intercultural Education in Academic Foreign Language Curricula

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  1. Cultural and Intercultural Education in Academic Foreign Language Curricula Per Simfors, PhD Linköping University

  2. Course Design –Aim of the Ongoing Work: • To integrate linguistic and cultural aspects in language curriculum design at university level • To combine previous research and a learner’s perspective in language education in order for students to more adequately develop intercultural competence

  3. Outline: • Pre-considerations • Material and Method • Analysis: • Syllabi and questionnaires in relation to previous research • Implications for course design • Reflections

  4. Preconsiderations: Constructive Alignment

  5. Material and Method • Syllabi: • First semester full time study (1-30 ECTS credits) in French, German, and Spanish • 9 different Swedish universities • Fall 2009 • Focus on content and learning outcomes related to culture • Questionnaire: • Electronic questionnaire May 2010 • All students enrolled in language courses at Linköping university • 137 answers = 40-50 stud. per language • Majority: students of languages for special purposes

  6. Syllabi • Few traces of relevant research with regard to teaching and learning of language and culture • Focus on facts on history, geography, culture and social conditions suggesting a product perspective • Surface approach to learning(?) • Inconsistencies in the internal logic of syllabi (”constructive alignment”)

  7. Examples: Learning Outcomes and Content In half of the syllabi, the outcomes correspond with the content.

  8. Students’ Views and Expectations • Electronic questionnaire to gather data • Students of French, German, Spanish, Swedish as a Foreign Language from different study programs • Open questions in order not to lead students in certain directions • Combination of free text and multiple choice answers • Ca 135 responses (from ca 300)

  9. Questionnaire in 4 parts:

  10. Students’ Views on Language Courses in General • Teacher • Commitment • Pedagogy • Knowledge • Course organization and teaching methods • Clarity • Structure • More hours of instruction • Variation • Co-ordination and co-operation

  11. Students’ Views on Learning Outcomes • Focus on Language use • Communication • Relation between grammar and communicative competence • Students want to read about the target language countries in order to • develop intercultural understanding • learn the language better • Culture as a process and as a product

  12. Learning Outcomes: Considerations • Learning outcomes and content should be interlinked with communicative skills • Integration of language and culture • Active communicative verbs • Culture as a process • Specific aims for higher education: • Theoretical content • Introduction to a discipline • Deep approach to learning

  13. Students’ Views on Course Content • Grammar and communicative competences are emphasized • 1/3 emphasize oral communication • 1/3 want a “balance between oral and written proficiency” • Grammar aspects from the point of view of their function in a communicative context

  14. Students’ Views on Course Content(2):“Three words which you associate with culture?” • Most frequent words • Areas Mentioned History Traditions Music People Art Language Other

  15. Students’ Views on Course Content(3) • Students appreciat learning about target language countries • Product and process perspective in the answers • “traditions”; “behavior”; “popular culture” • “history”; “society”; “high culture” • “Language” • “People” • Current situation • Course literature / material: • Stressing: news paper articles; factual texts; texts on cultural matters • Film; media • Low appreciation for literature

  16. Course Content – Theoretical and Methodological Considerations • Different kinds of sources of information / different perspectives • Current material • Integration of communicative skills in all parts of the course • Balance between language production and reception – orally and in writing • Disciplinary foundation: • Critical thinking and analysis • Basic theoretical concepts

  17. Students’ Views on Forms of Work Negative view possibly because these methods are rarely used

  18. Forms of work: considerations • Forms of work that activate students and stress their own responsibility for their learning • Learning in meaningful contexts • Student peer review • Forms of work that • Stimulate a reflecting and analyzing approach • Stress the importance of interaction for learning

  19. Forms of Work - Suggestions • Adaptation to • Learning outcomes • Content • examination • Examples: • Role-play • tandem • Scenarios and simulations • Student peer review • Film and media • Process-based writing

  20. Examination: Relevance learning outcomes and over-all aim Variation • Film / media / ICT • Different learning styles • Adaptation to outcomes, content, forms of work • Integration of communicative aspects • Poster presentation Combination of forms • Oral presentation on the basis of a written paper or reflection document combined with student peer review Fairness • Role-Play with a written reflection document

  21. Concluding remarks • Formulation of expected learning outcomes as a starting point for course design • Students’ perspectives essential • Integration of language and culture through learning based on communication • Communicative skills included in all parts of courses • Cultural and intercultural understanding should be problematized in • reflection, analysis and critical discussion in a communicative and social context • Students’ perspectives call for a variety of content, methods and forms of examination

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