English as a ToolEnglish as a Tool to Understanding to Understanding

Oneself and OthersOneself and Others

BetterBetter

Teaching English in the Teaching English in the Czech RepublicCzech Republic

• ProsPros• Grammatical Grammatical

accuracyaccuracy• Spotless spellingSpotless spelling• Good command of Good command of

tensestenses• Nice pronunciationNice pronunciation• Knowledge of rulesKnowledge of rules

• ConsCons• Obsession with Obsession with

grammargrammar• Dwelling on factsDwelling on facts• Flat intonationFlat intonation• Little emphasis on Little emphasis on

cultural awarenesscultural awareness• Teaching about Teaching about

culture rather than culture rather than culture itselfculture itself

Why Teach English ?Why Teach English ?

• To enable people from different parts To enable people from different parts of the world to communicate togetherof the world to communicate together

For years this reasoning was widely For years this reasoning was widely accepted without questioning accepted without questioning what what communication was communication was

and, more importantly,and, more importantly,

what makes communication what makes communication successfulsuccessful

Successful Successful communicationcommunication

• Oxford Advanced Oxford Advanced Learner’s Learner’s Dictionary:Dictionary:

• Communication – Communication – the activity or the activity or process of process of expressing ideas expressing ideas and feelings or of and feelings or of giving people giving people informationinformation

Successful Successful communicationcommunication

• Longman Longman Dictionary of Dictionary of Contemporary Contemporary English:English:

• The process by The process by which people which people exchange exchange information or information or express their express their thoughts and thoughts and feelingsfeelings

Successful Successful communicationcommunication

• Macmillan English Macmillan English Dictionary:Dictionary:

• The process of The process of giving giving information or of information or of making emotions making emotions or ideas known or ideas known to someoneto someone

Communicating Communicating successfullysuccessfully

• Agreement on giving / exchanging Agreement on giving / exchanging information. By doing so, do we information. By doing so, do we necessarily communicate the same necessarily communicate the same meaning, the same contents?meaning, the same contents?

• To find out we must look “behind” To find out we must look “behind” the word in different language the word in different language contexts contexts

Looking for meanings in Looking for meanings in different contextsdifferent contexts

breadEnglish Czech Indian

Looking for meanings in Looking for meanings in different contextsdifferent contexts

teaCzech English Arabic

Meaning depends Meaning depends onon

cultureculture

CultureCulture• Oxford:Oxford:1 …1 …way of life, beliefs and attitudes about sth that way of life, beliefs and attitudes about sth that

people in a particular group or organization sharepeople in a particular group or organization share2 art, music, literature, etc., thought of as a group2 art, music, literature, etc., thought of as a group

Longman:Longman:1 1 the ideas, beliefs and customs shared and accepted the ideas, beliefs and customs shared and accepted

by people in a societyby people in a society2 activities related to art, music, literature etc.2 activities related to art, music, literature etc.Macmillan:Macmillan:1 1 a set of ideas, beliefs, and ways of behaving of a a set of ideas, beliefs, and ways of behaving of a

particular organization or group of peopleparticular organization or group of people2 activities involving music, literature, and other arts2 activities involving music, literature, and other arts

Culture and Culture and cultureculture

• Graphic artsGraphic arts• MusicMusic• LiteratureLiterature• FilmFilm• TheatreTheatre• ArchitectureArchitecture• EducationEducation

CAPITAL “C” CULTURECAPITAL “C” CULTURE

• beliefsbeliefs• customscustoms• housinghousing• foodfood• drinkdrink• leisure time leisure time • clothingclothing• shoppingshopping• religionreligion• sport…sport…small “c” culturesmall “c” culture

Culture and Culture and cultureculture

Whatever:Whatever:

AngleAngle

ApproachApproach

SociologicalSociological

PsychologicalPsychological

AnthropologicalAnthropological

DefinitionDefinition

• The answer:The answer:

Culture is Culture is everythingeverything in us and around in us and around us, constantly us, constantly changing and changing and mutually mutually influencinginfluencing

Cultural interfaceCultural interface

group

shared cultureindividual

Why teach culture?Why teach culture?

• Makes communication more meaningful, Makes communication more meaningful, hence more likely to be successfulhence more likely to be successful

• Opens up:Opens up: new horizonsnew horizons new topicsnew topics new perspectives on “our” and “foreign” new perspectives on “our” and “foreign” makes us richer, more understanding, makes us richer, more understanding,

empatheticempatheticandand

Much more difficult to be Much more difficult to be manipulatedmanipulated

““Bridging the gap”Bridging the gap”

AN INTERCULTURAL STUDIES AN INTERCULTURAL STUDIES COURSECOURSE

Brief Course CharacteristicsBrief Course Characteristics

Type of subject:Type of subject: “C” – fully optional“C” – fully optional

Form:Form: seminarseminar

Number of students:Number of students: min. 8 – max. 16min. 8 – max. 16

Frequency:Frequency: 90 min/week90 min/week

Duration:Duration: 14 weeks14 weeks

Target group:Target group: pedagogic faculty studentspedagogic faculty students

(years 1 to 5)(years 1 to 5)

Language of instruction:Language of instruction: EnglishEnglish

Expected language level:Expected language level: intermediate and aboveintermediate and above

(upon entering the course)(upon entering the course)

Number of ECTS credits:Number of ECTS credits: 33

Condition for gaining the credits:Condition for gaining the credits: poster presentation on a poster presentation on a chosen topicchosen topic

Course AimsCourse Aims

• Exploiting English as a vehicle, not the ultimate Exploiting English as a vehicle, not the ultimate aimaim

• Participants’ awareness of the linguistic, Participants’ awareness of the linguistic, paralinguistic, non-verbal and cultural aspects of paralinguistic, non-verbal and cultural aspects of interpersonal communicationinterpersonal communication

• Emphasis on empathy, reflection, cognitive Emphasis on empathy, reflection, cognitive understanding and critical detachment understanding and critical detachment

• Ability to compare and contrast between one’s Ability to compare and contrast between one’s own culture and other culturesown culture and other cultures

• To step aside, to swap the insider’s look for the To step aside, to swap the insider’s look for the outsider’s when dealing with one’s own cultureoutsider’s when dealing with one’s own culture

• To define one’s being on purely To define one’s being on purely humanhuman rather rather than than ethnocentric ethnocentric principlesprinciples

Course Structure Course Structure

• Week 1:Week 1: The WHAT, WHY and HOW in The WHAT, WHY and HOW in Teaching Culture Teaching Culture

• Week 2:Week 2: What’s in a Name? What’s in a Name?• Week 3:Week 3: “-isms” Part I (Racism, “-isms” Part I (Racism,

Fascism, Communism, Nationalism Fascism, Communism, Nationalism vs.Patriotismvs.Patriotism

• Week 4:Week 4: “-isms” Part II (Sexism, Ageism “-isms” Part II (Sexism, Ageism and Other Forms of Discrimination)and Other Forms of Discrimination)

• Week 5: ReligionsWeek 5: Religions

Course StructureCourse Structure

• Week 6:Week 6: Stereotypes and National Stereotypes and National StereotypesStereotypes

• Week 7:Week 7: Values and FestivalsValues and Festivals• Week 8:Week 8: Food and DrinksFood and Drinks• Week 9:Week 9: Homes and HousingHomes and Housing• Week 10:Week 10: Nonverbal CommunicationNonverbal Communication• Week 11:Week 11: Paralinguistic Aspects of Paralinguistic Aspects of

Interpersonal Interpersonal CommunicationCommunication• Week 12:Week 12: Geographical Determinations in Our Geographical Determinations in Our

LivesLives

Course StructureCourse Structure

• Week 13:Week 13: Migration Then and Now Migration Then and Now and the Role and the Role of Mass Mediaof Mass Media

• Week 14:Week 14: Students’ Poster Students’ Poster PresentationsPresentations

Course EvaluationCourse Evaluation

Practical Part Practical Part ((week 2: What’s in a Name Activityweek 2: What’s in a Name Activity))

People’s names in the People’s names in the Czech contextCzech context

Welcome on Welcome on BoardBoard

Welcome on BoardWelcome on Board

• Dear passengers,Dear passengers,

Shortly we will be landing at the Prague Shortly we will be landing at the Prague international airport, Ruzyninternational airport, Ruzyněě..

Because of a confirmed SARS infection in Because of a confirmed SARS infection in the neighbouring countries, I will have the neighbouring countries, I will have to ask you to ask you

to kindly fill in the landing cards. to kindly fill in the landing cards.

Thank you for your attention and Thank you for your attention and understanding.understanding.

Welcome on BoardWelcome on Board

• Get into groups of 3 – 6Get into groups of 3 – 6• Take ONE slip of paper with your new Take ONE slip of paper with your new

group identity from the envelope group identity from the envelope • Before you start filling in the landing Before you start filling in the landing

card, spend a minute or two card, spend a minute or two discussing WHO you think you are discussing WHO you think you are (man/woman, country) and say if you (man/woman, country) and say if you expect any problems during your first expect any problems during your first visit visit toto the Czech Republic the Czech Republic

Welcome on BoardWelcome on Board

www.arab.net/arabnameswww.arab.net/arabnameswww.saigon.comwww.saigon.comwww.theindependent.com/stories/082099/fewww.theindependent.com/stories/082099/fea_ashanti0820.htmla_ashanti0820.htmlhttp://allboutsikhs.com/nameshttp://allboutsikhs.com/nameswww.orthohelp.com/geneal/yohasin.htmwww.orthohelp.com/geneal/yohasin.htmwww.algonet.sewww.algonet.sewww.familychronicele.com/british.htmwww.familychronicele.com/british.htmhttp://members.aol.com/DSSaari/saarinam.hhttp://members.aol.com/DSSaari/saarinam.htmtmwww.serve.com/shea/gemusa/surnames.htmwww.serve.com/shea/gemusa/surnames.htm

WhatWhat’s in a Name?’s in a Name?

• Some more ideas:Some more ideas:• Given names and one’s self-image; nick-Given names and one’s self-image; nick-

namesnames• Family names – variety of grammatical Family names – variety of grammatical

categories;categories;

meanings of family names meanings of family names • Patronymics Patronymics • Yellow pages – names of “other” originYellow pages – names of “other” origin• Reasons for wanting to change one’s nameReasons for wanting to change one’s name

in the past and now….in the past and now….

Nora GillNora Gill

• Centre for Foreign Language Centre for Foreign Language TrainingTraining

Pedagogic Faculty, PalackPedagogic Faculty, Palackýý University, Olomouc, Czech University, Olomouc, Czech RepublicRepublic

gillovan@pdfnw.upol.czgillovan@pdfnw.upol.cz