Teaching Cultural Competence

Agenda

• Introductions• What is culture in your classroom?• Teaching culture and cultures at EF• What the Common European Framework says• From theory to practice• Personal directions

English immersion in 8 countries• UK• Ireland• Malta• USA• Canada• Australia• New Zealand• South Africa

English in other environments• Englishtown.com• English First• English First Smart Schools• English First Kids• EF Corporate Language Training

Additional languages taught: Spanish, French, German, Italian, Chinese

ILS Boston

ILS London

ILS Cambridge

Over 400 schools and offices

Nationality Mix 2006 - 2007 Worldwide Schools

Other Albania AlgeriaAngola Argentina ArmeniaAustria Azerbaijan BahrainBangladesh Belarus BelgiumBelize Bolivia Bosnia And HerzegowinaBrazil Bulgaria BurundiCameroon Canada ChileChina Colombia CongoCosta Rica Cote D'Ivoire CroatiaCyprus Czech Republic DenmarkDominican Republic Ecuador EgyptEl Salvador Estonia FinlandFrance Gabon GeorgiaGermany Great Britain GreeceGuatemala Guinea HondurasHong Kong Hungary IcelandIndonesia Iran IraqIsrael Italy JapanJordan Kazakhstan KuwaitKyrgyzstan Latvia LebanonLibyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein LithuaniaLuxembourg Macau MacedoniaMalaysia Mali MauritaniaMauritius Mexico Moldova, Republic OfMongolia Morocco NamibiaNetherlands Nicaragua NigeriaNorway Oman PakistanPalestinian Territory Panama ParaguayPeru Poland PortugalQatar Romania Russian FederationRwanda San Marino Saudi ArabiaSenegal Seychelles SlovakiaSlovenia South Korea SpainSri Lanka Sudan SwazilandSweden Switzerland Syrian Arab RepublicTaiwan Tajikistan ThailandTogo Tunisia TurkeyUkraine United Arab Emirates United States of AmericaUruguay Uzbekistan VenezuelaViet Nam Yemen Yugoslavia

125 nationalities in our schools

Discussion

• How do you define culture?• What do our students think culture is?• What is the difference between ‘Culture’ and

‘culture’?

Culture culture

International schools

Language travel

Corporate trainingLocal schools

Online learning

Teaching culture and cultures at EF

The Common European Framework

Beyond language teaching…• Knowledge of the world• Sociocultural knowledge• Practical skills: social, living, vocational• Intercultural skills• Self-knowledge: attitude, motivation, values,

believes, cognitive style, personality

Living conditions

• living standards (with regional, class and ethnic variations)

• housing conditions• welfare arrangements

Everyday living

• food and drink, meal times, table manners• public holidays• working hours and practices• leisure activities (hobbies, sports, reading habits,

media)

Interpersonal relations• relations of power and solidarity• relations between classes• relations between sexes (gender, intimacy)• family structures and relations• relations between generations• relations in work situations• relations between public and police, officials, etc.• race and community relations• relations among political and religious groups

Values, beliefs and attitudes

• social class• occupational groups

(academic, management, public service, skilled and manual

• workforces)• wealth (income and inherited)• regional cultures• security• institutions• tradition and social change

• history, especially iconic historical personages and events

• minorities (ethnic, religious)• national identity• foreign countries, states,

peoples• politics• arts (music, visual arts,

literature, drama, popular music and song)

• religion• humour

Body language

• Knowledge of the conventions governing such behaviour form part of the user/learner’s sociocultural competence

Social conventions

• punctuality• presents• dress• refreshments, drinks, meals• behavioural and conversational conventions• taboos• length of stay• leave-taking

Ritual behaviour

• religious observances and rites• birth, marriage, death• audience and spectator behaviour at public

performances and ceremonies• celebrations, festivals, dances, discos, etc.

Intercultural awareness

• Negotiating the relationship from ‘origin’ to ‘target community’

From theory to practice

How do you get culture in front of students?

• Materials?• Activities?• Networking?• Exchanges?• Host families?

Culture Files

• Guides to host culture• Destinations and topics• New language • Practice activities• Personal reflections• Diary and sketchbook• Contact list• Developed by teachers

• Guides to host culture• Destinations and topics• New language • Practice activities• Personal reflections• Diary and sketchbook• Contact list• Developed by teachers

Culture Files

Englishman on the Road

• Guest teachers• Sent from ILS • Great reviews• Fun topics

Contact your local EF office to request a guest teacher.

Conclusion

• What is culture in your classroom?• Teaching culture and cultures at EF• What the Common European Framework says• From theory to practice