THE SPIRIT OF PLACE
A summer course on intercultural
communication through ethnography. drama, literature and art. We will examine
the process of rooting into a place and being uprooted. We will look into
effect of place on our relation to self and others. We will reflect on learning
about culture through place. Our main aim is to equip teachers of English with
techniques that help them and their students to reach out and make links across
cultures.
Date : one week, 14 - 20
August 2005.
Place : Bedrichov, 15 km
from Liberec in the Czech Republic, a charming ski resort on the ridge of the
Jizera Mountains
Participants : In-service
teachers and teacher trainers of English from Germany, Czech Republic and
Poland willing to be involved in intercultural cooperation. Some experience in
either drama or ethnography is an advantage.
The course is sponsored by
American Embassy in Poland and IATEFL Poland.
Course facilitators:
Anita DĘBSKA, British teacher trainer with a vast experience in
drama and international communication, based in Teacher Training College in
Toruń, Poland.
DANUTA GOCLAWSKA, Polish teacher trainer and globetrotter specializing
in British literature and ethnographic studies, based in Teacher Training
College in Radom, Poland.
GLADICE HUGHES-SEFCOVIC, American teacher trainer living in the Czech
Republic, experienced in using various forms of drama and theatre in
intercultural context, based in the Technical University of Liberec, the Czech
Republic.
HANNA WRZESIEŃ, an experienced teacher trainer in cultural studies
from Teacher Training College in Jelenia Góra, Poland.
Applicant Profile: We are looking for teachers or teacher trainers
coming from Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland with strong interest
in American culture and ethnography willing to get involved in an interactive
intercultural course involving drama based activities. It is also hoped that
they will be willing to cooperate and get involved in networking on a long-term
basis disseminating intercultural approach to ELT. Excellent English language
skills and ability to work in an international team are essential.
Course organisers :Małgorzata Zdybiewska, IATEFL Culture in ELT SIG
Coordinator
Contact person :Małgorzata Zdybiewska tel.(+48) 48 34 48682 ; e-mail: mzdybiewska@
poczta f.m.
COURSE APPLICATION FORM
The Spirit of Place
Bedrichov,14-20 August 2005
In order to apply for the
course, please complete the application form below and send it to the course
organizer, Małgorzata Zdybiewska either by e-mail to mzdybiewska@poczta.fm or by post to
NKJO, Plac Stare Miasto 10, 26-600 Radom, Poland. Thanks to our project
partners most seminar costs will be covered, but there is a participant charge
of 400 zł. You will also have to cover your travel expenses.
The deadline for
applications is May 15, 2005.
Intercultural Learning – towards a shared understanding in
Europe / ELT Conference, 18-19
February 2005 / Berlin Spandau
The
Conference in Berlin Spandau was the third British Council Germany English
language Teaching conference. It was an opportunity to meet people not only
from Germany but also from fifteen other European countries, from Poland and
Bulgaria to Latvia , the UK and Hungary.
As a forum for intercultural learning it offered
lectures, panel discussions and workshops on such concepts as global
intercultural competence, third places, intercultural communicative competence,
ethnography and inter- and intra-cultural awareness.
In the opening panel discussion its participants, Alan
Pulverness, Simon Grenall, Nick Wadham-Smith, Anke Fedrowitz and Małgorzata
Zdybiewska tried to define intercultural learning, comment on the connection
between intercultural learning and language learning and explored the issues
connected with assessment of intercultural competence in the classroom.
The key issues that arose during the conference
concerned both theoretical and practical aspects. For example, Simon Greenall,
a well-known textbook writer, in his presentation addressed the concerns of
teachers who think that intercultural training adds further demands to an
already overcrowded syllabus. He proposed some practical techniques for designing
classroom materials and activities such as integrating an intercultural aspect
into an existing language course, including different types of culture which
can contribute to an intercultural training programme: macro and microculture,
surface and deep culture, sample and target culture and to consider the
relationship between language, culture and communication in the classroom.
Many conference presenters reported on their projects
that connect teachers and students across different countries. Among them John
Corbett, the author of An Intercultural Approach to English Language
Teaching (Multilingual Matters 2003), reported on his work using an
open-source Virtual Learning called ‘Moodle’ (Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic
Learning Environment). His project brings together teachers and students coming
from Argentina, Brazil, Scotland and Taiwan. Its aim is to develop an online
dialogue on aspects of everyday language and culture. The project participants
practise ‘virtual ethnography’ through reflection on such issues as
globalisation of English, cultural tourism and critical pedagogy. In his
session John Corbett not only talked about the principles and motivations
involved in setting the project but also presented samples of the
participants’ work.
Similarly, Dennis Newson reported on an going
ELTeCS-funded project – Critical Viewing of British films in a variety of
cultural contexts. Dennis Newson (based in Germany) together with other
members of the project: Simon Gill (Czech Republic), Amol Padwad (India) and
Radislav Millwood (Russia) created a cross-cultural students’ audience and
encouraged it to discuss British films containing some cultural clashes issues.
The presentation of ‘this debating society online’ included the history of the
project and its participants’ comments.
British films were also discussed by Alan Pulverness
in his lecture “Deprived of history: films and novels in third places’. Starting
with Claire Kramsch’s metaphor for immigration as the journey into a
foreign language, with learners occupying ‘third places’, Alan Pulverness
presented numerous British films and novels reflecting immigrant and
second-generation experience and explored ways in which such intra-cultural
texts can be used in the language class to promote inter-cultural awareness.
Furthermore, many workshops dealt with practical
issues demonstrating how intercultural ideas can be integrated into the
classroom. Many conference participants referred to their experience and
research connected with intercultural studies on various educational levels
like Anke Fedorowitz (Germany) who tried to answer the burning question: Is
cultural learning merely a school subject or is it of vital
relevance in and outside the classroom? Also Anna Gonerko-Frej (Poland)
talked about her experience of introducing intercultural elements into a junior
secondary school and the importance of ‘culturally-loaded’ teaching.
Małgorzata Zdybiewska (Poland) presented the British
Council Poland ‘Culture in ELT’ project showing the web pages materials and
explored ways in which intercultural web materials can be used to develop
cultural awareness in Teacher Training Colleges and secondary schools.
Finally in the closing panel discussion Dave
Allan, Maria del Carmen Mendez Garcia, Chris Rose and Bernard Voss examined the
recurrent issue of assessment of intercultural competence in the classroom and
tried to answer questions about the future developments in intercultural
learning.
To sum up, the conference in Berlin Spandau was an
excellent opportunity not only to exchange views on intercultural learning but
also to meet and to talk to many teachers and researchers involved in this
field of study. It was also a very enjoyable and excellently organized event.
Małgorzata Zdybiewska, CELT SIG Coordinator
April, 2005
