“… it is estimated that 400 years ago there were between five and seven million speakers of English …” Phillipson (1997: 24). In recent years, however, English has become a lingua franca and a world language. David Crystal (1997: 61) estimates that “if we use a criterion of ‘reasonable competence’ […], we shall end up with a grand total of 1,800 million users of English”. This is due to the economic, social and political processes called globalisation, headed by such leading powers as the USA (an English-speaking country itself), and the European Union (which has established English as one of its official languages) not to mention such economically influential countries as Canada and Australia, which have grown out of the same English language roots.

Apart from being the language of international politics and business “of 12,500 international organizations listed in the 1995-1996 Union of International Associations’ Yearbook, approximately 85 per cent make official use of English” McKay (2002: 16) - Shakespeare’s mother tongue also dominates the modern communications (e.g. the internet and satellite TV), and the mass pop culture (popular music, the film industry and show business). Practically, one cannot imagine working, or simply, living in western civilisation without at least a basic knowledge of the language. English “has a dominant position in science, technology, medicine, and computers; in research books, periodicals, and software; in transnational business, trade, shipping, and aviation; in diplomacy and international organisations; in mass media entertainment, news agencies, and journalism; in youth culture and sport; in education systems” Phillipson (1997: 6).

In these circumstances it should not seem surprising that English is the most widely taught foreign language in Polish schools. However, the contemporary generation of secondary school students in Poland do not connect their future careers with living and working in Great Britain, the USA, Canada or Australia. They will have to master English in order to communicate with non-native speakers, not necessarily operating in an English-speaking country, but quite likely in Poland or in another country where English is neither the first, nor even the second language. Therefore, the aim of the Polish school reforma (and the role of the foreign language teacher) is to equip students with the skills needed for effective communication and develop intercultural competences in them. English classes should “introduce an intercultural component, invite reflection on the learner’s own culture and […] comparison with other communities” (Komorowska, 1999: 8) in order to “reach acceptance of differences, pave the way for tolerance, prevent xenophobia and facilitate mutual understanding” (ibid). These principles are in accordance with the directives of the Council of Europe contained in the Threshold 1990, where it is strongly emphasised that “an alertness has to be stimulated in the learners to unexpected sociocultural differences between their communication partners and themselves […] particularly when English is in use as a medium of international communication between non-native speakers from different cultures” Van Ek & Trim (1991: 94).

The international school exchange was entitled From National IDentity To EUuropean Identity (referred to throughout as ‘the Project’). It was carried out in English, which for both partners - 1^st grade (16 year old) students form the Słowacki Liceum in Warsaw, Poland, and 10^th grade (16 year old) students from the Gymnasium bei St. Michael in Schwäbisch Hall, Germany - is the most taught foreign language in their schools. The Project is cross-curricular and makes reference to and draws on the students’ knowledge of various subjects, such as English, Polish/German literature (respectively), history, geography, ‘civics’, and the arts.

One important objective was to increase student motivation to learn English with a view to their future use of it in everyday situations, as well as for discussing global issues at an international forum. There is no better illustration of the “unexpected sociocultural situations” of Threshold 1990 (1990: 94), than the ones the students had to cope with during the international school exchange. They had to develop and practice their communicative competence “in order to prepare themselves to communicate socially with people from other countries […] and to conduct the necessary business of everyday living when abroad with a reasonable degree of independence” Threshold 1990 (1991:1). In the case of the Project our students had to maintain contact with their partners, present their national identity at international meetings, discuss the issues of the Project - similarities and differences within our European ‘selves’; prepare common products and, finally, handle real-life situations during the exchange visit in Germany and (later) in Poland, through English.

The nature of the Project allowed for and even forced the use of a vast variety of methodological devices available for teaching foreign language and culture. Since a good knowledge of English might not be enough to express the national identity of the participants and exchange their views on Project issues, they had to develop the following intercultural awareness and skills:

• culture reception - ability to comprehend the culture of the partners;
• culture production - ability to express their own culture;
• intercultural - ability to take an objective and unbiased view across cultures (in this case Polish and German), noticing differences but also paying attention to similarities, and looking for a common European platform;
• investigatory - ability to find, evaluate, analyse, present and facilitate understanding of the cultural information conveyed in the presentations of the participants’ national identities during the visit in Germany;
• communicative - in the sphere of social interaction and familiarity with relevant social conventions.

The students participating in the Project on the Polish side were volunteers from the Słowacki Liceum in Warsaw. The prevalent motive that influenced their decision was curiosity about other cultures and an interest in foreign languages, especially the challenge to use English for ‘real’ communication not only in the ‘artificial’ classroom environment.

The students met once a week at an extra-curricular class (Pol. kółko europejskie) in which the Project was co-ordinated, preparations for the visit in Germany were made and progress was monitored. Of course, most of the work done by the students had to be carried out outside class, as their extra-curricular activity. The language of instruction during the kółko meetings, as well as in the whole Project, was English, so the following elements of the EFL/EIL methodology were used:

·         Task-based learning and project work (much encouraged by the Polish educational reform) - the students carried out certain tasks which constituted parts of mini-projects presenting Polish local/national identity to German partners. According to the principles of task-based learning “the aim of the task is to create a real purpose for the language use and provide a natural context for a language study” Willis (1996: 1).

·         Learner autonomy, promoted by the Council of Europe as a “fundamental objective of the communicative approach” Threshold 1990 (1991: 108). Both the themes of the mini-projects and the tasks enabling their completion, were suggested and chosen by the students themselves through brainstorming, discussing and mind-mapping the ideas. They corresponded to Tomalin and Stempleski’s list and included such areas as “literature, folklore, art, music, artefacts, beliefs, values, institutions, behaviours, customs, habits, dress, foods, leisure” Tomalin & Stempleski (1993: 7). Then discussions were held in the course of which the students decided which final products presenting local/national identity would be the most feasible to carry out and to present at the meeting in Schwäbisch Hall. The role of the teacher was to monitor the progress and keep the deadlines, as well as provide advice.

·         Learner-centred and individualised work - as the nature of the tasks, their forms (films, presentations, mini-lectures, photo albums) and the level in English (mostly pre-intermediate and intermediate) were different. The students were often not sure about the coherence of their message in English since they had never prepared such topics at their foreign language classes, so the role of the teacher was not only to check their performance, but stimulate culture awareness.

Modern linguists and methodologists stress the importance of critical thinking and the self-evaluating of teacher’s work. Richards and Lockhart (1997: 4) write that ”critical reflection involves examining teaching experiences as a basis for evaluation and decision making and as a source for change”. And Wallace (2001: 18) points to the fact that “the main function of action research is to provide an effective method for improving professional action and that evaluation is clearly at the heart of the action research philosophy, since it is usually a self-evaluation of our work which gives us the motivation to attempt to improve it through action research.”

It is very difficult to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of communication in a foreign language during an exchange project. That is why I decided to use alternative instruments of assessment, such as:

·         observation checklists

·         video recording

·         student reflective diary

·         student ‘dialogue journals’

The alternative methods of evaluating the exchange (listed at the beginning of the previous section) and assessing the students provided an invaluable opportunity to weigh the benefits and drawbacks. The nature of the Project gave students “confidence to try out whatever language they know […] without fear of being wrong in front of the class, experience of spontaneous interaction […], a chance to benefit from noticing how others express similar meanings and […] corrective feedback” Willis (1996: 35). They also became conscious of their learning process ). This was advantageous because “that insightful learning is likely to be more effective – and to produce more lasting effects - than learning without insight. The greater effectiveness is partly due to the motivating power of knowing what one is doing and why one is doing it. Secondly, ‘learning to learn’ is an invaluable aspect of preparing the learners for whatever further learning may be required by them” Van Ek & Trim (1999: 107). The students realised their own errors and imperfections, but also managed to look critically at the language used by their peers. Recording student performance helped us analyse the mistakes and try to prevent them in the future.

Most students recognised the opportunity provided by the Project to improve their language skills and intercultural competence. Some shy and intimidated learners opened up and developed self-confidence in speaking which they may not have been able to do in the traditional classroom environment. Some revealed organisational and managerial aptitudes, some others acting and directing talents. They also became more sensitive and tolerant to differences between cultures.

Participation in the Project increased the students’ sense of ‘patriotism’. The young people had to do a lot of out-of-class research into the history and cultural heritage of their countries. This not only involved drawing on the knowledge they already possessed, but also encouraged them to broaden it and to use English more accurately in order to communicate their ideas clearly. This necessity created a real linguistic challenge that is not always possible to achieve in the classroom. Most of the materials they found were in Polish, so quite often the students had to use dictionaries, both bilingual and monolingual ones, grammar books and their teacher’s help in order to express appropriately what they wanted to convey to their audience. They did not only look up the words in dictionaries, but paid attention to collocations and the grammar connected with the newly-learnt vocabulary. Such conscious use of language resource books is not always possible in the usual classroom tasks mostly based on a particular course-book and the lexical content introduced there. So, the very nature of the Project encouraged learner autonomy not only in the choice of the topic and the task connected with its presentation, but also in the autonomous use of dictionaries and work on the wording of the end products. As Willis says “this process is likely to drive [the students’] language development forward and give them new insights into language use” (Willis (1996: 56).

All the students found it quite natural that English was used in the Project and that it is an international language. They could use it in contacts with people of different nationalities - Germans, Romanians, French, Americans - and in different countries - Germany and France. This awareness served as a good motivator for more intense and more effective learning. They also regarded the language as a useful tool to gain knowledge of Europe and other cultures.

The nature of the Project invited for the use of alternative forms of assessment, not always feasible in school, where tests and grades have priority. Thanks to them the teacher had an invaluable chance to learn more about the students’ psychology and attitude towards learning. Journals, which are in fact written conversations between student and teacher, give learners opportunities to express themselves in the foreign language. Learning diaries, which “increase their involvement in the teaching-learning process and make them more responsible for their own learning, including goal setting and collaborative establishment of assessment criteria with teachers” Genesee (1999: 126), were also very useful. Portfolios enabled students to monitor their own progress and provided them with opportunities for self-assessment. Conferences, focused on students’ concerns and views, can provide “teachers with insights about their students’ learning strategies that can promote understanding of student achievement and progress” Genesee (1999: 110) and helped a lot with setting targets and tasks for the follow-up visit in Warsaw. Surveys and questionnaires enabled information to be gathered about beliefs, attitudes, motivation and preferences regarding both language learning and increasing cultural awareness.

However, there are also certain drawbacks present in international school exchanges and every teacher undertaking such a project should be aware of them. First of all, we must decide what is more important for us: communication or accuracy? Observing my students I was under the impression that they had been much more accurate at school than in the real-life situations. Perhaps more practice will make them perfect? Sometimes they simply forgot all their vocabulary or did not want to express their opinions. More simulations of such situations are required and discussion in which every one will have a chance (and an obligation) to present their views, even on difficult and controversial topics.

Generally, my students wanted to make an impression on the audience and prepared speeches at a more advanced level than they had in fact mastered. Therefore more practice is required as far as learning new vocabulary, especially related to the subject-matter of the Project. Pronunciation exercises are also important. This might be a Polish national vice, but the students left everything until the very last moment, so timing and the keeping of deadlines is extremely important. If they do not keep the deadlines there is no time for further practice or correction.

The students preferred working in small groups because they had a better contact with their peers and were not afraid of speaking. At school they also enjoy pair-work exercises and are reluctant to speak in front of the whole class. These observations should be taken into account while developing similar projects in the future.

In the light of the above arguments it can be said that the benefits obviously outweigh the drawbacks. Such projects increase students’ motivation to learn foreign languages and make room for the introduction of a cultural dimension into foreign language teaching. The students participating in the Project will probably not take up Polish or Romanian, however, in their further tri-lateral contacts, which most of them will certainly maintain, they will communicate in the modern lingua franca - English. Thanks to this medium they will become equal partners in the complex common European heritage, actively contributing to its further enrichment.

Thanks to the Project its participants had a chance to develop their intercultural and communicative competence, investigative and analytical skills, as well as realise the importance of mastering an international language. They became critical observers of their own cultures, too, and increased their awareness of European issues. Involvement in the exchange project also meant greater learner autonomy than the average school environment in Poland allows for. That is why the analysis can serve as an aide memoir to other teachers of EFL/EIL. I hope it might facilitate success of similar projects, which will exploit the unquestionable benefits that this form of learning offers, and help to avoid certain drawbacks that the very nature of cross-cultural undertakings poses.

“Communicative effectiveness becomes the criterion by which the learners’ success (and that of the teaching programme) is to be judged, rather than error-free performance of formal exercises” Van Ek & Trim (1991: 1). That is why the teacher conducting an exchange project should develop a certain degree of tolerance towards some ‘imperfections’ manifested by his/her students.

In addition, such projects could offer the best way to combine a language programme with an ethnographic approach to the study of other cultures, not only for learners but also for teachers. This is due to the hands-on experience and direct involvement in the project preparation process. Both, the teachers and the learners can learn more about themselves and reflect on the learning/teaching process. Their intercultural awareness deepens and they are able to communicate with their foreign partners more successfully.

Language has been and will remain the tool that enables expression of cultural diversity. Although European countries tend to unite in big organisations, such as the European Union, none of them loses its national identity and language. However, they need a common language to be able to communicate this diversity. The position of the universal lingua franca has now been occupied by English. It helps students open up to problems of other nations, which thereby become the problems of our continent, discover, accept and tolerate alternative ways of thinking and other types of behaviour. A friendly attitude towards ‘otherness’ constitutes a good basis for developing a desire to look for the uniting elements rather than the differentiating ones. After the first stage of the Project I dare paraphrase the old saying that now not only travel, but especially travel in English, broadens the mind.

Byram, M. ‘Intercultural Communicative Competence - the Challenge for Language Teacher Training’ Towards Intercultural Competence Conference Proceedings British Council, Bulgaria, 1997, 92-103

Genesee, F. & Upshur, J. A. (1999) Classroom-based Evaluation in Second Language Education  Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Hofstede, G. (1991) ‘Levels of Culture’ in Cultures and Organizations. Intercultural Cooperation And Its Importance For Survival. Software of the Mind London: HarperCollins Business, 3-4, 13 ‘Intended versus unintended intercultural conflict’ 209, ‘Learning intercultural communication’ 230-231

Komorowska, H 1999 ‘Successful teaching: how to achieve it, how to assess it’ Network 2/2: 3-9

Kramsch, C. (2000) ‘Language and Cultural Identity’ in Kramsch, C. Language and Culture Oxford: Oxford University Press, 65-77

McKay, S. L. (2002) Teaching English as an International Language Oxford: Oxford University Press

Phillipson, R. (1997) Linguistic Imperialism Oxford: Oxford University Press

Richards, J. C & Lockhart, Ch. (1997) Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classrooms Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Tomalin, B. & Stempelski, S. (1993) Cultural Awareness. Oxford: Oxford University Press

Van Ek, J. & Trim, J. 1991, (rev. 1998) Threshold Levels 1990 Council of Europe (See Ch. 11 ‘Sociocultural Competences’) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Wallace, M. J. (2001) Action Research for Language Teachers Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Willis, J. (1996) A Framework for Task-Based Learning Harlow: Longman

This is a formal outline of the From National IDentity To EUuropean Identity project

·        Aims

1.       Understanding the factors and mechanisms that influence the acquisition and the development of one’s own identity (in language, region, culture, history, people, nation etc.)

2. Understanding the importance of one’s own identity on the one hand and the relativity of it on the other hand viewed from the perspective of the increasing globalisation and the extension of the European space.
3. Developing a European identity as a binding factor within the diversity of cultures, which forms the richness of Europe, and getting the students in touch with the cultural European heritage and the common European history.
4. Integrating the project in the curriculum of the secondary education, particularly in the lessons of mother tongue and foreign languages, history, religion, art. history, Latin, music etc.
5. Making use of the new technologies (ICT) in order to acquire universal communication techniques that strengthen the idea of unity in diversity within greater Europe.

·        Expected effect on the participants and other interested parties:

Students

1.       The participants learn which factors consciously or unconsciously influence the acquisition of one’s own identity and what is the importance of a good understanding and use of these factors viewed from the perspective of the progressing globalisation.

2.       When you understand yourself (your own identity) better you can come to a better understanding of the other to find each other in a new whole (Europe).

3.       The participants will investigate the theme identity within their own subject and within their own country to come to new insights in the perception of mankind and the world across the subjects and the borders. They learn to understand that Europe is more than the European Union.

4.       The participants will get a more open outlook and will be more receptive to other cultures and other points of view. They learn to discuss a universal topic in a foreign language.

5.       The participants will recognize the importance of cultural philosophy and cultural science as a weapon against fundamentalism and racism.

6.       The students get acquainted with the European institutions and the way in which matters are decided upon in Europe

Teachers

1.       The schools are currently experimenting with an own European cell. This cell will initially be staffed only with teachers of several disciplines, but will eventually also welcome students, so that it can develop into a fully-fledged pedagogical group which will be open to interdisciplinary and international themes and collaboration.

2.       At projects teachers get acquainted with other pedagogical systems. At the same time they learn to appreciate working in groups and to prefer learning-oriented to achievement-oriented goals. Students together with teachers also assemble a portfolio containing documents, reports and tasks that the students worked at during the project, which indicate the experience they have acquired and what they have actually achieved.

3.       Such projects can lead to opening up the strict school class system with its fixed timetable, and can help to deal with learning programs in a more flexible way, which in turn can stimulate independent learning. Such projects put stress on the learning process itself rather than on its outcome.

Local community

1        When developing such a project, a school cannot remain an island. It will repeatedly have to appeal to the know-how of parents, companies and other pedagogical institutions or organizations.   

2        The schools will make sure that the local authorities and press are informed of the work being developed by means of an exhibition, personal contacts, and newspaper.

Activities

The maximum duration of the project will be two years

            The target group of participants will be youngsters of 15/16/17

            The size of the participating groups will be 25

            There will be two project meetings abroad with teachers and students

·         24 - 28 March 2003 in Schwäbisch-Hall

·         6 - 10 October 2003 in Warsaw

The different schools make sure that they have selected their group of students that will participate and send each other the list of participants (names, address, phone number, e-mail address) by the beginning of September.

In September they ask the students to correspond to a colleague of the participating schools, introducing themselves to one another, so as to confront each other with their own identity, all aspects concerning everyday life and customs or habits and hobbies. They put this information down in a report or diary.

Next, each group gets at home a new assignment, in that they have to come up with a list of ten facts, events or symbols that are so vital to the historical identity of their nation that they can’t do without when they want to express their national identity to a foreigner. They then mail this list to the other participating schools. At home they have to work out arguments and comments and explain why they have picked out exactly these facts. The teachers guide their students in getting as much information as possible via whatever means at hand.

First meeting of all partners would be in the week of the 24 - 28 March 2003 in Schwäbisch-Hall. (Identity and the Past) There they will exchange and present their information concerning their own identity in regard to everyday life as well as concerning the facts from the past. After the information is presented and exchanged, it is then discussed in several groups of mixed identity, each group containing Polish and German students. Finally they will make an exhibition with all the material they have gathered and discussed and this exhibition will be passed on to every new meeting in the future. The students will learn from this experience how closely their pasts and languages are connected to their identity and will find out the things in which they are similar and different. The study of their past and the conclusions of their debates are put together in a magazine that is called ‘ComEUnity’

The experience and findings of the first meeting are the stepping stone to the next meeting which is to be held in the week of 6 - 10 October in Warsaw. Where the stress in the preparation of the first meeting was put on identity and the past, students will now focus on the link between identity and the languages and identity and religion as these will have popped up within the limits of their survey on the history of their nation.

They will look into the history of their own language, study their national anthem and the European hymn, do research on the up-to-date situation of languages people use at school, in their country and within the EU. They are confronted with questions like whether people do have to learn the language of their host country in order to be accepted as a full member of the community or whether the right to have one’s own culture or use one’s own language is a universal right?

What influence did religion have and still has on one’s own culture? Is there a relationship between religion, identity and racism or (in)tolerance or fundamentalism?

In Warsaw they will have to exchange their information concerning the link between language, religion, racism and identity and discuss their ideas in groups of mixed nationality. The teachers will ask the students to come up with topics they think are vital to be looked into when one bears the future of the EU in mind. The students can form new groups in regard to the statements of their choice. They must then say whether they are in favour or against the statement and why? This will be the start of a lively general debate. Some of the students will perform as journalists throughout the debates and put their findings and reports in the magazine ComEUnity.

The students bring their national flags and the European flags to the meetings. The exhibition travels with them to each country. During the meetings they pay visits to organizations and cities of interest connected to the theme of identity and of course they are always guided through the schools and hometowns by their colleagues.

·        End products

The magazine ComEUnity, created and edited by the students

The presentation of the whole project on CD-ROM

The presentation of the whole project on the websites of the schools

The presentation of the project in an exhibition which can be loaned on request.

Evaluation of the progress and impact on students, teachers, other institutions and local community

1.       By means of the magazine that grows in accordance with the development of the project.

2.       By means of the exhibition which travels along with the project meetings.

3.       By means of the existing school magazines

4.       By means of periodical meetings between parents.

5.       By means of staffing meetings

6.       By means of the school website(s)

Dissemination of the results

1.       Contacts with the local press

2.       Publication in the school magazine

3.       Via staffing meetings and  interdisciplinary subject groups.

4.       Via the internet.

Promotion of intercultural education

1.       The project entails a co-operation between a member state of the EU and a candidate member state.

2.       Two meetings will be held in two different countries with two different identities.

3.       The students will be housed in as many host families as possible.

4.       The debates will take place in mixed groups.

5.       Debates will be organised with representatives of different political parties with special focus on their initiatives concerning tolerance and the struggle against racism and fundamentalism.

The role of all participating institutions

1.       Each school will organise its own project meeting which consists of workshops, presentation, sightseeing visits etc..

Warsaw focuses on identity and language, religion and minorities

Germany focuses on identity and history

2.       Each school will exchange information via e-mail and the internet.

3.       Each school will promote and co-ordinate multidisciplinary activities within their own institution.

4.       The co-operation and distribution of tasks will be ensured by the several meetings between partners and by e-mail, fax and snail mail

New technologies

·         Use of ICT:

·         Internet and e-mail for the exchange and presentation of material and information.

·         Powerpoint and Publisher for presentation and magazine.

·         Scanner for presentation in exhibition or on the internet.

·         CD-ROM for backup of project and dissemination.

These new technologies will be used throughout the whole project.

Ensure the active participation of students

1.       In order to take part in the project students will be tested in regard to their motivation and reasons for participation.

2.       Students will be notified that they will get the opportunity of travelling abroad, staying in host families.

3.       Students will get dispensation of certain school tasks and assignments and their work in the project will be evaluated in the different subject matters.

4.       Students will get the chance of presenting their work to a large audience during the project meetings.