English Language Teaching in the XXI Century

Developing ICC in the EFL classroom

F. Benjamín Sepúlveda T.
Intercultural Communicative Competence

Sociolinguistic
Competence

Linguistic Pragmatic
Competence Competence

Intercultural
Knowledge
Competence Critical
cultural
awareness

Attitudes skills
Intercultural Communicative Competence

Having Knowledge about social

groups and culture in own
country and other countries, and
knowledge about language and
Attitudes: Willingness to consider the processes to make Critical Cultural Awareness:
values, beliefs and behaviors as communication successful Ability to evaluate on the basis
relative, and not assuming that of explicit criteria, perspectives
one’s own are the only possible and practices from one’s own
and correct ones. and from other cultures.

Intercultural Competence
Ability to communicate
effectively and
appropriately with people
from other cultures

1. Skills of interpreting and

relating: ability to interpret and
understand a document or an
event from another culture and
relate it to a document or
event from own culture.
2. Skills of discovering and
interacting: ability to acquire
new knowledge about other
cultures and integrate it to
what he/she already has.
SKILLS
Intercultural Communicative Competence

Knowledge
How can it be developed in class?

Facts (film, texts, internet, authentic material), working with

stereotypes in class, guest speakers …
Intercultural Communicative Competence

Attitudes
How can these be developed in class?

Using brainstorming, visual aids when working with texts to create

curiosity and interest, using texts written by or about learners from other
cultures telling about their lives, children’s and young adult literature,
authentic texts – brought by learners (songs, interviews), virtual and face-
to-face encounter projects (e-mail, exchange) – getting-to-know phase
important, cultural similarities in forefront
Intercultural Communicative Competence

Skills of interpreting and relating

How can it be developed in class?

Tasks that allow careful reading, analysis, interpretation of texts – in order to

achieve a change of perspective creative tasks working with literary texts
(writing new scenes, new ending), look at action in literary text from the
point of view of minor characters, projects/simulations – learners experience
a situation from different cultural point of view (how does the American
school work – what is a typical day like at such a school), role plays / certain
games
Intercultural Communicative Competence

Critical cultural awareness

How can it be developed in class?

Critical comparison, the importance of talkativeness vs silence.

Intercultural Communicative Competence

Skills of discovery and interaction

How can it be developed in class?

Comparing e-mails, face-to-face and virtual encounter projects (web cam),

chat, study visits – ethnographic observation tasks (sounds, images, smells ...),
negotiation of cultural misunderstandings, role plays, critical incidents
The importance of Intercultural
Communicative Competence

Languages are different and used differently among different groups of

people
Behavior will change depending on the type of language and the
environment
Thus, we are supposed to cooperate in speech encounters.
Speech and behavior

The !Kung
- Talkative (talk for the sake of
talking)
- Talk about different topics
except about sex and their
gods.
- Their own style for jokes –
storytelling (do not show
interest)
What’s the importance of talk?
- Talk used to maintain peaceful
social relationships
- Talk is used to resolve different
kinds of tension, to avoid
uncertainty and to keep in
touch
Speech and behavior

Western Apache and the view of

Silence
- Do not easily start new social
relationships – when this
happens silence is important
during initial stages
- Silence – express feelings -
greeting - children returning
from boarding schools
- When cussed-out, silence the
apprpriate response even if it
is undeserved
Speech and behavior

What’s the importance of silence?

- Silence used to maintain
social relationships
- Silence used to resolve
different kinds of tension, to
avoid uncertainty and to start
new relationships
Speech and behavior

Antiguans speech
- Multifaceted .
- People do a variety of
activities white talking
The Subanun
- Speech and alcohol?
- Different kinds of speech in
drinking encounters
- Successful talk during
drinking – important - leaders
Speech and behavior

The view of silence and talkativess

from our point of view?
- When is silence view as a
positive sign?
- When is it important not to
remain silent?
Your attitude towards alcohol and
culture
ICC in Language Planning

Types of Language Planning

Heinz Kloss (1967), distinguished three basic types of language planning:
Status planning - all efforts undertaken to change the use and
function of a language or language variety within a given society.
Corpus planning - concerned with the internal structure of the
language
Acquisition planning - aims to influence aspects of language, such
as language status, distribution and literacy through education.
ICC in Language Planning

Acquisition Planning
Cooper (1989)- Planning processes that relate to organized effort s to
promote the learning of a language. Acquisition planning concerns the
teaching and learning of language. It is directly related to language spread.
Acquisition planning involves the users of a language and the teaching and
learning of that language. The main goals of acquisition planning are set out
by Kaplan and Baldauf (2003):
To decide what language should be taught within the curriculum
To determine the amount and quality of teacher training
To involve local communities
To determine what material will be used and how they will be incorporated
into the syllabi
To establish a local and state assessment system to monitor progress
To determine financial costs
ICC in Language Planning

Although acquisition planning can be useful to governments, there are

several problems that must be considered and others that are neglected.
Can you think of some of them?
- Even with a solid evaluation and assessment system, the effects of
planning methods can never be certain; governments must consider the
effects on other aspects of state planning, such as economic and political
planning.
- Some proposed acquisition changes could also be too drastic or
instituted too suddenly without proper planning and organization.
- Acquisition planning can also be financially draining, so adequate
planning and awareness of financial resources is essential. It is important
therefore that government goals be organized and planned carefully.
ICC in Language Planning

From what you know about the Bolivian Educational Law…

- What can you say about the teaching of indigenous and foreign languages?
- What aspects have been neglected?
- Do you think we should include ICC as part of language in education
planning? why? (issues to consider: curriculum policy, personnel policy,
methodology and materials policy and community policy)