Visibility of eTwinning Projects Group July 2012 Newsletter
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3. I comment on the way in which the foreign
culture is represented in the foreign
language materials I am using in a
particular class
4. I ask my pupils about their experiences in
the foreign country
5. I ask my pupils to describe an aspect of
their own culture in the foreign language
6. I ask my pupils to think about the image
which the media promote the foreign
country
7. I ask my pupils to think about what it would
be like to live in the foreign culture
8. I ask my pupils to independently explore an
aspect of the foreign culture
9. I ask my pupils to participate in role-play
situations in which people from different
cultures meet
10. I touch upon an aspect of the foreign
culture regarding which I/they feel
negatively disposed
11. I invite a person originating from the
foreign country to my classroom
12. (…)
[5] Kaikkonen, P. (2001). “Intercultural learning
through foreign language education”. In
Kohonen, V., Jaatinen, R., Kaikkonen, P. &
Lehtovaara, J. Experiential learning in foreign
language education. Essex: Pearson Education,
pp. 61-102.
[6] Kohonen, V. (1992). “Experiential language
learning: second language learning as
cooperative learner education”. In Nunan, D.
(ed.). Collaborative language learning and
teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, pp. 14-39.
[7] Sercu, L., Bandura, E., Castro, P., Davchev, L.,
Laskaridou, C., Lundgren, U., Méndez García,
M. C. & Ryan, P. (2005). Foreign language
teachers and intercultural competence – na
international investigation. Clevedon:
Multilingual Matters.
After this reflections, it is not difficult to agree with
Kaikkonen when he declares that becoming an
intercultural speaker is “a life-long process; (…) a
whole lifetime of foreign language and intercultural
learning” (2001: 89). The starting point is to
recognize its relevance, understand what lies
beneath it and start making the necessary changes
so ICC can become a reality in our foreign language
classes and eTwinning projects.
References:
[1] Aguilar, M. J. (2002). Intercultural
communicative competence: a step beyond
communicative competence. Estudios de
linguistic inglesa aplicada, ELIA 3, PP. 85-102.
[2] Byram, M. (1997). Teaching and assessing
intercultural communicative competence.
Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
[3] Byram, M., Gribkova, B., Starkey, H. (2002).
Developing the intercultural dimension in
language teaching - a practical introduction for
teachers. Strasbourg: Council of Europe –
Language Policy Division. Available at:
http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/source/guid
e_dimintercult_en.pdf
[4] Elsen, A. & St. John, O. (2007). Learner
autonomy and intercultural competence. In
Jiménez Raya, M. & Sercu, L. (eds.) Challenges
in teacher development – learner autonomy and
intercultural competence. Frankfurt: Peter Lang,
pp. 15-38.
eTwinning for All: e-Skills and
Digital Competences at School
from a Lifelong Learning
Perspective
By Cinzia Colaiuda
Cinzia Colaiuda is a teacher of German at the lower
secondary school “Ovidio” in Sulmona, Italy. Cinzia
is an eTwinning Ambassador in her region and
works closely with the eTwinning CSS and NSS on
developing pedagogical material in eTwinning. She
has been an eTwinner since 2008. Currently she is
working at the Ministry of Education in Rome.
Digital technologies have enormous potential to
benefit our everyday lives and tackle social
challenges. In the globalisation era we are all
“connected” through the internet in the www-
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