CEFR and ELP seminar (Skopje)

1
CEFR and ELP seminar (Skopje)

• ELP and intercultural aspects
• Workshop 4

2
CEFR and interculturality

• In Principles and Guidelines (2000) the ELP
  should 'reflect the Council of Europe's concern
  with respect for diversity and ways of life'
• ELP is 'tool to promote plurilingualism and
  pluriculturalism'

3

• The cultural impact of language learning on the
  individual learner
• Learner becomes plurilingual and develops
  interculturality
• Linguistic and cultural competences
• contribute to intercultural awareness, skills
  and know-how
• enable to develop
• an enriched, more complex personality
• an enhanced capacity for further language
  learning
• greater openness to new cultural experiences

4
CEFR and interculturality(Common European
Framework of Reference, 2001)

• Intercultural awareness includes an awareness of
  diversity. Intercultural skills and know-how
  include
• Ability to bring culture of origin and foreign
  culture into relation with each other
• Cultural sensitivity/ability for a variety of
  strategies for contact
• The role of cultural intermediary
• Ability to overcome stereotyped relationships

5
ELP and intercultural aspects (Principles and
Guidelines, 2004)

• Language Passport reports . significant language
  and intercultural learning experiences.
• Language Biography is organised to promote
  plurilingualism
• Dossier offers the opportunity to select
  materials to document and illustrate experiences

6
The challenge of intercultural competence

• There are no validated scales with
  descriptors(not yet)
• There would not be a direct relationship between
  those scales and levels of language proficiency
• According to Schneider and Lenz lists of
  objectives on 'aspects of sociocultural
  knowledge' and 'components of intercultural
  competence that should be acquired ()' would be
  valuable (2001)

7
The challenge of intercultural competence

• But Cultural knowledge is not the same as
  intercultural competence (Little/Simpson, 2003)
• Intercultural competence needs relevant cultural
  knowledge (including knowledge of culture of
  origin)
• Intercultural competence also depends on other
  factors e.g.the individuals affective and
  attitudinal orientation and personal skills)
• It is difficult to judge own intercultural
  competence because of the fact that many learners
  are not in position to do so.

8
Role of the ELP

• Little and Simpson (2003) pointed out that ELP
  could and should play an important role in
  stimulating thinking about
• Cultural differences
• Reflection on experiences (in terms of location
  and intensity)
• Location work, travel,study
• Intensity frequency, duration, involvement,
  significance for oneself.

9
Recording and reflecting intercultural experiences

• Questions to be considered in order to record
  intercultural experiences in your ELP
• Where, with whom and in what context (location)?
• What kind of experience (intensity)?
• What was my response?
• Why did I respond the way I did?

10
In the classroom

• In most cases language learning takes place in
  the classroom
• Possibilities bringing the other culture in the
  classroom
• Natives (neighbourhood, international companies)
• Media (journals, newspapers, internet)
• Correspondence projects (e-mail, letters,
  chatsessions)
• Virtual exchanges
• All kinds of simulations
• ButTake account of cultural similarities and
  focus not only on cultural differences as well as
  of 'own' culture

11
An example of a simulation activity

• Background information
• Developed in cooperation with teachers and
  learners of secondary schools
• Aim stimulating spoken interaction in the
  classroom
• As a consequence of school reform only listening
  and speaking skills

12
The project

• Develop a biography of a person in the target
  language. During a couple of lessons the
  biography will be enriched with all kind of
  information.
• First part collecting knowledge
• By checking information through resource persons
  (teachers, natives, .) awareness raising.
• Combining with exchange programmes (real or
  virtual) intercultural experiences possible
• Be aware of resource persons are in eyes of
  learner always 'experts of their own culture'

13
Activities

• Develop your own (foreign) identity
• Name, year of birth, city, the place you live in,
  school, family, occupation of parents,
• Search for information about city, neighbourhood.
• (Young) learners two goals
• Intercultural experiences by checking, exchange
  information with other learners
• Awareness of own culture
• Looking for realisations of 'can do's' in ELP

14

• All kinds of possibilities to develop the person
  further
• By making appointments (visiting something that
  will take place in real life football match,
  movie, theatre, concert
• By reading (local) newspapers, journals (on the
  internet)

15

• At the end and during the project check the
  collected information (knowledge) in real or
  virtual communicative situations.

16
Outcomes

• There was a continuous discourse between foreign
  and own culture
• Spoken interaction became a natural part in the
  classroom
• ELP can do's in spoken interaction no problem
• Intercultural experiences through verification
  sometimes difficult
• Learners and teachers were very enthusiastic
  about the project (and developed it further)

17
References

• Groenewold,P.,1997'Land in Sicht'. Landeskunde
  als Dialog der Identitäten am Beispiel des
  deutschen-niederländischen Begegnungsdiskurses,
  Groningen. Dialogue of identities Dutch-German
  imagological discourse
• Little,D. and B.Simpson, 2003 European Language
  Portfolio. The intercultural component and
  Learning how to learn. Strasbourg Council of
  Europe
• Schneider,G. and P.Lenz, 2001 European Language
  Portfolio Guide for developers. Strasbourg
  Council of Europe