Intercultural Competence

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Intercultural Competence

• as a pluralistic approach
• Antoinette Camilleri Grima

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What is ICC?

• transcending the limitations of ones own world
  view
• (Fantini 2000, p.31)

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Through an education for ICC

• We open up to other ways of thinking and other
  ways of logic
• We find a tongue in which we can speak our
  humanity to each other
• We learn to see that our own view of the world is
  just one among many
• (Willems 2002 19)

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What is the specific aim of ICC as a pluralistic
approach?
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• Im Polish, and I was invited for dinner while in
  Paris together with an Englishman and a Spaniard.
  We all arrived at the door at the same time.
  Our host asked us to come in. Being the only
  lady in the group I tried to go in first, but I
  did not have the time as the Englishman preceded
  me. The Spaniard then kept the door open for me
  and made a gesture inviting me in before him. We
  passed a comment about how rude the Englishman
  was!

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• Im French. Before going to China I learned a few
  essential phrases and felt very confident in my
  ability to communicate. Soon after I arrived
  there, I found myself in front of a cake stall.
  I pointed my finger at the object I desired and
  said Those two in Chinese, pointing my finger
  at the object. The seller hesitated a little,
  looked at my fingers and started to put more and
  more cakes in the bag. No, no, two I repeated
  again putting two fingers on my nose. She filled
  the bag and asked me to pay for my custom.
• I was very frustrated, and only later did I learn
  that placing the thumb and the index finger on my
  nose pointing outwards meant eight.

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Your intercultural experienceNo. 1

• Think of an unhappy intercultural incident in
  which you were involved and found yourself at a
  loss understanding what was going on.
• Write it down.
• Share it with your neighbour and explain why it
  was strange for you.

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In our day to day encounters, what happens the
moment we realise that, for example

• things are not working out as usual
• were not being understood
• the other persons behaviour is strange
• we cannot make sense of whats happening
• someone was offended unintentionally

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We experience...

• Surprise
• Discomfort
• Irritation
• Shock
• Anger
• Losing face
• Humour

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What happened to the fish?

• It was surprised to see the tadpole change into a
  frog
• It was curious to hear about the new world the
  frog described upon his return
• It was only able to partly understand the world
  outside the water, and only from its own point
  of view

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The fish did have...

• Curiosity/Interest in diversity (3)
• Receptiveness to diversity (5)
• Motivation to observe...(8)
• Desire to find out about other cultures (9.5)
• (CARAP/FREPA resources Attitudes)

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But the moment it left the water

• The fish failed...why?
• It had
• A false sense of confidence in her ability
• False expectations about adjustment
• A lack of true understanding of cultural dynamics
• (Bennett 1993)

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Having a few, isolated resources is not enough.

• In Byrams (199211) words,
• the fish remained
• firmly anchored in her own values and culture

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• ICC as a pluralistic approach is not really about
  the fish...
• ...Could it be more about the tadpole and the
  frog?!

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My intercultural experience

• I was part of an international group of
  colleagues about to enter an Austrian restaurant
  for an evening meal. Next to me was an Austrian
  gentleman who, as soon as we got to the door
  rushed to open it. At first I thought he was
  really polite and so I quickly moved forward
  towards the door. However, to my amazement, he
  stepped ahead of me, and entered before me.

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Sequel...

• I was slightly offended, but once we were seated
  he explained to me that in Austria it was
  considered polite for a man to precede the woman
  upon entering, and to let the woman out first
  when leaving the building!
• I think he had noticed that I felt uncomfortable
  with his action, and gave me the opportunity to
  discuss our customs and expectations for a while.
• After that little talk I enjoyed the meal better!

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Notice that this time...

• Although there was again an uncomfortable
  intercultural event, the conclusion was
  different.
• This Austrian gentleman possessed that kind of
  intercultural competence described in the Guide

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• ...the capacity to interpret another way of life
  and to explain it to those who live another.
• (Guide, p. 32)

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The Austrian gentleman had the relevant
competences as described in CARAP/FREPA (p. 126)

• A competence in resolving conflict, clarifying
  misunderstanding (C1.1)
• A competence in mediation (C1.3)
• A competence of decentring (C3)
• A competence in recognising the other (C7)

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There needs to be a mobilisation of a
sophisticated network of global competences and
resources
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Your intercultural experienceNo. 2

• Think of another intercultural event, with a
  happy and successful ending
• Write it down
• Share it with your neighbour
• Together try to identify the competences and some
  of the resources (in CARAP/FREPA) mobilised for
  its successful outcome

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What happens to you as a result of your
intercultural experiences?

• Sometimes you feel like the fish

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ICC is NOT simply about learning to look at the
world through somebody elses pair of glasses

• Nor is the new competence kept entirely separate
  from the old. The learner does not simply
  acquire two distinct, unrelated ways of acting
  and communicating
• (CEF, p. 43)

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ICC is NOT about encoding and decoding messages
and symbols(Ma 2003)
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Do you sometimes feel like a tadpole turning
into a frog?

• In tackling new experiences...
• We are constantly changing,
• constructing evolving identities,
• redefining our cultures,
• creating new meanings,
• forming new understandings...

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• As the language learner becomes plurilingual and
  develops interculturality
• The linguistic and cultural competences in
  respect of each language are modified by
  knowledge of the other...
• (CEF, p. 43)

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ICC is NOT

• An approach to changing our natural behaviour
• The learner of a second or foreign language and
  culture does not cease to be competent in his or
  her mother tongue and the associated culture.
• (CEF p. 43)

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• Linguistic and cultural competences...
• enable the individual to develop an enriched,
  more complex personality and enhanced capacity
  for further language learning and greater
  openness to new cultural experiences.
• (CEF, p. 43)

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ICC involves

• A conscious understanding of the process of
  adaptation
• (Bennett 1993)
• A high degree of meta-linguistic, meta-cognitive,
  and other meta- capabilities
• -

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As in our CARAP/FREPA

• ICC is NOT A (singular) Competence
• BUT
• A sophisticated network of Global Competences,
• mobilising Resources of
• Knowledge, Attitudes, Skills

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A singular view of ICC
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A pluralistic view of ICC
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ICC as a pluralistic approach

• Learning a language
• ?
• Teacher of a European language ?
• Understanding another cultural group/s (and ones
  own) ?

• Teaching/learning activities involving several
  languages
• European teacher of languages
• Developing of a network of competences and
  resources

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GrazziThankyouMerciDankeGraciasKöszönöm
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References

• Abram, I. (2004) Intercultural learning and
  young children. In van Keulen (Ed.) Young
  children arent biased, are they?. Amsterdam
  SWP.
• Beacco, J-C Byram, M. (2003) Guide for the
  development of language education policies in
  Europe. From linguistic diversity to plurilingual
  education. Council of Europe
• Bennett, M.J. (1993) Towards ehtnorelativisim a
  developmental model of intercultural
  sensitivity. In Paige, R.M. (Ed.) Education for
  the Intercultural Experience. Maine
  Intercultural Press, Inc.
• Byram, M. (1992) Foreign Language Learning for
  European citizenship. In Language Learning
  Journal, 6, September, 10-12.
• Camilleri Grima, A. (2002) How Strange! The use
  of anecdotes in the development of intercultural
  competence. European Centre for Modern
  Languages/Council of Europe.
• Council of Europe (2001) Common European
  Framework of Reference for Languages Learning,
  teaching, assessment. Council of Europe and
  Cambridge University Press.
• Fantini, A.E. (2000) A Central Concern
  Developing Intercultural Competence. SIT
  Occasional Paper Series, Issue No. 1.
• Ma, L. (2003) Is there an essential difference
  between Intercultural and Intracultural
  communication?. In Journal of Intercultural
  Communication, Issue 6, Feb. 2003-May 2004.
• Rodriguez, A. (2002) Culture to Culturing. In
  Journal of Intercultural Communication, Issue 5,
  April 2002.
• Street, B. (1993) Culture is a Verb.
  Anthropological aspects of language and cultural
  process. In Graddol, D., Thompson, L., and
  Byram, M. (Eds.) Language and Culture, BAAL and
  Multilingual Matters Ltd.
• Weaver, G.R. (1993) Understanding and coping
  with cross-cultural adjustment and stress. In
  Paige, R.M. (Ed.) Education for the Intercultural
  Experience. Maine Intercultural Press, Inc.
• Willems, G. M. (2002) Language teacher education
  policy. Promoting linguistic diversity and
  intercultural communication. Strasbourg Council
  of Europe.