CONTEXT
In Europe today, the mastery of intercultural competence
is an indisputable asset and can no longer be dissociated from effective
teaching/ learning of communicative competence in languages.
Most language learning/teaching textbooks and methods
include materials designed to introduce learners to the culture and civilisation
of the country where the language is spoken. These documents often address
traditional issues and topics which awaken little or no interest with
learners and restrict the learning of intercultural competence to the
comparison of the native language and culture with that of the new language
studied.
However, nowadays the idea of intercultural competence within Europe should
not be restricted to simply knowing the culture and civilisation of the
country of the target language. The language studied should rather be
used as a vehicle for discovering the cultural wealth of a number of other
European countries and for creating better mutual knowledge and understanding.
Against this backdrop the present project takes up the
main challenge of today's Europe as formulated in the title of the second
medium-term programme: "Language education for social cohesion in
a multicultural and multilingual context."
While the project is an extension of previous work by
the Council of Europe (such as "All different, all equal") it
opens up a new dimension to the issues raised by the projects conducted
by the European Centre for Modern Languages in Graz during the first medium-term
programme.
AIMS
AND OBJECTIVES ______________________________
General
aims
The general aims of the project are
as follows:
- to provide young people learning modern languages
with intercultural competences that enable them to get to know and understand
one another better and prepare them to live and work in a multilingual
and multicultural society;
- to facilitate the acquisition of intercultural competences
through interactive communication using modern IT resources;
- to provide teachers and learners alike with
genuine tools for teaching/learning intercultural competence.
Specific
objectives
The specific aims of the project are as follows:
- to create
a network of language classes (English/French/German/Spanish) in secondary
education (first and second levels) chosen by the participants of the
33 member states prior to the central workshop;
- to invite
the pupils of these language classes to suggest topics they are interested
in and which they would like to discuss at length subsequently with
their peers from other countries. At the central workshop the suggestions
put forward by the pupils will be sorted according to three topic areas:
y e s t e r d a y (our traditions, customs and habits),
t o d a y (our joys and fears) and t o m o r r
o w (our dreams and projects for our personal and professional
life in the Europe of tomorrow);
- to create
and subsequently update a web site where pupils from the selected classes
can discuss the topics chosen;
- to encourage
teachers and learners to take an active part in the Internet-based exchange
forum throughout the project and in the development of subsequent contacts;
- to use
the responses / reactions and comments obtained to devise tools for
the promotion of intercultural competence within the context of modern
language teaching/learning, both for guided learning at school and for
self-learning.
EXPECTED
OUTCOMES ______________________________
Phase I
Process:
- Process launch:
- Recruiting participants for the central workshop
- Selecting the language classes
- Drawing up lists of topics
- Creating the web site.
- Collating the statements/responses/reactions on the
web site.
- Working on the selected responses/statements/reactions.
Products:
A CD-Rom complete with booklet containing selected responses aimed at
teachers and learners of English, French, German and Spanish as modern
languages.
Phase II
Process:
- Project group work (co-ordination team + 5-6 members
chosen among the participants in the central workshop),
- Methodological elaboration of tools for teaching/learning
intercultural competence.
Product:
Brochure, complete with tools, for teachers and learners of languages
as well as for textbook and programme designers.
ACTION
PLAN _____________________________________
Phase I
February 2004 to October 2005
Gather the genuine statements made by learners on the selected topics.
2004
13-14 February
Preparatory meeting for the central workshop. Meeting of the coordination
team to:
- establish means of contacting the future participants
in the central workshop selected and designated by the national authorities;
- define the tasks to be carried out by the future
participants prior to the central workshop;
- discuss the structure of the web site and the school
network;
- draw up the schedule for the four days of the central
workshop.
March to June
The participants designated by the national authorities
will:
- select one (or 2-3) language class(es) (French/English/German
or Spanish as foreign languages ) at secondary level at their own school
or at another school whose pupils would be willing to contribute to
the project;
- invite those pupils to suggest the topics they
would like to discuss subsequently with adolescents from other countries;
- draw up tentative lists of these topics.
The co-ordination team will:
- contact the designated participants and ensure
that the work to be carried out ahead of the central workshop runs smoothly.
16-19 June
Central workshop of four days (one participant per member state designated
by the national authorities).
Four-day workshop to:
- discuss the teaching/learning of intercultural competence
at the schools of the countries concerned;
- draw up the list of language classes to be involved
in the project;
- decide how the web site will be used;
- draw up the list of topics and decide how they are
to be structured on the web site;
- identify the tools that teachers and learners need
most for teaching/learning intercultural competence;
- choose six members in addition to the project team
- these will be future spokespersons for three networks organised around
the three main topic areas (two people per area, each of whom will be
responsible for two languages).
Profile of participants:
Secondary school teachers of English, French, German or Spanish as a foreign
language (first or second level) interested in teaching intercultural
competence, capable of working in French or English, and willing to contribute
over the entire duration of the project. To a large extent the project's
success depends on the balanced representation of the four languages mentioned
above.
Ideally the designated participants should have at least
five to ten years' professional experience. They should have been involved
in past national or international co-operation projects, and be sufficiently
proficient in the use of the Internet so as to be able to use the projects
forum on the web site and possibly moderate it.
June to October
The project team is to:
- set up the web site and draw up the topics according
to organising principles;
- communicate the details of the web site to the
selected schools.
October to February (2005)
The project team is to:
- collate the responses on the web site;
- remain constantly in contact with everyone involved
in the project.
2005
18-19 February
Network meeting (coordination team + 6 network spokespersons) to:
- evaluate the initial statements/responses/reactions
obtained;
- identify the problems involved in operating the web
site;
- make the necessary corrections to the list of topics;
- draw up evaluation criteria for the statements/responses/reactions.
February to June
Project group work follow up aimed at gathering the response/reaction
on the forum of the web site.
1-2 July
Meeting of the project group to:
- evaluate and select the response/reaction;
- decide the contents of the CD-Rom.
Phase II
October to October (2006)
Using the statements / reactions / responses obtained, to devise
tools for teaching and learning intercultural competence.
14-15 October
Network meeting to:
- present the results of Phase I;
- decide on how to disseminate the products of Phase
I;
- draw up the methodology for producing the tools for
teaching/learning intercultural competence based on the statements obtained.
October to January (2006)
The project group is to work on the tools.
2006
February to June
Preparation of the final versions of the tools.
June
Meeting of the project group to:
- finalise the help brochure for teaching intercultural
competence;
- improve the tools devised;
- prepare the concept for disseminating the results.
June to October
Publication of the final product from the second phase of the project.
LANGUAGES
The working languages of the project are French and English. Simultaneous
interpretation between the two languages will be provided at the plenary
sessions of the central workshop in June 2004.
Not only is a balanced representation of the teachers
of the four languages mentioned desirable, it is also essential that the
teachers of Spanish and German taking part in the central workshop be
able to express themselves in French or English.
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