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Virtual Intercultural Competence: A Programme for
Japanese Elementary School Students by Lynne Parmenter &
Yuichi Tomita – reviewed by Manuel F. Lara
MIVCI: El componente intercultural en la
enseñanza plurilingüe
I will examine this VIC experience using the
model proposed in Byram, Gribkova and
Starkey (2002)
ICC should be developed in its
five spheres:
Intercultural attitudes / savoir être: Curiosity, openness, the affective ability
to ‘decentre’, which implies abandoning ethnocentric attitudes and relativising
one’s own values, beliefs and behaviours.
Knowledge / savoirs: of one’s own culture and of the interlocutor’s culture
and of how human beings interact and perceive each other.
Skills of interpreting and relating / savoir comprendre: ability to interpret a
document or event from another culture and relate it to similar documents or
events in one’s one culture.
Skills of discovery and interaction / savoir apprendre - faire: ability to
acquire new knowledge of a culture and cultural practices; ability to operate
knowledge, attitudes and skills under the constraints of real-time
communication and interaction.
Critical cultural awareness / savoir s’engager: the critical evaluation of
practices, perspectives and products in one’s and the other’s culture and
countries.

Foreign Language Education in Japan
Basic aim ;
“to place importance on deepening international understanding and
developing an attitude of respect for our country's culture and tradition”
(Monbusho, 1989:2)
Facts :
FL education begins at the age of 12

Most students learn only one language: English

Cultural issues are not included in the curriculum in any integrated or
significant way and, if any, it is biases towards the USA.

2002 Reforms and FLTin Japan
Underlying principle – internationalization
English – Compulsory – emphasis on “practical communication skills”
Introduction of integrated study time to the curriculum.(IST)
The IST content is to be decided at individual school level.
IST should be used in areas such as international understanding (IU),
environmental education, ICT education, welfare and health education
The purposes of FLT in Japan are political & economic rather than social
or individual.
On the other hand, there are those who see FLT at elementary school as
one element of education for IU. Till now, IU has not formed an integral
element of FL education and policy.
NHK (Japan Broadcasting Company) Project
NHK has developed an English programme to be used by
elementary schools in their “integrated study time”.
NHK intend to include a significant proportion of cultural
content. Cultural content is organized to fit in with and
complement the key expressions and functions. English is
recognized the lingua franca which includes English
communication with people whose native language is not
English (international understanding perspective).
The NHK series is entitled Eigorian made for the purpose of
international understanding. Its purpose is to increase
students' CC they need in international society by familiarizing
the with everyday expressions.
Discussion of the NHK Project from an ICC
The development of intercultural competence from the early stages of TEFL:
There are many possibilities from the very early stages for developing ICC:
eye contact
ways of shaking hands
forms of greeting
Foreign language education in Japan pays almost no attention to the development of ICC over relying on
the linguistic and (to a lesser extend) sociolinguistic elements of CC.

The development of language and cultural awareness
When a foreign language is an international language (IL) the development of language and culture
awareness is of primary importance. Till now, in education in Japan FL=English=USA. and NHK tries to put
into question the last part of the equation. English=USA and tries to develop an awareness of of the
multilingual and multicultural nature of the world.
Attitudes towards other language and cultures
In teaching ICC, NHK tries to develop attitudes towards and ways of thinking about one's and other
languages and cultures. The purpose is to develop skills of learning, attitudes of valuing the other person
by wanting to overcome linguistic barriers of communication to understand him/her. The aim is to create
some shared meaning and communicate, as the characters in this TV programme manage to do.
Problems and Possibilities
ICC can be developed with beginners who often have no
opportunity for direct intercultural contact.
FL is introduced as part of international understanding (IU)
which is part of integrated learning (IL), not the other way
round, IU as part of English
Should cultural content be subsumed to linguistic objectives
or more careful attention should be paid to the structure,
presentation and use of cultural content?
As a final conclusion, a TV series can only be effective in
developing the ICC and IU if it appeals to and communicates
with its audience.