Intercultural Communicative Competence In English Language Teaching In Polish State Colleges

This volume provides a strong theoretical introduction to the field of intercultural communication, offering practical examples of classroom activities, as well as presenting empirical research which demonstrates that intercultural communicative competence (ICC) can be developed effectively in specially tailored courses adjusted to the needs of learners. It presents a novel model of intercultural sensitivity assessment, and outlines the results of research into intercultural communicative competence conducted among the students of English Language Studies in state colleges in Poland. The cultural component in developing ICC as an extra-linguistic determinant is assigned particular prominence in the book. A thorough analysis of the empirical material collected from participant observation, the administered questionnaires and interviews allowed the most common values and attitudes held as components of intercultural sensitivity to be identified. The obtained findings are subsequently analyzed to predict the potential areas of communication misunderstandings and failures between Polish learners of English and representatives of other cultures.

The research and development described in this volume is intended to contribute to the integration of intercultural communication training in teacher education programmes.

Foreign Language Teachers and Intercultural Communication: An International Investigation reports on a study that focused on teachers' beliefs regarding intercultural competence teaching in foreign language education. Its conclusions are based on data collected in a quantitative comparative study that comprises questionnaire answers received from teachers in seven countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, Poland, Mexico, Greece, Spain and Sweden. It not only creates new knowledge on the variability, and relative consistency, of today's foreign language teachers' views regarding intercultural competence teaching in a number of countries, but also gives us a picture that is both more concrete and more comprehensive than previously known.

The volume Developing Intercultural Competence through English: Focus on Ukrainian and Polish Cultures edited by Anna Niżegorodcew, Yakiv Bystrov and Marcin Kleban offers a valuable result of a joint intercultural project between two universities from the neighbouring countries of Poland and Ukraine. Among the mass of books on intercultural communication the proposed volume distinguishes itself by three features: unusual format combining the work of both scholars and students, the focus on the intercultural approach, and practical designation. It also stresses the increasing awareness in the modern world that teaching/learning English serves the purpose of developing general intercultural competence and not building the knowledge about the English speaking world. [...] The choice of topics [...] indicates an interesting cultural difference - Ukrainian inclination to focus on the characteristic and attractive aspects of their own culture and Polish on the problematic and the difficult. Professor Lucyna Aleksandrowicz-Pędich, Department of English, Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities Z recenzji prof. dr. hab. Mirosława J. Szymańskiego

This book offers a wide range of topics for the scholar interested in the study of English in this unsettling era of disruption in our lives – from linguistics to literature to language teaching and learning. The chapters present snippets of thoughts and critical reflections, findings from action research and other methodologies, and essays on troubling topics for language teachers. The authors are researchers, experienced teachers, and students engaged in exploratory research. The many ideas and suggestions for further reflection and research will inspire teachers and researchers working in many different contexts, both educational and regional. There is something in this book for everybody.

Dialogue in foreign language education is a collection of studies that explore topics important in contemporary foreign language education, such as: academic discourse, intercultural communication, the use of information technology, critical reading, the development of communicative skills, anxiety in foreign language learning. Researchers from Poland and abroad discuss the interplay between various factors influencing foreign language learning and teaching. The publication consists of eleven chapters, each followed by comments in which their authors dialogue with the opinions expressed in the chapters. It is our hope that the book will inspire readers to ask questions and pursue new paths along “old, well known” topics concerning foreign language education. … an extremely valuable book; discussing issues that play a crucial role in contemporary foreign language pedagogy, in an interesting way presenting the voices of its contributors … I believe the publication will definitely be welcomed by foreign language teachers, pre-service and in-service trainers, academic teachers as well as teacher trainees and students of foreign language colleges. (translated by the editor) Prof. zw. dr hab. Hanna Komorowska Instytut Anglistyki, Uniwersytet Warszawski

Seminar paper from the year 2008 in the subject Didactics - English - Pedagogy, Literature Studies, grade: 2,0, University of Wuppertal (Anglistik/Amerikanistik), course: Cultural Studies on a Shoestring, language: English, abstract: Due to its importance in foreign language learning in German schools the subject of English carries the main responsibility to develop the students' competence for intercultural communication (cf. Göbel/Hesse). Accordingly, the KMK classifies intercultural learning as a key element of English language teaching and includes intercultural competence in the educational standards for grades 9 and 10 (cf. KMK 2003 & KMK 2004). Intercultural competence is described as contextual socio-cultural knowledge, the ability to deal with cultural difference sympathetically and the ability to master situations of intercultural contact (cf. KMK 2003: 8; cf. KMK 2004: 8). Including the cognitive and the affective level as well as the level of action alike, this description reflects the complexity of intercultural competence. The affective as well as the level of action are of particular importance if the teaching of culture is to be more than the teaching of facts as it was practised by the Landeskunde approach (cf. Nünning/Nünning). New approaches for an action- and product-oriented teaching of English are supported by empirical studies about intercultural sensitivity, which stress the relevance of emotions in situations of intercultural contact (cf. Göbel/Hesse). However, an analysis of the curricula of the German states shows that the main focus is on objectives of the cognitive dimension whereas learning aims of the affective level and the level of action are included less often (cf. ibid.). Moreover, many curricula lack information about which contents to use for teaching general aims like empathy, overcoming ethnocentrism and respect for cultural differences (cf. ibid.). Hence, the curricula are not sufficient for arranging a successful teachin

While research into intercultural teaching has grown exponentially during the past two decades, the research has primarily resorted to the use of quantitative data collection instruments and the interpretation of scores calculated through them. As such, studies in the field can seem somewhat decontextualized, ignoring in some cases setting-specific parameters. Therefore, further study is needed to bring together theory, research, and practice demonstrating how this teaching is reflected in research design and how it is undertaken in different settings. Intercultural Foreign Language Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Contexts is an essential reference source that provides a series of rich insights into the way intercultural education is practiced in numerous international contexts and showcases practical examples of teaching situations and classroom activities that demonstrate its impact within the classroom. Featuring research on topics such as higher education, multilingualism, and professionalism, this book is ideally designed for educators, researchers, administrators, professionals, academicians, and students seeking pedagogical guidance on intercultural teaching.