Projekt:European Sociolinguistics/Intercultural Competence

Which role does intercultural competence play in secondary education?

Austria

According to to the Austrian curriculum for "Hauptschule", intercultural competence is a basic skill of every citizen:

"Der Bildungs- und Erziehungsprozess erfolgt vor dem Hintergrund rascher gesellschaftlicher Veränderungen, insbesondere in den Bereichen Kultur, Wissenschaft, Wirtschaft, Technik, Umwelt und Recht. Der europäische Integrationsprozess ist im Gange, die Internationalisierung der Wirtschaft schreitet voran, zunehmend stellen sich Fragen der interkulturellen Begegnung. In diesem Zusammenhang kommt der Auseinandersetzung mit der regionalen, österreichischen und europäischen Identität unter dem Aspekt der Weltoffenheit besondere Bedeutung zu. Akzeptanz, Respekt und gegenseitige Achtung sind wichtige Erziehungsziele, insbesondere im Rahmen des interkulturellen Lernens. Wenn Schülerinnen und Schüler mit unterschiedlichen kulturellen Hintergründen – zB unterschiedlichen Muttersprachen – gemeinsam unterrichtet werden, ist neben der sicheren Verwendung der Unterrichtssprache der Begegnung der Kulturen im Alltagsleben besonderes Augenmerk zu widmen."

Source: pdf-file of the Bundeministerium für Unterricht, Kunst und Kultur

--KatiK 13:03, 19. Sep. 2007 (CEST)

Belgium

Intercultural education especially in the Flemish community

One of the main points in Flander´s policy was to define “final objectives” for an intercultural education. So that each pupil would be able to deal “with other cultures and their representatives in a respectful way, in a society which is irrevocably intercultural. The aim is “to facilitate the recognition and appreciation of diversity.” (1)

The Department of Culture and Education takes care about intercultural education, on the local and regional level; it is a “requirement of the provincial and municipal laws and regulations.” (2)

Above you can see some strategies to integrate intercultural education in several courses or projects, like music-creative education. (This cannot be treated in general terms, since each school is free to create its programme.) (3):

1. pupils are able to show tolerance with regards to differences in gender, colour and ethnicity. (First level secondary education: sense of public responsibility development);

2. pupils are able to express their personal opinion on visual creations from various cultures(First degree secondary education: visual arts education);

3. pupils are able to elaborate on human rights, using examples from the human rights charters, particularly the Convention on the Rights of the Child (Third degree Secondary Education: sense of public responsibility development);

4. pupils are able to demonstrate, with a couple of examples, that the global dimension in our society is becoming more and more explicit, among others on a political, economic and cultural level, and that this evolution comes has several advantages, and at the same time causes conflicts (Third degree secondary education: sense of public responsibility development);

5. pupils are able to take into account, in the way they deal with peers, that not all children live in the same type of family as their own, using appropriate discretion (Basic education: World orientation);

6. pupils are able to illustrate that various social and cultural groups have other values and norms (Basic education: World orientation);

7. pupils are able to put elementary notions, with regards to population, including cultural aspects, into words, and read the population data in question from maps and charts (First degree secondary education: Geography);

8. pupils learn how to be respective of the singularity and specific lifestyle of people from other cultures, also in our own multicultural society (First degree secondary education: Geography); and

9. pupils explore musical-creative expressions, such as music, theatre, literature, dance, painting and architecture, design, interiors, fashion and clothing, implements etc. as elements which play a role in the definition of the cultural image of a community: as a status symbol, as an expression of a personal aesthetic taste or as a functional element (Second degree secondary education: musical-creative development).

The Department of Education pays especially attention to projects surrounding intercultural education for example the Dynamo2 project support (see http://www.dynamo2.be/). Art and music schools are supported by additional financial projects. Various experimental projects are supported and set up by the Department of Education and its cultural cell, CANON Cultuurcel (see http://www.canoncultuurcel.be/). On the federal level, schools can also request project support through Kleur Bekennen (see http://www.kleurbekennen.be/).

---

1 http://www.culturalpolicies.net/web/belgium.php?aid=832 (Stand 21.08.2007)

2 ibid.

3 copied from ibid.

Marion Abel

Czech Republic

"Die interkulturelle Kompetenz spielt in jedem Fall eine viel geringere Rolle als in Deutschland oder anderen multikulturellen Ländern. Von der interkulturellen Kompetenz wird natürlich häufig gesprochen - mehr aber an den Unis als an normalen Schulen. Die interkulturelle Kompetenz verwechseln viele Lehrkräfte immer noch mit dem landeskundlichen Wissen. Ihre Frage ist sehr umfangreich, dazu müsste man mehrere Stunden sprechen. Nichts ist schwarz-weiß. "

quotation from:

PaedDr. Hana Andrásová, Ph.D (Universität Ceske Budejovice)

"the role of intercultural competence is considered to be very important in the Czech Republic that means, most textbooks and secondary courses nowadays give considerable space to developping the intercultural competence of students"

quotation from:

Olga Dontcheva-Navratilova, Ph.D (Masaryk University Brno Faculty of Education)

Kristina Krakowitzer

Denmark

Intercultural competence is supposed to be one of the four key competences that constitute the overall language teaching. Although it is difficult to asses how much that means in practice, the awareness of intercultural competence is growing rapidly.

Source: University professors from the universities Kopenhagen and Roskilde

Estonia

„If we consider intercultural competence within learning and teaching English then I'd say it is considered very important. Students are required to know customs and traditions and aspects of English speaking countries both at secondary school as well as university levels. Since people are free to travel and communicate with different nationalities the knowledge of varios other cultures is seen as an integral part of good education. Most textbooks used in EFL classes contain information about different cultures.“

Quotation from: Head of the Department of Germanic and Romance Languages - Janika Johanna Marley, Tallinn Univesity http://www.tlu.ee/

Marina K 10:38, 5. Sep. 2007 (CEST)

France

The French Ministry Ministère Éducation Nationale offers a paper with basic skills pupils have to learn:

They have to "(...) be prepared to share a European culture; – through knowledge of the main texts of Antiquity (the Iliad and the Odyssey, stories of the founding of Rome, the Bible); – through knowledge of the main literary, pictural, theatrical, musical, architectural and cinematographic works that are a part of French, European and world heritage (ancient, modern and contemporary);"

Source: The common base of knowledge and skills

Further on it is recommended to

"(...) understand unity and complexity of the world by a primary approach to: – human rights; – diversity of civilisations, societies, religions (history and contemporary spheres of dissemination); – religion in France, Europe and throughout the world through the study of founding texts (notably, extracts from the Bible and the Koran) using a secular approach respecting consciences and convictions; – major principles of production and exchange; – globalisation; – inequality and interdependence in the world; – notions of resources, restrictions and risks; – sustainable development; – teaching on political culture: major forms of political, economic and social organisation (particularly the major States of the European Union), the place and the role of the State; – world conflicts and notions of defence"

Source:The common base of knowledge and skills

--StefanB 13:24, 19. Sep. 2007 (CEST)

Ireland

Interculturalism is being developed through the curriculum. Guidelines for this have been produced by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, you can download a draft copy of these guidelines from www.ncca.ie in the section Publications under the heading Draft Syllabuses and Guidelines. It is called 'Intercultural education opportunities across the post-primary curriculum'.

sources: Professor from the University College Dublin

Italy

Until recently, Italy has been more a country of emigration than immigration. But over the last two decades the number of non-EU immigrants has risen strongly. This led to an increased number of students from different origins in Italy and brought the problem of intercultural competence into the classroom. The way it is dealt with depends mainly on the individual teacher and the region where he/she teaches.

Some of the (richer) northern provinces have introduced “intercultural mediators” into schools, but in other (poorer) regions (mainly in the south) the responsibility lies in the hands of the teachers only. Much also depends on the political tendencies within the regions: in the north, for example, the Northern League (very anti-immigration) does not support intercultural plans.

It is also to be mentioned that in Italy this topic is seen from the perspective of integrating immigrants more than as a concept which should be developed independent of whether there are non-Italians in the classroom or not. As a consequence, programmes are often entitled Accoglienza, Orientamento, Integrazione (Welcome, Orientation, Integration) or similar.

In Italy, most “intercultural activities” take place at primary and middle school level. At high schools (age 14+) very little seems to be done. One reason for that may be that intercultural activities are not scheduled in the normal State secondary school curriculum. But nevertheless, at high schools a tendency towards organizing progetti interculturali (intercultural projects) can be observed. These are projects by individual schools designed to establish formal or informal learning situations for students (exchanges, group projects etc.).

In short you can say that the realization of intercultural concepts in Italian schools depends very much on the teacher and the region where he/she works. Furthermore, it should be taken into consideration that even if local education authorities advocate intercultural ideas, this does not mean that these ideas are applied by the teachers because there is not much monitoring of the application of directives at whatever school level in Italy.

Sources:

Professors from the Universities of Trento and Modena (especially from communication with Dott.ssa Kate Riley and Dott. Glenn Alessi)

Malta

"The issue is not tackled specifically, but aspects of intercultural competence are learnt incidentally. This occurs mainly through L2 learning (English and other L2s, such as Italian, French or German) and also through humanistic subjects such as Social Studies, Geography and History. However, the very concept of IC Competence is rather unaccounted for in secondary schools...unfortunately our system is very exam-oriented and thus less importance is given to such issues." (Dr. Sandro Caruana, University of Malta)

"Intercultural education in Malta is part of the general school set-up and the curriculum does involve provisions for intercultural education. In fact, the Ministry of Education and Youth issued a Policy Paper (2004) declaring intercultural, inclusive policy as one of its main objectives on a national level. The main tenets of this policy entail shared national values and identity, the promotion of tolerance and equality. Students of a foreign origin, mainly African, attending state schools, show a natural preference for learning native Maltese and often use it socially. On the other hand, a privately run International School of English offers a different, multilingual environment.

Examples of initiatives taken by specialised schools to introduce artistic experiences from other parts of the world can be quoted from the programmes at the Malta Drama Centre (African programmes featuring drama and drum dancing or dramatised poetry from Palestine). However, such activities are not yet strongly embedded as part of the minimum national curriculum. At the pre-university level, a subject called Systems of Knowledge does focus on efforts to develop cultural citizenship as part of arts / cultural education aimed at increasing students' knowledge of human rights, citizens rights and responsibilities, understanding of different world religions and influences of different cultures within a given society." (adopted from http://www.culturalpolicies.net/web/malta.php?aid=832)

Netherlands

" I think it's mostly restricted to foreign language competence, with a very strong focus on English and the anglo-saxon culture. But generally students are encouraged to study abroad for at least one semester." (Dr. Simone Sprenger; University of Groningen: www.rug.nl)

" At regular secondary schools can choose English, French and German. It is obligatory to choose English as a foreign language. [...] Many schools are teaching both in Dutch and in English at present. [...] At the universities are being taught in English more and more because of the numerous foreign exchange students and the international character of the universities, this will prepare them well for their future studies both in the Nerherlands and possibly abroad." (A. Ashworth-Kadwell; University of Leiden: www.leidenuniv.nl)

" So weit ich weiss, spielt intercultural competence eine eher beschränkte Rolle im Frendsprachenunterricht in Flandern: in den Dialogen und Texten die in fremdsprachlichen Handbücher aufgenommen sind, wird m. E. auf die interkulturelle Wert geachtet." (Prof. Dr. Ann Marynissen; University of Cologne: www.niederlandistik.uni-koeln.de/)

" Also ich würde mal sagen, dass intercultural competence im Moment eine viel geringere Rolle spielt als noch vor etwa 10, 15 Jahren. Anfang der 90er-Jahre galten die Niederlande noch als Vorbild für zweisprachigen Unterricht und interkulturelle Erziehung. Mittlerweile (vor allem seit dem 'Rechtsruck' 2002) liegt der Schwerpunkt im Unterricht vor allem bei der Förderung der niederländischen Sprache und der Bekämpfung von 'Unterrichtsrückständen/nachteilen'. Unter dem Schlagwort 'onderwijsachterstand' werden Kinder mit anderer Muttersprache, Kinder aus sozial schwachen Milieus, Kinder mit Lernschwierigkeiten etc. zusammengefasst. Und dafür werden extra Lehrkräfte und Geldmittel zur Verfügung gestellt. Muttersprachenunterricht wurde vor ein paar Jahren gestrichen. Also zurück zur guten alten Defizithypothese von Bernstein. Also, ich würde sagen, dass intercultural competence im Sekundarunterricht in den Niederlanden nur eine geringe Rolle spielt." (Dr. Ulrike Vogl; Free University of Berlin http://www.geisteswissenschaften.fuberlin.de/we04/niederlandistik/index.html

--Marina Liebel 14:34, 9. Sep. 2007 (CEST)

Poland

In Poland, secondary education is divided into lower and upper secondary education. In neither of them intercultural competence is mentioned directly as an aim. However, it is more or less provided by the system indirectly:

Lower secondary education:

- one foreign language is obligatory as part of the European Education

- this foreign language apparently is not part of the final gymnasium exam which only consists of an arts exam (Polish, History, Arts, Civic Education) and science exam (Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy, Geography), but it might be covered by the exam addition of relevant educational paths

Upper secondary education:

- two foreign languages are obligatory as part of the European Education

- one foreign language is part of the final exam (Matura); it is tested in written and oral form besides the provision of required information the main skills tested in the oral exam are the ability to communicate and to express one´s opinion; this oral exam can be choosen at a standard level and an extended level; the standard level includes, among other things, three everyday situations (asking for and giving information, reporting past events, negotiating); the extended level consists of a stimulus-based discussion (presenation, interpretation, expressing an opinion) and a topic presentation with a discussion (providing arguments and defending your opinion)

- the other foreign language can be choosen as an additional subject being tested in the Matura one main objective at this educational level is to prepare the pupils "for undertaking the challenges of the modern world such as globilisation, exchange of information, scientific progress"

Concluding, one can see that intercultural competence plays an important role in Poland. Although it can´t be estimitated to what extend the development of emotional competence and intercultural sensitivity are included into the classroom, the exams themselves are oriented on intercultural communication.

Sources:

- http://www.cke.edu.pl/images/stories/English/edusystem_1.pdf

- 5.4. General Overview of the Education System in Poland of 2004/2005 on: http://194.78.211.243/Eurybase/Application/frameset.asp?country=PL&language=EN

Switzerland

Integration:

Die Empfehlungen der Schweizerischen Konferenz der kantonalen Erziehungsdirektoren (EDK) zur Schulung der fremdsprachige Kinder geben Aufschluss über die Förderung interkultureller Kompetenz. In der neuesten Version vom 24. Oktober 1991 steht:

1. Die EDK bekräftigt den Grundsatz, alle in der Schweiz lebenden fremdsprachigen Kinder in die öffentlichen Schulen zu integrieren. Jede Diskriminierung ist zu vermeiden. Die Integration respektiert das Recht des Kindes, Sprache und Kultur des Herkunftslandes zu pflegen.

2. Den Kantonen wird empfohlen: u.a.

- bei der Erarbeitung von Lehrmitteln, Lehrplänen und Stundentafeln die Bedürfnisse der fremdsprachigen Kinder und die Anliegen einer interkulturellen Erziehung aller Schülerinnen und Schüler miteinzubeziehen;

- die Universitäten und andere Bildungsinstitutionen einzuladen, sich mit der Thematik der interkulturellen Erziehung zu befassen;

- interkulturelle Kontakte und Unterrichtsformen auf allen Stufen zu fördern und zu unterstützen;

Prävention von Rassismus:

Interkulturelle Erziehung ist auch antirassistische Erziehung, weil sie von der prinzipiellen Gleichwertigkeit aller ausgeht. Von Bedeutung ist die Erklärung der Schweizerischen Konferenz der kantonalen Erziehungsdirektoren EDK zu Schule und Rassismus:

„Die EDK begrüsst den Beitritt der Schweiz zum Abkommen der Vereinten Nationen ‘zur Beseitigung jeder Form von Rassendiskriminierung’. Das weltweite Problem der Respektierung der Menschenrechte, aber ebenso das Zusammenleben mit Menschen aus anderen Ländern und Kulturen in der Schweiz fordern auch das Bildungswesen heraus. Für unsere Schulen gelten allgemein die in den ‘Empfehlunge der EDK zur Schulung der Fremdsprachigen Kinder und Jugendlichen’ festgehaltenen Grundsätze:

- volle Integration der fremden Kinder und Jugendlichen

- Wertschätzung der anderen Kulturen dieser Menschen und positive Rücksichtnahme darauf.

Darüber hinaus hat die Schule aller Stufen zur Achtung vor dem Mitmenschen, zur Toleranz unter religiösen, ethnischen, sozialen u.a. Gruppen und zum Frieden unter den Völkern zu erziehen. Unterricht und Erziehung in der Schule wirken darauf hin, dass offene und versteckte Formen von Rassismus bewusst gemacht und bekämpft werden und dass die Begegnung mit anderen Menschen und Gruppen angstfrei und offen verlaufen kann.

Diese Grundsätze sollen namentlich auch in der Lehrerausbildung und Lehrerfortbildung sowie beim Erstellen der Lehrpläne und Lehrmittel beachtet werden.“

Source:

EDK zitiert nach:

http://www.cecile-buehlmann.ch/page.php?page=4.5.90

--JohannaB 20:37, 23. Sep. 2007 (CEST)

United Kingdom

The answer to this question is based on a theoretic article by Dr. Martin Hyde which dates back to the year 1998. Consequently, it does not reflect the latest developments. However, the basic ideas about which role intercultural competence should play in language education in a globalised world are given.

Dr. Hyde suggests replacing 'sociolinguistic competence' by 'intercultural competence' in order to "bring English Language Education up to date and into the post-colonial, globalised reality of the world". In his opinion the modern English language teacher's job is to equip students with skills of intercultural communication.

"There is a need in the English language education profession to research and further develop the concept of intercultural competence for the benefit of those wishing to learn English as a resource for world communication. The construct 'intercultural competence' needs to be discussed and its elements described. Materials then need to be developed for use in ELE classrooms."

"If ELE is to embrace difference in the next century, it also needs to realise that this area of language use deserves to be researched and taken seriously. The future of English as an effective world language and as a genuine means of intercultural communication rather depends on this."

Source:

Hyde, Martin. "Intercultural competence in English language education", in: The Modern English Teacher 7, p. 7-11.

--SaskiaS 21:55, 19. Sep. 2007 (CEST)

Sweden

The Swedish school system is divided into three parts:

1) Primary school - nine yrs, compulsory 2) Secondary school - three yrs, non-compulsory, but the vast majority of teenagers attend 3) University

In secondary school, there is no prerequisite for teachers to have experiences of another culture, although it is often seen as a plus for language teachers to have lived in or even hail from the linguistic area targeted.

At university, again, there is no prerequisite for teachers to have lived abroad, although there are many teachers at the language departments that come from England, the US, France, Germany, etc. They are called "foreign lecturers" and are a valuable asset to any language department.

(Mrs L.from uni- Uppsala)

Regarding Intercultural Competence: We have literature covering theses aspects in some of our course books. This term I have a student writing a Diplomarbeit with the topic. In recent years three thesis have been published in Sweden dealing with the issue. - At Swedish schools I don't find much awareness concerning the issue. (Mr A.from uni- Uppsala)

I must admit that I'm not sure what you mean with the phrase 'inter-cultural competence'. Since a fairly large number of Swedish students study in other countries these days, and an increasing number of non-Sweden based students are studying at Swedish universities, I would imagine that, whatever 'inter-cultural competence' means, we are probably become more competent. Perhaps the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education could provide a better answer for this question as well. I suggest that you go to their webpage (click on English in the upper right-hand corner) and find some contacts that you could write to directly with your questions. Mr.m. from uni-Uppsala

United Kingdom

The answer to this question is based on a theoretic article by Dr. Martin Hyde which dates back to the year 1998. Consequently, it does not reflect the latest developments. However, the basic ideas about which role intercultural competence should play in language education in a globalised world are given.

Dr. Hyde suggests replacing 'sociolinguistic competence' by 'intercultural competence' in order to "bring English Language Education up to date and into the post-colonial, globalised reality of the world". In his opinion the modern English language teacher's job is to equip students with skills of intercultural communication.

"There is a need in the English language education profession to research and further develop the concept of intercultural competence for the benefit of those wishing to learn English as a resource for world communication. The construct 'intercultural competence' needs to be discussed and its elements described. Materials then need to be developed for use in ELE classrooms."

"If ELE is to embrace difference in the next century, it also needs to realise that this area of language use deserves to be researched and taken seriously. The future of English as an effective world language and as a genuine means of intercultural communication rather depends on this."

Source:

Hyde, Martin. "Intercultural competence in English language education", in: The Modern English Teacher 7, p. 7-11.