MIVCIMIVCI: El componente intercultural en la

enseñanza plurilingüe

I will examine this VIC experience using the

model proposed in Byram, Gribkova and

Starkey (2002)

Virtual Intercultural Competence: A Programme

for Japanese Elementary School Students by Lynne

Parmenter & Yuichi Tomita – reviewed by Manuel F. Lara

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 ICCThe 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.

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.

Problems and Possibilities