EIL and intercultural competence in ESP contexts
Meei-Ling Liaw
National Taichung University of Education
Presentation Outline
Key Issues of teaching intercultural competence in EIL contexts
Pedagogical considerations for integrating intercultural competence in ESP education
Integrating Intercultural Competence into ESP teaching and learning: An Example
Conclusions
Questions and Answers
Key Issues of teaching intercultural competence in EIL contexts
EILELF (English as a lingua franca)English as a global languageEnglish as a world languageEnglish as a medium of intercultural communication
EIL varietiesKachru’s (1985) division into inner, outer, and expanding circlesRespect for the different varieties of English
Key Issues of teaching intercultural competence in EIL contexts
Intercultural competence in professional contexts Awareness of how different cultural beliefs influence linguistic
choices Intercultural competence includes knowledge, sensitivity, attitude,
interpretation skills, discovery and interaction skills, critical awareness of culture and political issues (Byram, 2000)
Teaching intercultural competence in ESP settings ESP competence can be cultivated by a combination of gained
experience as well as attitudes and abilities developed through learning (Byram, 2000)
An effective ESP teacher is not solely a subject matter or an English language expert, but must also be somebody who can help learners become intercultural speakers
Pedagogical considerations
EIL varieties in the ESP classroom exposures to different forms and functions of English opportunities to interact with EIL users collaborate with other teachers in all three circles of
world Englishes
Considerations of ESP learners’ intercultural encounter needs authenticity task-based activities for meaningfulness collaborative tasks designed according to students’
professional communication needs
Pedagogical considerations
Taking advantage of information technologies Provide authentic, up-to-date information that reflects
the current global context cultural immersion ability to discern, identify, explain culturally appropriate
patterns of Internet-mediated interaction
Intercultural competence of ESP teachers “an agent for social cohesion” partners with students
Example - Telecollaborative project
The students work in group to build something (a prototype) to be used in a kitchen and then present the object to the class using a PPT presentation.
The presentation should include a) a marketing plan, b) a construction plan, and c) a User's Manual.
After the in-class PPT presentation, then the students present their creation to their international partners via Videoconference. The students comment and ask questions about others’ creations during videoconference presentations
Example - Telecollaborative project
Infinity Video PPT
Reizouko Video PPT Text
An example
Conclusions
Positive research findings of task-based computer-mediated communication Appel & Gilabert Guerrero, 2006 Deutschmann & Panichi, 2009 Healey (2006)
If culture is treated experientially, it can have a powerful motivating effect
ESP teachers should not be the sole cultural mediator Learners can be cultural informants help students become autonomous learners
Thank you!
Questions?