Assessment for cultural learning in contexts for students learning. By an interchange for minimun needs. Indeed this can enhange your qualifications in social studies habilities in language. By Vielka Reece D.

1. Intercultural learning
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One worldc many stories
Intercultural learning is an area of research, study and application of knowledge about
different cultures, their differences and similarities. On the one hand, it includes a
theoretical and academic approach (see e.g. "Developmental Model of Intercultural
Sensitivity (DMIS)" by Milton Bennett, Dimensions of Culture by Geert Hofstede). On the
other hand, it comprises practical applications such as learning to negotiate with people
from different cultures, living with people from different cultures, living in a different culture
and the prospect of peace between different cultures.
Intercultural learning has generated a lot of interest mainly due to the rise of cultural
studies and globalization. Culture has become an instrument for social interpretation and
communicative action. Intercultural learning is primarily important in the context of the
foreign language classroom.
Contents
 1Definition
 2Theories on approaching culture
 3Contexts in the classroom
o 3.1Cultural differences in learning
o 3.2Activities
 4Future prospects
 5See also
 6References
 7External links
Definition[edit]
The main goal of intercultural learning is seen as the development of intercultural
competence, which is the ability to act and relate appropriately and effectively in various
cultural contexts:[1]
 Appropriateness. Valued rules, norms, and expectations of the relationship are not
violated significantly.
 Effectiveness. Values goals or rewards (relative to costs and alternatives) are
accomplished.

2. Intercultural competence is generally thought to require three components on the learner's
side: a certain skillset, culturally sensitive knowledge, and a motivated mindset. In greater
detail, the skills, values, and attitudes that constitute intercultural competence include
1. intercultural attitudes (like openness, curiosity, readiness)
2. general knowledge (of the theoretical aspects of how social
groups/products/practices work and interact)
3. skills of interpreting and relating (a document of another culture to one's own
culture)
4. skills of discovery and interaction (like the ability to discover information about
another culture and the ability to communicate in real-time interaction)
5. critical cultural awareness (that there are different cultures next to one's own)
The teacher, trainer, or mentor's task is to induce the learning of all in these aspects in the
learner. Being successful, intercultural learning results in culturally competent learners.
Theories on approaching culture
In the context of intercultural learning, it is important to be aware of different subcategories
of culture, such as "little c" and "big C" culture. While the latter one is also called "objective
culture" or "formal culture" referring to institutions, big figures in history, literature, etc., the
first one, the "subjective culture", is concerned with the less tangible aspects of a culture,
like everyday patterns. In intercultural learning, a mixture of these two is to be employed,
but it is especially the apprehension of subjective culture that triggers the development
of intercultural competence.
Also, it is important to differentiate between "culture-specific" and "culture-general"
approaches when intercultural learning is concerned:
 "culture-specific" approaches mainly aim at the achievement of competence in a
particular target culture (C2) and are closely connected to specific language learning
(L2). Competence in both C2 and L2 is usually thought to generate culturally
appropriate behavior in a particular cultural context.
 "culture-general" approaches, on the other hand, are not targeted on a particular
culture. Instead, they are concerned with "universal categories" which function as
general characteristics of cultures in general. These categories can be used to make
cross-cultural comparisons, for example. Thus, "culture-general" approaches provide
a cognitiveframework for cultural analysis.
Intercultural learning requires the teacher to employ a mix of "culture-specific" and "culture-
general" approaches in order to address the larger issues of ethnocentrism, cultural self-
awareness, etc. because intercultural competence cannot be achieved by the single
acquisition of knowledge about a specific culture or the pure ability to behave properly in
that culture.
Contexts in the classroom
Contexts that are seen as appropriate for intercultural learning in the classroom are those
which promote the acquisition of intercultural competence consisting of the components
mentioned above. Examples:
 communication between members of different cultures via e-mail: not yet a standard in
everyday schooling, but it serves many useful purposes for intercultural learning
 authentic print text: fictional texts are the ideal medium for intercultural learning since it
is the substrate of a specific culture and its history, while it simultaneously contains
culture-general aspects; it stimulates personal identification and it offers numerous
options for creative activities; also it may induce discussions of aspects of subjective,
as well as objective, culture - useful examples: Malorie Blackman's Noughts and

3. Crosses series, Qaisra Shahraz' "A Pair of Jeans"; non-fictional texts are definitely
useful in this context as well.
 film: authentic film especially improves the language proficiency (and thus intercultural
sensitivity), because it means direct and authentic contact with the L2; it also
guarantees access to the evaluation of audiovisual media and maybe even new
media useful examples: Bend It Like Beckham, Save the Last Dance, My Beautiful
Laundrette
Cultural differences in learning
Of particular importance to intercultural learning is understanding cultural differences in
learning processes. Intercultural learning programs could benefit greatly from the analysis
of cultural trends in these processes. By doing so, educators can see how indigenous
people of America are affected by classroom norms. In indigenous American ways of
learning, children are included in the community and have lots of experience collaborating
with each other and adults in productive ways.
 For example, members of indigenous American and indigenous-heritage American
communities prefer to learn in collaborative groups as opposed to individually.
Teachers in Zuni schools arrange the students' desks in a circle and address the group
from the center, spinning around slowly to address all members equally.[2]
The Zuni are
a Native-American tribe from the present day Arizona, New Mexico border.
Arrangement of student desks in this manner is compatible with the larger cultural trend
of preference for collaborative learning.[2]
In addition, research has shown that
communication styles among indigenous and indigenous-heritage groups differ from
that of European-American "formal" instruction. For example, slower talking pace,
distributed gaze among group members, more frequent teacher interruption, and longer
wait time between teacher question and student response are some qualities of
indigenous American learning practices. More specifically, all of these behaviors can
be observed in Navajo students.[3]
There appears to be a link between the collaborative
preference seen in these specific groups, and the conversational styles they prefer to
engage in.
 Formal and informal learning are different among westernized cultures and indigenous
cultures. Both formal and informal learning have two components one looking at it from
situations/practices and the second one from the learning process. Indigenous ways of
learning has often been marginalized or discriminated against in formal schooling
because it does not follow society ways of learning.[4]
Being able to understand the
learning process through informal learning and making the connection of how it
happens in today's society through formal learning can benefit and help us learn much
more. It is overly simplified when saying that formal learning happens in institutions and
that informal learning happens only outside of institutions.
Analysis of cultural differences in learning can provide new and useful insight that can be
applied to intercultural learning practice. In other words, learning trends in students' cultural
backgrounds can be used by teachers to create more well informed pedagogy. For
example, if indigenous American or indigenous-heritage American students were in an
intercultural learning program, teachers could communicate knowledge by creating a more
collaborative setting, and by adjusting pace of speech to be consistent with the students'.
Activities[edit]
As with most activities employed in the classroom, activities for intercultural learning are
supposed to keep the affective domain of learning in mind, that is, they are to keep the
students motivated and enable them to somehow identify with topic that is dealt with. For
intercultural learning this is especially true because this field is likely to turn into a delicate
matter.
 An example of an activity which focuses on the stereotypes and prejudices that people
are likely to have is called "Who should be hired?". This exercise animates students to

4. choose from a huge number of people (from different cultures, of different sexes, and
different ages, etc.) the person they would hire from an employer's point of view.
 Most suggested exercises that are believed to support intercultural learning, and in this
especially to promote empathy, are of a role-play nature. They especially support
students in making the shift in perspective: their own culture becomes a strange one
and is looked at from the outside, while the target culture becomes familiar.
 Events that relate to family and community, such as working together help Native-
American students in some classroom aspects. Many are used to collaboration, so they
work in groups and interact with their peers. However, they still pay attention when
working individually. Because Native American students are used to collaboration they
are able to participate in group activities that don't create a distinction between
individual performer and audience. On the other hand, they had less willingness to
perform or participate verbally when they had to talk alone (as an individual rather than
group).[5]
It was also observed that the Native American students didn't want to talk
when the teacher was addressing the whole class, which shows their preference of
working in groups.
Future prospects[edit]
The concept of intercultural learning aiming at the development of intercultural competence
also requires a new understanding of the teacher him/herself. S/He is no longer a mere
communicator of knowledge, but a mediator and moderator, and has to be educated
accordingly. In times of globalization and hope for peace, this issue needs to be researched
further and remain of huge interest.
See also[edit]
 Intercultural bilingual education
 Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS)
 Cultural Detective
 Geoleadership Model
References[edit]
1. ^ Messner, W., & Schäfer, N. (2012) The ICCA Facilitator's Manual. Intercultural
Communication and Collaboration Appraisal. London: GloBus Research, p. 41 (also
see: http://icca.globusresearch.com); Spitzberg, B. H. (2000). A Model of Intercultural
Communication Competence. In L. A. Samovar, & R. E. Porter, Intercultural Communication
- A Reader (pp. 375-87). Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing.
2. ^ Jump up to:a b Yamauchi, L., A. & Tharp, R., G. (1995). Culturally Compatible
Conversations in Native American Classrooms. Linguistics and Education 7, 349-367.
3. ^ Tharp, R., G. (2008). A Perspective on Unifying Culture and Psychology: Some
Philosophical and Scientific Issues. Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical
Psychology 27(2), 2007 & 28(1), 2008.
4. ^ Göran, Folkestad (2006). "Formal and informal learning situations or practices vs formal
and informal ways of learning". British Journal of Music Education. 23: 135–
145. doi:10.1017/s0265051706006887.
5. ^ Florio-Ruane, Susan (1989). Knowledge base for the beginning teacher. Oxford:
Pergamon. pp. 163–177.
 Bach, Gerhard. 1998. Interkulturelles Lernen, in: Timm, Johannes-P. (Ed.): English
lernen und lehren, in: Didaktik des Englischunterrichts, Berlin: Cornelsen, pp. 192–200.
 Bennett, Janet M./ Bennet, Milton J./Allen, Wendy: Developing Intercultural
Competence in the Language Classroom, in: Page, R. Michael/ Lange, Dale L./
Yershova, Yelena A. (Eds.): Culture as the Core: Integrating Culture into the Language

5. Curriculum. CARLA working paper #15, Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota,
Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition, November 1999.
 Brown, H. Douglas: Principles of language learning and teaching, Englewood Cliffs:
Prentice Hall Regents. 1993, pp. 134–240, esp. pp. 165–167 (cultural stereotypes),
pp. 169–173 (acculturation) and pp. 173–176 (culture in the classroom).
 Fowler, S.M./ Mumford, M.G. (Eds.).1995. Intercultural sourcebook: Cross-cultural
training methods (Vol 1.). Intercultural Press
 Fowler, S.M./ Mumford, M.G. (Eds.).1999. Intercultural sourcebook: Cross-cultural
training methods (Vol 2.). Intercultural Press
 Heusinkweld, Paula (ed.). 1997. Pathways to Culture. Yarmouth: Intercultural Press.
 Landis, D./ Bhagat, R. (Eds.): Handbook of intercultural training.
 Singelis, T. M. (Ed.): Teaching about culture, ethnicity, and diversity: Exercises and
planned activities. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.