The paper analyzes the context and reasons for multicultural education and intercultural training as well as gives some implications for the policies or measures of integrating intercultural training in teaching and learning foreign languages in a variety of language subjects and activities. The reality of teaching and training intercultural competence in the world and in Vietnam will also be partly discussed in the paper. Especially, the model of intercultural development with 6 stages by some scholars and the learning outcomes of the 21st century will be the basis for these implications and recommendations.
Trang 1PHÁT TRIỂN NĂNG LỰC LIÊN VĂN HÓA TRONG DẠY VÀ HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ THỜI HỘI NHẬP VÀ TOÀN CẦU HÓA
Nguyn Duy Mng Hà
Trường Đại học Khoa học xã hội và Nhân văn - ĐHQG Tp HCM
với người nước ngoài Tuy nhiên, năng lực ngoại ngữ
phải ñược kết hợp với năng lực văn hóa mới có thể
giúp giao tiếp hiệu quả trong thời ñại hội nhập và toàn
cầu hóa Ngoài ra, năng lực ngoại ngữ cùng với năng
lực liên văn hóa mới là chìa khóa thành công trong các
hoạt ñộng hợp tác và quan hệ quốc tế Trong bối cảnh
toàn cầu, người sử dụng bất kỳ ngoại ngữ nào cũng
thường phải giao tiếp với nhiều người thuộc các quốc
gia,dân tộc và văn hóa khác nhau cùng sử dụng ngoại
ngữ như mình ngoài những người bản xứ, do con
người ngày càng di chuyển nhiều, học nhiều ngoại ngữ
và có nhiều quan hệ rộng rãi Chỉ có kiến thức ngoại
ngữ không thể ñủ ñể giao tiếp hiệu quả và làm việc
nhóm thành công trong các nhóm ña văn hóa Do ñó,
năng lực liên văn hóa phải ñược tích hợp vào việc dạy
và học ngoại ngữ Bài viết phân tích bối cảnh và lý do
cần phải có giáo dục ña văn hóa và ñào tạo liên văn
hóa cũng như gợi mở các chính sách và biện pháp
lồng ghép ñào tạo liên văn hóa vào dạy-học ngoại ngữ
trong nhiều môn học và nhiều hoạt ñộng dạy học khác
nhau Bài viết cũng phần nào bàn luận về thực trạng
ñào tạo liên văn hóa trên thế giới và ở Việt Nam Đặc
biệt là mô hình phát triển năng lực liên văn hóa với 6
giai ñoạn do nhiều học giả phương tây ñề xuất và các
kết quả học tập dự kiến của thế kỷ XXI ñược phân tích
làm nền tảng cho các gợi mở và ñề xuất
T khóa: năng lực liên văn hóa, ngoại ngữ, toàn
cầu hóa, các nhóm ña văn hóa
Abstract: Foreign languages are considered as the
tools for communication with foreigners However language competence must be combined with cultural competence for effective communication especially in the era of globalization and integration Moreover, language competence together with intercultural competence would be the key to success in international cooperation and relations In the global context, users of any foreign language often have to communicate with diverse people coming from different countries or different cultures in addition to the native speakers due to their frequent mobility and extensive contacts Only the knowledge of the language cannot lead to effective communication and successful teamwork in multicultural groups Therefore, intercultural competence must be integrated in teaching and learning of foreign languages The paper analyzes the context and reasons for multicultural education and intercultural training as well as gives some implications for the policies or measures of integrating intercultural training in teaching and learning foreign languages in a variety of language subjects and activities The reality
of teaching and training intercultural competence in the world and in Vietnam will also be partly discussed in the paper Especially, the model of intercultural development with 6 stages by some scholars and the learning outcomes of the 21 st century will be the basis for these implications and recommendations
Key words: intercultural competence, globalization,
multicultural groups, foreign languages
IMPROVING INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE
IN TEACHING AND LEARNING FOREIGN LANGUAGES
IN THE ERA OF GLOBALIZATION AND INTEGRATION
1 Introduction
One of the main tendencies in higher education
in the era of globalization and integration is
internationalization A wide variety of languages have been taught and a series of exchange programs have been carried at many Vietnamese
Trang 2universities recently Students and lecturers have
opportunities to have direct communication with
foreigners/native speakers not only through the
lessons with foreign teachers, meetings with
foreign colleagues but also through international
seminars, workshops, conferences, research
projects, exchange activities… right in the
campuses of the Vietnamese universities
Moreover, ICT has become important tools that
greatly support learners of foreign languages and
facilitate the academic and cultural exchanges for
all teachers and students with easy access to the
Internet today Upon leaving universities,
graduates nowadays are expected to become
global citizens who can work well with foreign
partners and confidently participate in
international projects, conferences, activities of all
fields and all kinds for further development As a
result, they can make more effective contributions
to the modernization process of the country and to
the sustainable development of the world peace
with mutual understanding and cultural tolerance
Some graduates may go abroad for further study
or job practice, and with the socio-cultural
competence, they can avoid culture shock more
easily and integrate more quickly In
communication with any foreigners, not only do
they have to think of the language but they must
also be aware of the cultural elements, since the
same language can be used by people of different
nationalities/ethnic groups in different
communication contexts for different purposes
Misunderstanding could be caused by both
language barriers and cultural differences
Therefore, intercultural competence has
become indispensable and increasingly important
in teaching and learning foreign languages
Moreover, students and teachers are not only
required to know the native speakers’ culture and
society but they are also motivated to learn about
other cultures and societies of various users of the
language they learn, in accordance with one of the
UNESCO’s educational aims “learn to live
together” This can be acquired through self-study
and lifelong learning
2 Intercultural competence 2.1 Characteristics of intercultural competence
Intercultural competence refers to behaving and communicating effectively and appropriately
in cross-cultural situations to achieve one’ goals to some degree (Deardorff 2006) Three key themes suggest that intercultural competence:
• Requires a combination of specific knowledge, skills and attitudes that lead to successful interactions;
• Is developmental in nature (Bennett, 1998), which means individuals and organizations may progress from a more ethnocentric worldview toward a more global mind-set;
• Requires a process of learning that includes actual experience, reflection, conceptualization and experimentation (Kolb, 1984) It is a lifelong process of learning and self-reflection to develop cultural competence step by step
Therefore, we must pay attention to all the three aspects of knowledge, skills and attitude when we try to improve our intercultural competence and help our students improve their intercultural competence, among which attitudes are at the foundation of intercultural competence development as the starting point We must be aware of the importance of this competence in the globalization era with various cross-cultural interactions and should be willing to learn about other cultures with openness and respect
As the development of this competence is a lifelong process, by building students’ cultural competence, we also help students develop their lifelong learning awareness and skills, which is one
of the most important learning outcomes today
In addition, among various learning methods and techniques or theories including constructivism, reflective learning should be taken into serious consideration This kind of learning helps students build the habit of reflecting on what they have learned and making appropriate associations to create their own knowledge As a
Trang 3result, students can improve active and creative
learning with critical thinking
By building intercultural competence, students
can get further advantages in learning skills,
which they can apply in learning any other
subjects as well as develop their soft skills
because the learning outcomes usually include
cognitive, affective and behavioral ones
2.2 Stages of intercultural competence
development
Being inter-culturally competent helps people
improve communication across cultural
boundaries and leads to their experience of
Ethno-relativism As a result, they can avoid ethno-centrism or sometimes the contrary feeling of inferiority complex M Bennett (1986, 1993) suggested the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS) with 6 stages:
Denial of cultural difference, followed by the Defense against cultural difference, the
Minimization of the cultural difference is the transition, leading to ethno-relative Acceptance of
cultural difference, at the heart of ethno-relativism
is Adaptation to cultural difference, followed in some cases by the Integration of cultural
difference into identity, as in the figure below:
Denial Defense Minimization Acceptance Adaptation Integration
The more relative world views are ways of
seeking cultural differences, either by accepting
its importance, by adapting perspective to take it
into account, or by integrating the whole concept
in the definition of identity
In the multicultural society like the US, the
more ethno-relative world views have been
introduced for several decades to avoid negative
reactions to immigrants and non-dominant groups
In our globalization era, failure to recognize
cultural differences or stereotyping would lead to
failure in cooperation/communication with people
from other groups The experience of similarities
would help us see some cultural elements as
universal and willing to share the same values
with others We need to develop cultural
self-awareness in contrast to other cultures before we
move into much detail about the other cultures At
the Acceptance and Adaptation Stages, people
construct self-reflexive perspective, experience
others as different from themselves but equally
human One’s world view is expanded to include
relevant constructs from other cultural world
views, they can express alternative cultural
experience, adapt their behavior to one another,
become eager to experience other cultures, learn
to act appropriately in the cultural contexts but do
not lose their primary cultural identity Adaptation
is the goal of intercultural training for the acquisition of culturally appropriate behaviors
Integration of cultural difference is the state in which one's experience of self is expanded to include the movement in and out of different cultural world views Training for the development of intercultural competence is of great importance for exchange students and teachers, to deal with cultural diversity today
2.3 Tools and framework for building cultural competence
Many scholars and educators have tried to develop some models, tools and framework with various kinds of activities for developing intercultural competence such as Darla K Deardorff, Kate Berardo, M Bennett, Emma Bourassa, Stephanie Pollack, Kyoung-Ah Nam, Jacqueline Wasilewski… Some of the main framework and tools can be summarized as follows: The Intercultural Competence Model of Darla
K Deardorff can be used by trainers in designing their training curriculum and by participants in mapping their own intercultural competence development with the 5 components: (1) Attitudes (respect, openness, curiosity and discovery); (2)
Trang 4Knowledge (cultural self-awareness,
cultural-specific knowledge, deep cultural knowledge
worldviews/perspectives); (3) Skills (observation,
listening, evaluating, analyzing, interpreting and
relating); (4) Internal outcomes (flexibility,
adaptability, an ethno-relative perspective, and
empathy) and (5) External outcomes (effective
and appropriate behavior and communication in
intercultural situations)
The Framework of Describe – Analyze –
Evaluate (DAE) by Kyoung-Ah Nam, the Tool of
Observe – State – Explore – Evaluate (OSEE) by
K Deardorff (2000, 2008) and Four key
components of transition planning by Kate
Berardo are similar that in that they provide a
practical process for moving beyond assumptions
DAE process is simpler with 3 levels: (1)
Describe: what I see, (2) Analyze: what helps
explain what I see and (3) Evaluate: what I feel
about what I see OSEE process include: O –
observe and listen to what is happening, S – state
objectively what is happening, E – explore
different explanations for what is happening, E –
evaluate which explanations is the most likely
one(s) Four key components of transition
planning include recognize the WHAT,
understand the WHY, personalize the HOW and
apply the WHAT NOW
The 5Rs (Routines, Reactions, Roles,
Relationships and Reflections about Yourself) of
cultural change by Kate Berardo looks at five key
changes we face when we move across cultures It
helps people understand why it is normal to
experience ups and downs when moving across
cultures and why stress is a part of the transition
process Kate Berardo also suggests another
framework of SCORE communication principles
as guidelines for communicating effectively and
appropriately across cultures It is an easy to
remember checklist for communicating in global
settings and can be used to minimize
miscommunications SCORE includes: S – simply
and specify, C – clarify and confirm, O –
Organize and Outline, R – rephrase and reframe;
E – explain with examples
To resolve differences, there are tools of a higher level A 360 Degree View on cultural dilemmas by Kate Berardo helps people solve complex intercultural challenges in a structured, holistic way and provides a clear process, set of questions to reach more effective and appropriate solutions One is required to look BETWEEN, look WITHIN, look BEHIND, look AROUND and look TO OTHERS to ask themselves questions related to cultures, values, motivations, surrounding systems and key stakeholders… to see the influencing factors The Multicultural Compass model by Jacqueline Wasilewski is a tool for navigating multicultural space, helps people decide how to behave when they have to choose between culturally marked behaviors, on the basis of 4 guidelines (Goals, Context, Choice and Continuation) The Multicultural Compass identifies 6 kinds of choices, options or directions
we can move in when we are faced with having to choose how to behave: Maintaining, Converting, Adding, Subtracting, Mixing and Creating
3 Integrating intercultural competence training in teaching & learning foreign languages
In Vietnam, we have not developed many intercultural training activities so far Some courses related to cross-cultural communication have been introduced in some educational programs at some universities recently, especially
in the program of international relations and other cultural programs However, in the context of teaching and learning foreign languages in Vietnamese universities, if we cannot develop extra courses or training programs for building intercultural competence using the tools and frameworks mentioned above although we still design this learning outcome in the curricula, we can integrate the intercultural competence training
in some courses Below are some suggestions or implications for the application of intercultural
Trang 5competence models/frameworks in teaching
foreign languages
3.1 Developing intercultural competence in
teaching foreign language skills
In all foreign language courses, the four
language receptive and productive skills of
listening, reading, speaking, and writing are
usually taught separately or in an integrative
approach Teachers and learners have to deal with
the cultural elements frequently in addition to the
language components
Lead-in/warm-up activities in teaching
listening and reading comprehension such as
brainstorming or giving guided questions to help
students predict what they are going to hear and
see in the authentic conversation or texts in the
foreign contexts by reflecting on their personal
background and experience can be used Students
may predict things in their own views or
perspectives and later have a chance to discover
different perspectives in the real texts they read or
hear In the follow-up activities, role-plays in
which students can create similar role-plays in the
Vietnamese context and with simulated partners
from different cultural backgrounds or follow-up
discussions/debates, short essay writing which
may require students to explain the differences in
perspectives/viewpoints, to express personal
feelings, opinions about the texts,… By using
these, we can integrate the four skills in the
lessons more creatively Sometimes, we can apply
some small games or quizzes in helping students
discover similar or different cultural aspects such
as some vocabulary games
In teaching speaking and writing, students
could be encouraged to tell or write about their
experience in facing with the challenges in the
intercultural interactions or encounters such as
when they travelled abroad, talked to the foreign
tourists or made friends with foreign students
through the Internet,… They can develop cultural
sensitivity and encourage other students to learn
more about other cultures when they have
opportunities to share these experiences with their
classmates and teachers However, teachers of foreign languages must be culturally competent themselves
3.2 Developing intercultural competence in teaching foreign culture and literature
The courses in culture and literature of foreign countries provide teachers with good opportunities
to build students’ multicultural knowledge and intercultural competence Students of foreign languages have to discover the similarities and differences between the culture of the foreign country they are learning and their own culture when they learn about the culture and society of that country with various aspects including visible things such as food, drinks, clothing, housing, traditions, customs, architecture… and the invisible or abstract things such as values, beliefs, morals, ideals, lifestyles,…with the illustrations from clips, films, pictures, photos and other media Especially, students should be equipped with the knowledge of etiquette, rules of behaviors which are considered correct or polite in the foreign perspective, so that they know how to behave properly in that cultural context, how to apply
“when you are in Rome, do as the Romans do” in
a comfortable way A series of activities can be applied with these topics such as quizzes, group discussions, role-plays, project work, group presentations… This will facilitate students’ process of improving communication skill, comparative skills, critical thinking, evaluative skill and other high-order thinking skills
Literary works help students discover universal common values or different values/perspectives of the foreign authors and be able to explain the differences basing on the socio-cultural, historical contexts of the relevant countries Students should
be reminded that it is necessary to avoid stereotypes and have open mind so as to accept or respect the differences
Trang 63.3 Developing intercultural competence in
teaching translation
Students of foreign languages have to deal with
many cultural problems when they do the
translation from Vietnamese language to the target
foreign language or vice versa beside the language
problems Vocabulary and technical or cultural
terms are some of these In addition, how to
transmit the exact message objectively without
causing bias or misunderstanding due to
misconceptions and cultural differences is quite
challenging sometimes
Students must be made aware of the
socio-cultural context when and where a certain
language item is used or comes from Follow-up
discussions or presentation activities to discover
deeply the cultural differences for certain
terms/concepts or ideas can be utilized The
glossaries can be used for the analysis and
discussion of the differences
3.4 Developing intercultural competence in
teaching linguistics
Linguistics courses such as phonologies,
semantics, morphology and syntax or comparative
linguistic courses require students to compare the
linguistic elements of the foreign language to
those of the mother tongue Cultural background
would be an advantage in these comparative
activities For example, it could be interesting
when students can discover some similarities or
differences in the pre-suppositions and
implicatures when they learn semantics and
pragmatics
Another example in terms of personal
pronouns, personal deixis requires learners to
explain the differences on the basis of cultural
background, for instance, the hierarchical system
in societies with Confucian traditions The deep
understanding of our own culture and other
cultures can lead to our open mind and cultural
tolerance
3.5 Developing intercultural competence in teaching methodology
Students of foreign languages may choose the major/the courses in teaching methodology or teaching practice Emphasis should be placed on the different learning styles, learners of different cultural backgrounds and characteristics, especially in many contexts of international/multiethnic classes today
Video clips recording teaching activities in the real classes in Vietnam and in a foreign country can be used for students’ analysis and discussion The teachers themselves should also participate in the cultural competence training courses, seminars, workshops, conferences, in teaching methodologies or work together with foreign colleagues, share best practices to improve their own cultural competence, which can lead to their success in teaching foreign languages in the globalization era
4 Conclusion
Integrating the element of intercultural competence training in higher education is of increasing importance in the integration era There are still many challenges in integrating these activities in the foreign language classes, including the deficiency in the competence and communication skills of the teaching staff, the facilities, ICT application, teaching aids and multimedia, learning styles, materials, time constraints,… However, the first thing to do is to raise the teachers’ awareness of the importance of intercultural competence Secondly, policies and guidelines for cultural competence building and revising curricula/syllabi with this learning outcome should be given and training programs should be offered to the teaching staff Finally, other conditions which facilitate/support the process of intercultural competence development for students of foreign languages in particular and all students in general should be created step by step With these efforts, Vietnamese students and teachers can deepen their knowledge of
Trang 7Vietnamese culture, develop their pride in our
country’s good values and traditions as well as
enlarge their understanding of other cultures for
successful communication and cooperation in
international context
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