This is Simon's talk from the IHWO online conference

1. Thank you to OUP for
sponsoring this event
through the provision of the
platform to host this
workshop.

2. Mind the gap
Designing materials and activities for cross-
cultural training
Simon Greenall
simon.greenall@btconnect.com
@simongreenall

3. Overview
1 Why do socio-cultural/
intercultural training?
2 Six personal characteristics
of cross-cultural sensitivity
3 Teachers’ concerns
• Monocultural classes
• Socio-cultural awareness
at low levels
• Coverage of intercultural
syllabus
• Types of materials
• Meanings of ‘culture’
• Teachers’ responsibility
to teach socio-cultural
awareness
4 Six conclusions

4. Why do socio-cultural/
intercultural training?

5. Why do socio-cultural/
intercultural training?
In the classroom:
 Integral part of communicative
competence
 Essential learning objective
 Source of motivating material
In real life
 Finding out about other cultures
 Finding out about your own culture
 Importance of intercultural
awareness in
business, finance, government, ent
ertainment, broadcasting, the
internet, education – the world-
wide English speaking community

6. So where do we
start?

7. So where do we
start?

8. Teachers’ concerns

9. Teachers’ concerns 1 „It‟s easy if you
have a multi-cultural
group. But what can
we do in monocultural
classes like ours?‟
2 „How can I teach
socio-cultural
awareness at low
levels?‟
3 „What does an
intercultural syllabus
cover?‟

10. Teachers’ concerns 4 „What types of
materials and
activities can you
use?‟
5 „What do you mean
by culture?‟
6 „Is it really my job
as a language
teacher to teach
intercultural
awareness?‟

11. Intercultural training
– general issues

12. Intercultural training  Integrating
– general issues intercultural training
into a language
course design
 Monocultural and
multicultural groups
 Teaching at low levels
 The role of anecdotes
 Teacher‟s
responsibility
 Generalisation, stereo
typing and prejudice

13. Cultural taboos
in textbooks
P
A
R
S
N
I
P

14. Cultural taboos
in textbooks
Politics
A
R
S
N
I
P

15. Cultural taboos
in textbooks
Politics
Alcohol
R
S
N
I
P

16. Cultural taboos
in textbooks
Politics
Alcohol
Religion
S
N
I
P

17. Cultural taboos
in textbooks
Politics
Alcohol
Religion
Sex
N
I
P

18. Cultural taboos
in textbooks
Politics
Alcohol
Religion
Sex
Narcotics
I
P

19. Cultural taboos
in textbooks
Politics
Alcohol
Religion
Sex
Narcotics
Isms
P

20. Cultural taboos
in textbooks
Politics
Alcohol
Religion
Sex
Narcotics
Isms
Pork

21. Six personal characteristics
of cross-cultural sensitivity
• Tolerance of ambiguity
• Behavioural flexibility
• Communicative awareness
• Knowledge discovery
• Respect for otherness
• Empathy
INCA project, CILT (National centre for
Languages, UK 2004)

22. The reculturalisation of
English

23. The reculturalisation of
English
Periods of studying English:
 where the
USA/UK/Australia etc were
target cultures
 where the cultural origins
of the language were
ignored
 where the link between
language and culture is
recognised and sample
cultures are explored

24. Teachers’concerns
1 „It‟s easy if you have a multi-
cultural group. But what can we
do in monocultural classes like
ours?‟

25. Missing you
already!

26. Missing you What do you
already! miss when
you‟re away
from home?
What do you
look forward to
when you
return?

27. Missing you already!
„My cat.‟ „The sense of humour.‟
„The crossword‟ „The radio cricket
„The Sunday papers.‟ commentary.‟
„A nice cup of tea.‟ „Manageably sized
insects‟
„Baked beans/
sausages/Marmite‟ „My own bathroom.‟
„My bed.‟

28. Missing you What do you
already! miss when
you‟re away
from home?
What do you
look forward to
when you
return?

29. Teachers’concerns
2 ‘How can I teach socio-
cultural awareness at low
levels?’

30. Desert Island words
Think of eight
favourite words
to take to your
desert
island, and one
phrase or
saying.

31. Desert Island words
1 family

32. 2 Oxford

33. 3 book

34. 4 television
4 televisio

35. 5 mountain

36. 6 Venice

37. 7 beer

38. 8 another

39. Favourite sentence
It‟s out of the
question!

40. Desert Island words
Think of eight
favourite words
to take to your
desert
island, and one
phrase or
saying.

42. See the rest of
your family
Go out with
friends
Go shopping
Get some
physical exercise
Read a book
Talk about
politics

43. Teachers’ concerns
3 „What exactly does an
intercultural syllabus cover?‟

44. THE CULTURAL ICEBERG
Beyond Culture (1976) Edward T Hall

45. What’s missing from the iceberg?
Effective and meaningful
intercultural
communication requires:
 Language
 Non-verbal
communication
 Communication style
 Awareness of one‟s
cultural identity

46. Common European Framework
5.1.1.2 Sociocultural knowledge
Strictly speaking, knowledge of the society
and culture of the community or
communities in which a language is spoken
is one aspect of knowledge of the world. It
is, however, of sufficient importance to the
language learner to merit special
attention, especially since unlike many
other aspects of knowledge it is likely to lie
outside the learner‟s previous experience
and may well be distorted by stereotypes.
p103

47. Common European Framework
5.1.1.3 Intercultural awareness
Knowledge, awareness and understanding of the relation
(similarities and distinctive differences) between the
„world of origin‟ and the „world of the target community‟
produce an intercultural awareness. It is, of course,
important to note that intercultural awareness includes an
awareness of regional and social diversity in both worlds.
It is also enriched by awareness of a wider range of
cultures than those carried by the learner‟s L1 and L2.
This wider awareness helps to place both in context. In
addition to objective knowledge, intercultural awareness
covers an awareness of how each community appears
from the perspective of the other, often in the form of
national stereotypes.

48.  Linguistic, non-
linguistic and
social conventions
and rituals
 Customs and
traditions
 Attitudes and
beliefs

49. 1 Linguistic, non-linguistic and
social conventions and rituals

50. 1 Linguistic, non-linguistic and
social conventions and rituals
 Greetings  Gestures
 Reciprocal  Appearance
speech  Personal space
 Silence
 Smiling
 Eye contact

51. Non-linguistic
conventions

53. Linguistic conventions: functions

54. Linguistic conventions: functions
 Greetings and making introductions
 Thanking
 Apologising
 Complaining
 Giving opinions
 Making compliments
 Expressing feelings
 Expressing ability
 Back channelling

56. 2 Customs and traditions

57. 2 Customs and traditions
 Weddings
 Table
manners
 Buying food
 Giving gifts
 Festivals
 Folk stories

58. Customs and
traditions

59. Customs and Talk about these questions.
 You‟re invited to someone‟s
traditions home for dinner. What time
do you expect to be invited?
 What time do you arrive?
 Do you take a gift? If
so, what?
 When do you expect to eat?
 What do you say before you
start eating? In which hand
do you hold your fork?
 Do you compliment your
host?
 Can you smoke during the
meal?
 How do you know when to
leave?

60. 3 Attitudes and beliefs

61. 3 Attitudes and beliefs
 Superstitions
 Face
 Men and
women
 Ancestors
 Networking
 Time

62. Attitudes
towards
time

63. Proverbs

64. Teachers‟ concerns
4 „What types of materials and
activities can you use?

65. Materials and activitytypes

66. Materials and activitytypes
 Cultural self
awareness
 Cognitive training
 C2 comparison
 Experiential
training
 Critical incidents
 Cultural resonance
 L1 interference

67. Cultural self awareness: macro and
microculture
Here is a list of furniture and features of a house.
Which ones do you expect to see in a typical
home in your country?
balcony , garden , bath, stairs shower, separate
bathroom and toilet, dining room, living room,
large kitchen
Find out which items you're likely to use to
describe an English home.

68. Cognitive
training:
information
about C2

69. C2 comparison

72. Experiential training

73. Experiential training: cultural
bumps
Read the conversation and decide if there
is anything which surprises you.
Julia Hi Scott! How are you? Do come in! It’s
great to see you. You’ve put on weight.
Scott Thanks, great to see you too.
Julia And who are you?
Scott Julia, I’d like you to meet Helen.
Julia Hi Helen, how do you do? I’ve heard so
much about you.
Helen How do you do, Julia? Nice to meet
you.

74. Julia I really like your coat. Let me take it
for you.
Helen Oh, this old thing? Thanks.
Julia How much did it cost?
Helen It was incredibly expensive.
Julia Do come in and make yourself at
home.
Scott Hey! It looks like a swell party!
Listen and cross out anything you don’t
hear.

75. Experiential training

76. Critical incidents

77. Critical incidents: face
“I invited a friend to a
dinner party at my
apartment last
Thursday. She replied,
„Yes, I‟d love to come,
but it might be
difficult.‟ I didn‟t hear
from her so I expected
her to come. But she
didn‟t. Why didn‟t she
call me and let me
know?”

78. Critical incidents

79. Cultural icons, symbols and resonance

80. Cultural resonance
What ideas do you associate with these
colours?
green white yellow blue red
What are the qualities of these animals?
sheep goat donkey dog frog
What words do you associate with these ideas?
home book beach New Year school English

81. L1 interference: trap words and absences
Yes/no
It certainly is! (emphatic agreement)
Please/Thank you
Grazie – prego, Dankeschn –
bitteschon, xie xie – bu ke qi... You‟re
welcome?
Sorry
Have a nice day!

83. Teachers’ concerns
5 What do you mean by culture?

84. Types of culture: sample and target culture
Target culture Sample culture
Cognitive information Cognitive information
about a specific or experiential training
‘target’ culture, where using non-specific
the speaker intends to ‘sample’ cultures for
live, work or study cross-cultural
comparison

85. Surface culture Deep culture
Factual, objective Impressionistic, subj
dictionary/ ective
encyclopediadefinitio Cultural resonance
n
Denotational Connotational
meaning meaning

86. Types of culture:
surface and deep culture
Surface culture:
weather forecast

87. Cultural resonance:
deep culture
Dogger, Rockall, Malin, Irish Sea:
Green, swift upsurges, North Atlantic flux
Conjured by that strong, gale-warning voice,
Collapse into a sibilant penumbra …
… It was marvellous
And actual, I said out loud, „A haven,‟
The word deepening, clearing, like the sky
Elsewhere on Minches, Cromarty, The
Faroes.
Seamus Heaney Glanmore Sonnets

88. Types of culture: Say which of these
macro and microculture food items people in
your country usually
buy each week.
rice oranges potatoes
fish sausage beer water
flour noodles eggs tea
coffee oil butter yoghurt
shrimp bread sugar
cheese
Which items do you (or
your family) usually,
sometimes or never
buy each week?

89. Macroculture Microculture
… based to national, … based on
regional, ethnic origin age, gender, socio-
economic
(The Americans, the background, socio-
Italians, the West v the professional
East) background, climate
local or family
customs, individual
preferences and
behaviour

90. Teachers’ concerns
6 „Is it really my job as a language
teacher to teach cross-cultural
awareness?‟

91. From cultural bump to culture shock
Perpetrator Recipient
Recognition of difference in behaviour
Mild interest
Amusement
Surprise
Culture shock
Recognition/ignorance Perception of
of offence of offence
Communication breakdown
Confusion Incomprehension
Embarrassment Irritation
Shame/anger Anger

92. Six conclusions
1The key to an
awareness of other
cultures is an
awareness of your own.
.

93. Six conclusions
1The key to an
awareness of other
cultures is an
awareness of your own.
2 Intercultural training
can be integrated with
the
grammatical, functional
syllabuses and skills
syllabuses.

94. Six conclusions
3 Intercultural training is not
an option. Its absence can
compromise effective
communication.
4 Cross cultural awareness
does not imply assimilation
or mimicry but the
understanding and
appreciation of different
values.

95. Six conclusions
5 We cannot give our
learners specific
information about every
culture, but we can make
them aware of the
possibility of differences.
6 Effective communication =
Linguistic competence and
intercultural competence

96. Designing materials and activities for cross-
cultural training
Intercultural training in
the classroom should
lead to the enjoyment
of recognising
similarities between
cultures, and to the
celebration of
difference.

97. Designing materials and activities for
intercultural training in the classroom
„Strangers are
only friends
you haven‟t
made yet.‟
Irish saying

98. simon.greenall@btconnect.com
@simongreenall

99. Thank you to OUP for
sponsoring this event
through the provision of the
platform to host this
workshop.