Study Group Blog 

Our discussion

We had an interesting and lively discussion, weaving our own intercultural stories into our reflections on the text. We shared how our teacher training, experiences living abroad and work have molded our approach to teaching interculturality in the language classroom. 

What became clear throughout our discussion was that developing intercultural competence requires more than merely completing a ‘culture’ exercise at the end of the unit, rather, it must be central to learning a foreign language. As Byram (1997) said, “teaching for linguistic competence cannot be separated from teaching for intercultural competence” (p.22).

The knowledge gap

The study showed that while pre-service teachers had positive attitudes towards interculturality, their knowledge of cultural models, publications and research in IC was weak.

In our group discussion, some of us recognized this in our own training. Certification courses focused heavily on grammar, vocabulary, and methodology, with little discussion of how to address the complexities of intercultural communication. 

We have also found this to be true of the coursebooks we use to teach languages. Many global coursebooks present polished, Westernized snapshots of culture that lead to superficial cultural knowledge.

So how do we develop critical cultural awareness in our classrooms?

One of our group members shared how dialogue and collective action helped her staff think critically about what students will really benefit from learning during class time. Rather than sticking religiously to the coursebook, teachers had the freedom to select the most useful topics and tasks. Thereby creating more space to focus on topics and skills that really matter to students. 

Another strategy was to use project-based learning to shift focus away from grammar and vocabulary exercises towards developing critical thinking skills in intercultural contexts.

Finally, one teacher mentioned that bringing real-life stories of intercultural successes and failures into the classroom can be an effective tool for discussing cultural nuances. 

Interculturality in local contexts

In Deardorff’s definition of IC (2020), she states that IC skills are necessary both “within a society” and “across borders”. 

Our discussion turned inward as we thought about how regional differences affect how we interact with people here in Brazil. One example was of how people in Vitória can greet each other with an “Ei,” whereas in São Paulo, that would sound impolite or overly informal. We concluded that we need to bring these anecdotes into the language classroom to highlight that intercultural differences do not just affect communication between Brazilians and foreigners, but with people who live in the same country. 

The cost of native-speakerism and “vira-lata syndrome”

In a moment of reflection on how speakers of other languages feel when talking to native speakers, we recalled having a sense of inferiority, nervousness, or being more prone to making mistakes - something that many language learners can relate to. We discussed what this looks like on a personal level (as in imposter syndrome) and on a national level (as with “vira-lata syndrome”). Vira-lata syndrome was a term coined in Brazil in the 1950s; it relates to the sense of inferiority that Brazilians feel when compared to foreigners. By promoting authentic communication and avoiding stereotypes, we help students overcome inferiority and engage with other speakers on an equal footing. 

As Hernandez-Lopez, Núñez-Mercado and Borquez-Morales wrote:

“if the ultimate goal is to transform language learners into intercultural speakers who are aware of their own and other cultures and can engage with people from different cultures and backgrounds “in a relationship of equality” (Öztürk & Ekşi, 2022, p.493), the focus should extend beyond teaching linguistic features such as grammar, lexis, phonetics, and phonology to also address the intercultural domain (Sevimel-Sahin, 2020). 

Some participants also commented that our SIG was a place of connection and support where we can learn together and combat the outdated notion that you need to be a native speaker to communicate effectively within or across borders.

Conclusion

Our discussion concluded with the understanding that intercultural competence must be central to teacher education and classroom practice, rather than secondary to linguistic competence. 

Developing these skills is a continuous and reflective process, but it can be done! We left the discussion with a clear sense of the importance of intercultural competence as well as strategies that we can think about applying with our own students.