Intercultural Languages Education Workshops

Fridays 22, 29 August, 28 November, & 5 December 2008, 8:30am–4pm


This program consists of four 'stand alone' modules on intercultural language education. Participants may undertake any or all of these workshops (To undertake workshops 2, 3 and 4, it is presumed that participants have initial understandings of notions of intercultural language education.)

Here is a brief overview of each workshop. Please find full program on the enrolment form.

22 August: Intercultural languages education: examining key concepts of teachers and students exploring the 'third space'
This first session sets out the key notions, key concepts and key understandings about intercultural language education, placing it within the broader worldwide trends to attend to interculturality. In a mix of both lecture-style and group-work sessions, participants will be lead to develop and make explicit their new understandings about the teaching of culture, language and the meaning of intercultural for them and their students.

29 August: Developing strategies to teach languages interculturally and pedagogical implications of teaching interculturally
This session explores the types of productive pedagogies required to allow the development of intercultural competence in school language learners. Pedagogical models are presented during lecture-style sessions, and pair and groupwork allow language teachers to examine their current pedagogy and verbalise their feelings and perceptions towards any changes they may have to make if they were to change their practice to teach interculturally (indeed, if any changes are necessary at all).

28 November: Finding materials to teach interculturally: sourcing suitable teaching and learning resources for students to become intercultural
This session explores a number of frames for evaluating foreign language textbooks and teaching/learning materials, and examines notions of culture within the evaluation frames. Teachers have a chance to examine and analyse language learning materials in order to explore what types of materials exist that can best aid learners achieve intercultural competence. Teachers should be prepared to bring in examples from their own teaching resource set.

5 December: Conducting action research for teacher innovation and change in the new intercultural languages education classroom
This session presents the key notions of language teachers and their development of an investigative stance, and teacher action research, and guides teachers into ways of conceptualising research questions about intercultural language education in their classrooms. Teachers are asked to problematise an intercultural notion within their own teaching context, and with the assistance of colleagues and the presenter, will sketch a possible action research project for solving a problem in their own classroom.

Participants may choose to attend all or any of these workshops.

Participants who complete all four workshops have the option of having this program accredited as one unit of study towards a graduate certificate, graduate diploma or masters degree offered by the faculty. This option entails undertaking an additional 5000-word assignment, and a further $400 fee for marking and administration is required.

For more information please contact the Academic Coordinator: Dr Lesley Harbon.

Fees
(Per person, GST inclusive. Morning tea & lunch provided)

Download a full program and enrolment form (.pdf - 4 pages)


Venue
Education Building, Manning Road
The University of Sydney, Camperdown


Enrolment enquiries
Email , or phone 02 9351 8520