One way of widening the cultural lens of your students is to go out and meet new cultures. This need not mean costly and time-consuming travel abroad though that is probably the most valuable intercultural experience. Sometimes this can mean just a focused outing in the local area. Most urban areas these days display elements of other cultures. I recall several years ago making a tour of different cafés in Cologne, Germany which was a way of meeting the traditional German idea of a café, the multinational chains such as Starbucks and the well-established Turkish community, among many others.
In the latest show of Absolutely Intercultural you hear an interview with Nda Kouassi in Côte d’Ivoire and how he is trying to instill confidence in his students to use English. One of the ways (which didn’t make the edit) is a visit to the American embassy, the American Corner where Nda Kouassi’s students can only communicate with the staff there in English. When they succeed, this is a huge boost to their confidence and adds to their motivation back in the classroom.
And for those teachers who have difficulties taking their students out, there is always the online option. Atiyyeh Hussein in Palestine is also featured in the latest show and this is the method he uses to connect his 13-17 year old boys to the outside world. Travelling outside of Palestine is difficult and costly and therefore online meetings are a good alternative and have enabled his students to meet classes in Russia, Romania and the UK. Atiyyeh Hussein has not confined himself to the usual chats about the weather and Palestinian politics but has also supported his boys in innovative activities such as acting out a typical marriage arrangement over Skype. This is such a rewarding way of connecting his students that Atiyyeh Hussein is looking for more classes to connect with. You can email him direct or let me know if you are interested. Perhaps you could start a project like this as a way of marking Global Collaboration Day which is scheduled for September 17th.
Listen to the podcast below.
Image credit: Atiyyeh Hussein