Coaching connected learning across borders

Can you play your way to better intercultural understanding? Game-based learning is becoming more and more accepted. There is even a new high school in New York where the curriculum is based on games. I have previously explored some games for promoting intercultural competence such as the University of Portsmouth’s C-shock but this time I…

Mike Marzio has been on my list of potential interviewees for a long time because of his innovative Real English video materials. But the reason that I finally got round to interviewing him for the Absolutely Intercultural podcast is that he has a personal project for which he needs to raise €30,000 to cover the…

I’m often asked how I know so much about tools available to help in the language classroom. The honest answer is that I don’t carry this knowledge around in my head. I think that I have learned to read the online landscape and if I see something I like, I know that there are a…

Learn a bit of structured language and go out immediately into the real world to practice it, where real world really does mean real world and involves the students interacting with the public in libraries, cafes and parks. That’s the idea behind Languages Out There and in March I explored the concept with its founder…

When I arranged to speak with Adrian Pilbeam about the intercultural training courses he offers I was surprised to find out that you could get EU support with your expenses to attend. Not that I am unfamiliar with the Grundtvig scheme which pays for adult educators to attend 5 day courses in EU countries since…

When we first started the Absolutely Intercultural podcast back in 2006 and wrote on the podcast website that we were the first podcast to deal with intercultural matters I thought it wouldn’t be long before we had many competitors. But now four years later something has happened to make me look again to see what…

An article about the scientific basis for social learning which appeared in the New Scientist recently was quite timely.The Trinity accredited course which I moderate for The Consultants-E, the Certificate in teaching language with technology, tends to immerse participants in the various online tools available to enhance language teaching both Web 1.0 and Web 2.0. …

You may not have noticed but May 21 was UNESCO’s World Day for Cultural Diversity, for Dialogue and Development. As a change to the cliched international fair of ethnic cuisine Debbie Swallow, crosscultural expert based in the UK, decided to start a blog called the World at Work. The idea would be to invite people…

May 21st (Friday) is UNESCO’s “The World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development” and Debbie Swallow has organised a new website for collecting workplace critical incidents. Do you have any examples of intercultural differences you have come across while working in other cultures? If so why not share them at the World at…

I was amazed at the prevalence of tired old stereotypes about Africa when I spoke to Ekene Ajufo and Polly Anna Sanches Martinez about a discussion forum event they organised on behalf of the African Student Union at the University of Florida to discuss the theme of ‘Us v Them’. They called them National Geographic images. The problem…