Promoting language and intercultural competence through blogging / Managing across cultures
Parallel sessions
1.Promoting language and intercultural competence through blogging
Zhou Hongfen King's College London for Chinese learners on year abroad
three types of blogs
Course blog: collaborative learning, a public platform (intermediate-advanced Chinese learners)
Personal blog: independent learning, a personal diary (year abroad Chinese learners)
How to use the blog for cultural awareness.
Project: 8 students participating.
Analysis on the categories of course blog: task writing, notice, hot topics.
85% like to read blog entries. 71% agree they learned new vocabularies, improved their language and enriched their cultural knowledge.
Findings: using course blog effectively improved student's language competence, particularly writing skills.
Personal blog
for Chinese learners on year abroad
7 students participants. 2 data resources: blog entries and final individual interviews.
374 entries analyses with ICC model
Findings: blog is a formal public place, structured ideas. Motivation is important for students: "good way to remember my time", good for future career development, "helps you remember how you felt in that moment"
Helped interaction with people from home cultures. Meaningful intercultural communication through blogging.
Question: are people embarrassed about putting up their thoughts? answer: they liked to share their thoughts. Felt they were contributing for others in their situation.
Importance for the tutor to contribute in the blog, to give feedback.
Question: about the new tech language (ie in English: U for you, etc…). In Chinese you cannot change the scripts.
Question: why not writing in English? How's about cultural awareness? Most students went to English, but help was offered for Chinese writing. New culture: about traveling, time management, how babies are carried, a lot of things they discover. Also students can participate in topics proposed.
2. Managing across Cultures (notes from Véronique Davis, Tutor at the Oxford University Language Centre)
She presented the findings of a survey she carried out earlier on this year. In a very lively, warm and informative session, we were presented with situations in a working environment and had to respond honestly and spontaneously. There were no wrong or right answers. Isabella was simply demonstrating that we all have different ways of reacting depending on our nationality. A very useful session for managing staff of several origins. A reflexion on stereotypes and on adapting in a multicultural environment.
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