cultivating intercultural curiosity through student-led language week

Cultivating intercultural curiosity through student-led Language Week

Beata RödlingováAlexander Mareček

ECIS Annual EducatorsCopenhagen, 18 November 2016

What makes your language special?

What word or expression in your language is impossible to translate to another language and why?

Cultivating intercultural curiosity through student-led Language Week

● Why ● What● How it impacts

This is what it often looks like...

… but is it what we want?“Appreciate and celebrate diversity. Develop a social climate promoting international understanding and community service.” (AIS Bucharest) “We deliver an internationally focused curriculum that encourages open mindedness, tolerance and cross-cultural understanding. We respect our host country’s culture, traditions and environment.” (AIS Budapest)

“We aim to cultivate in all our students an understanding and appreciation of the beliefs, customs and practices of all peoples, to assist them in their future participation as active and responsible global citizens.” (IS Krakow)

“ISP Empowers Learners to: Think Critically and Creatively, Work Cooperatively and Independently, Listen and Communicate effectively, Act with Compassion, Integrity, Respect and Intercultural Understanding.” (IS Prague)

“The aim of all IB programmes is to develop internationally minded people who […] critically appreciate [their] own cultures and personal histories, as well as the values and traditions of others.”” (IB Learner Profile)

Source: http://imgur.com/4EGSm00

❏ Food❏ Music❏ Decoration❏ Language call

❏ Language games❏ Films❏ Theatre skits❏ Language lessons

taught by students❏ Classroom connections❏ Advisory activities❏ Panel❏ Speakers

Source: http://imgur.com/4EGSm00

LW: some basic facts

● On the calendar since 2006● Spans a week● Two Upper School assemblies● Two days with language lessons● Culminates with an evening music

concert

Decoration: unifying theme

“Lost and found in translation”“Language is a bridge”“Silent voices”“Language is music”“Language is a home”“Unheard voices”

Decoration: posters

● All posters bilingual (MT and English) ● Locker posters: personal reflection opportunity for each

student and teacher, made visible through US hallways● Thematic posters: by members of organization team● Proverb posters: what proverbs reveal something about

your culture?

Decoration: posters

● All posters bilingual (MT and English) ● Locker posters: personal reflection opportunity for each

student and teacher, made visible through US hallways● Thematic posters: by members of organization team● Proverb posters: what proverbs reveals something about

your culture?

Decoration: postersNAME HERE

Decoration: postersPHOTO HERE

Decoration: posters

Language Call

● Launching LW:

visualization of diversity

Multilingual MC’s

● Two students introduce individual acts during assembly in several languages

Speakers

● Presentations in the speaker’s MT● Thematic but individual, personal, unique● Variety:

○ External & internal○ Adult & student

LANGUAGE WEEK 2010February 3, 2010 – “LOST AND FOUND IN TRANSLATION”

(Japanese student) At first, I was not interested in Japanese. But when I was in the Middle School, I didn't like any subject - I did not like math, not even P.E. So I did not have any special skill; my friends in Korea thought that I was ‘the man who thinks studying is the best’. Then I realized that I really didn’t have any special ability. So, I decided to look for an activity that would also be useful for my future job. [...]

Speakers

Panelists

● Shorter thematic presentations by students

Language Lessons

● Popular highlight ● Students teach 30min lessons to mixed groups of

students and teachers● Elements of language & culture● “Docendo discimus”

○ Self-reflection opportunity ○ Learner becomes expert

"I discovered some new interesting things about my home country, because of the researches and presentation. I was a teacher and I understood that it is also a really hard work to tell interesting not complicated things so they can get bored.” (Russian student, Grade 9)”

"I learned how hard and fun it is to be a teacher and improved my speaking and performing skills in front of students by this brilliant opportunity to be a teacher.” (Japanese student, Grade 10)

Student reflections

Language games + assembly quiz

● Games created in EAL, Modern Language classes● Interactive quiz (kahoot, audience physically involved)

Miscellanea

● Films● Music● Theatre● Cultural Cafe (evening)● Advisory activities

Expansion

● Other sections (MS, ES)● Local connection

○ Local public school - pupils are speakers and teach Czech

● International connection○ Your schools next year :)

● ISP Language Week 28.11-2.12.2016 - streamed live at https://livestream.com/isp

Why is LW important: community● Gives voice to those unheard● Bursts “the bubble”● Empowers students● Builds on diversity

○ “In the language of ecology, the strongest ecosystems are those that are the most diverse...Thus language and cultural diversity maximizes chances of human success and adaptability.” (Tove Skutnabb-Kangas, Sharing a World of Difference, 2004)

● Improves community interaction● Puts the school mission into practice

Why is LW important: individualsIB Learner profile: “internationally minded people”

● Inquirers: “nurture our curiosity”, “sustain our love of learning throughout life”● Knowledgeable: “conceptual understanding”, “across disciplines”, “local and

global significance”● Thinkers: “critical and creative thinking”, “reasoned, ethical decisions”● Communicators: “listening carefully to the perspective of others”● Principled: “dignity and rights of people”● Open-minded: “We critically appreciate our own cultures and personal histories,

as well as the values and traditions of others. We seek and evaluate a range of points of view, and we are willing to grow from the experience.”:)

● Caring: “empathy, compassion and respect”● Risk-takers: “approach uncertainty”, “resourceful”, “resilient”● Balanced: “intellectual, physical and emotional” :) X “recognize interdependence”● Reflective: self-knowledge, recognition of own strengths and weaknesses

Why is LW important: individualsIB Le ner profile: “internationally minded people”

Inquirers: “nurture our curiosity”, “sustain our love of learning throughout life”● Knowledgeable: “conceptual understanding”, “across disciplines”, “local and

global significance”Thinkers: “critical and creative thinking”, “reasoned, ethical decisions”

● Communicators: “listening carefully to the perspective of others”Principled: “dignity and rights of people”Open-minded: “We critically appreciate our own cultures and personal histories, as well as the values and traditions of others. We seek and evaluate a range of points of view, and we are willing to grow from the experience.”:)

●

Why is LW important: organizers● Responsibility● Long-term planning and time management● Meeting management● Leadership and people skills● Dealing with frustration - perfectionism● Delegating work, realistic self-knowledge● Making concessions for the good of the event and team● Awareness of continuity

How to implement

● People○ 3-4 teachers○ Student team (ca. 20 people - sub teams)

● Timeline, examples, templates - see http://blogs.isp.cz/eal/LW

Thank you!

Beata Rödlingová brodlingova@isp.cz Alexander Mareček alex.marecek@gmail.com

Questions, comments, ideas?

Edited in order to maintain privacy of photographed people. Full version available at alex.marecek@gmail.com