Our Intracultural Selves

Us, our lives, and our classrooms

many aspects

many different influences

PLACES

SCHOOL

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

RELATIONSHIPS

We are

complex beings

So are our kids

Using the questions in the

An intracultural

self

ongoing process

The Standards can help…

Educational theory and practiceWhat is the culture of the school in which you

teach?Language and Culture

How do you use and develop your language abilities?

What sorts of contacts do you have with target language communities, personally or through

reading, the media or web?What recent activities have you undertaken to

develop your language and cultural knowledge of the culture you teach?

Educational theory and practiceWhat do you know about the individual learners you teach and their

capabilities?How comprehensively do you understand the discipline, traditions and debates

in language and culture teaching?

Language and CultureHow do you express your intercultural awareness in teaching and in daily life?How do you deal with issues of identity in your teaching (including your own

identity)?How do you encourage learners to see the world from other cultural

perspectives?What messages do your students take away from their experience of language

learning about the relationship between language, culture and learning?

Ethics and ResponsibilityWhat ideas and values inform your language teaching? Where do these come

from?

Ideas for getting to know our students

• Class party with traditional food• Counting to 10 in different languages – kids

teaching kids• Interests incorporated into unit you are

working on – vocab for their interests• Looking at students’ daily routine –eg. what

time do you eat tea?• Who Am I Profile – read diff. one each session

Ideas continued…

• Fashion parade• Group discussion – telling their stories• Students to interview family members• Show and Tell – bring in an item and explain

its significance• Assembly – showing flag and using greeting of

student’s nationality