ILTE - The Report - 6.0 The modules

6.0 The modules

As pointed out in the introduction, this report has a past and a future orientation. Our experiments showed us that with the help of interested teachers, intercomprehension could be introduced into the classroom whatever the age of the pupils. Not all teachers are however willing to take these kinds of risks and experiment. Our next task was therefore to consider the ways in which teachers in training could be introduced to the concepts and methods involved.

To introduce intercomprehension in teacher training programmes for pre-service and in-service students of English at Østfold University College, modules were designed that address intercomprehension from various angles. Both theoretical and practical aspects were considered. On the one hand student teachers need to study theoretical aspects of foreign language learning to acquire a platform for knowledge and reflection. On the other they need to do several activities to better understand what they are reading about. Therefore the modules include both study material and activities.

It was, however, equally important to consider the students' future careers as foreign language teachers and assess approaches and activities that could be useful in the foreign language classroom. Therefore some modules were designed that would explicitly prepare them for work in the foreign language classroom. As described in chapter 4, during the project period several experiments were carried out in primary and secondary school to find classroom approaches and activities that could actually work. Some of these were piloted with student teachers, as were some of the other module elements.

Some issues are listed under more than one module. The reason for this is that there are not always clear-cut boundaries between modules; they will overlap to a certain extent. Besides, since the modules are currently piloted with students to see what works and what does not, some study material and activities will be taken out and others added in a continuous process.

When compiling the materials, the idea was to include a range of materials so that teacher trainers and school teachers who might be interested in using some of it can pick and choose according to their own needs and compose modules accordingly. Therefore no time schedule is suggested for the individual modules.

Module 1: Language learning

Study material:

Harmer, J. (1991):"Why do people learn languages" pp. 1-10 in The Practice of Language Teaching, Harlow: Longman
Lightbown, P. M. and Spada, N. (1999): "Theoretical approaches to explaining second language learning" pp. 31-48 in How Languages are Learned, Oxford: Oxford University Press
Harmer, J. (1991): "What a native speaker knows" pp. 11-20 in The Practice of English Language Teaching, Harlow: Longman
Kramsch, C. (1998): "The privilege of the intercultural speaker" pp. 16-31 in Byram, M. and Fleming, M. (eds.): Language Learning in Intercultural Perspective, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (also listed under The intercultural learner)
Graddol, D. (1999): "The decline of the native speaker" pp. 57-68 in Graddol, D. and Meinhof, U. H. (eds.): English in a changing world, AILA Review 13 (also listed under The intercultural learner)
Medgyes, P. (2000): "Native speaker" pp. 436-438 in Byram, M. (ed) Routledge Encyclopedia of Language Teaching and Learning, London: Routledge

Activities:

Why am I learning foreign languages
Design a questionnaire and interview a fellow student.
Learner language profiles and identities
An experiment in Intercomprehension
A brief questionnaire
What is Intercomprehension?
Put jumbled-up lines in a poem in correct order (also listed under Language awareness)
Decode syntactically correct text with nonsense words inserted (also listed under Language awareness)

Module 2:Language awareness

Study material:

Baker, C. and Jones, S. P. (eds.) (1998): "Language awareness: Knowledge about language" pp. 628-632 in Encyclopedia of Bilingualism and Bilingual Education, Clevedon: Multilingual Matters
Lightbown, P. M. and Spada, N. (1999): "Learner Language" pp. 71-90 in How Languages are Learned, Oxford: Oxford University Press
Garrett, P. and James, C. (2000): "Language awareness" pp. 330-333 in Byram, M. (ed) Routledge Encyclopedia of Language Teaching and Learning. London: Routledge.

Activities:

Put jumbled-up lines in a poem in correct order (also listed under Language learning)
Decode syntactically correct text with nonsense words inserted (also listed under Language learning)
Study "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll
Write a story in the mother tongue, and analyze its structural components
The Great Toy Robbery - the way two interlanguages differ (pp. 74-75 in Lightbown, P. M. and Spada, N. (1999): How Languages are Learned, Oxford: Oxford University Press)
Look at language aptitude tests to see what these are trying to identify cf Byram, M. (2000): "Aptitude for language learning" pp. 37-38 in Byram, M. (ed) Routledge Encyclopedia of Language Teaching and Learning. London: Routledge

Module 3: The European dimension

Study material:

Risager, K. (1998): "Language teaching and the process of European integration" pp. 242- 254 in Byram, M. and Fleming, M. (eds.): Language Learning in Intercultural Perspective, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Frühauf, G. (1996): "Introduction" pp. 7-11 in Frühauf, G., Coyle, D. and Christ, I. (eds.): Teaching content in a foreign language - practice and perspectives in European bilingual Education, Alkmaar: European Platform for Dutch Education
Stevenson, V. (1983): Foreword (by Philip Howard) and Introductionin The world of words An illustrated history of western languages, New York: Sterling

Activities:

The Indo-European mother tongue
Identification of some European languages

Module 4: Language and culture

Study material:

Kramsch, C. (1993): "Introduction" pp. 1-14 in Context and Culture in Language Teaching, Oxford: Oxford University Press
Byram, M.(1990):"Teaching Culture and Language: Towards an Integrated Model" pp. 17-30 in Buttjes, D. and Byram, M. (eds.): Mediating Languages and Cultures, Clevedon: Multilingual Matters
Keller, G. (1990): "Stereotypes in Intercultural Communication: Effects of German-British Pupil Exchanges" pp. 120-135 in Buttjes, D. and Byram, M. (eds.): Mediating Languages and Cultures, Clevedon: Multilingual Matters
Risager, K. (2000): "Cultural awareness" pp. 159-162 in Byram, M. (ed) Routledge Encyclopedia of Language Teaching and Learning. London: Routledge

Activities:

Advertisements and Intercomprehension
Advertisements and stereotypes
Textbook studies: How are other cultures portrayed in the various textbooks used in school, and how could these textbooks be improved?
Several activities offered in Seelye, H. Ned (1993): Teaching Culture: Strategies for Intercultural Communication, Lincolnwood: National Textbook Company
Study "The cultural dimension in the curriculum" pp. 100-105 in Byram, M. and Risager, K. (1999): Language Teachers, Politics and Cultures, Clevedon: Multilingual Matters as a point of departure for discussion

Module 5: The intercultural learner

Study material:

Kramsch, C. (1998): "The privilege of the intercultural speaker" pp. 16-31 in Byram, M. and Fleming, M. (eds.): Language Learning in Intercultural Perspective, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (also listed under Language learning)
Graddol, D. (1999): "The decline of the native speaker" pp. 57-68 in Graddol, D. and Meinhof, U. H. (eds.): English in a changing world, AILA Review 13 (also listed under Language learning)
Guterson, D. (1999): East of the Mountains, pp. 231-245 (paperback edition 2000), London: Bloomsbury
Norton, B. (2000): Identity and Language Learning. Gender, ethnicity and educational change (pp. 60-74), Harlow: Longman
Seelye, H. Ned (1993): "Cultural context, the key to comprehension" ch. 1 in Teaching Culture: Strategies for Intercultural Communication, Lincolnwood: National Textbook Company
Hoffman, E. (1989): Lost in Translation (an autobiography), London: Random House

Activities:

Several activities offered in Seelye, H. Ned (1993): Teaching Culture: Strategies for Intercultural Communication, Lincolnwood: National Textbook Company

Module 6: Young learners and intercomprehension - analysis and suggestions for language and cultural awareness-raising

Study material:

Ulseth, B. et al (2002): Sections 4.1 - 4.5 in the present report
Lund, R. (1999): "Storyline og fremmedspråk" pp. 195-212 in Eik, L. T. (ed.): Storyline, Oslo: Tano Aschehoug (also listed under Intermediate and advanced learners and intercomprehension)

Activities:

Using picture books known from Norwegian, for example The very hungry Caterpillar (Lille larven aldri mett) and Postman Pat
Using fairytales known from Norwegian, for example Goldilocks and Little Red Ridinghood
Game: Happy Families - using cards with everyday words from for example English, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, (for example mother - mamma - mãe - madre)
Using picture books with German text

Module 7: Intermediate and advanced learners and intercomprehension - analysis and suggestions for language and cultural awareness-raising

Study material:

Ulseth, B. et al (2002): Sections 4.6 - 4.9 in the present report
Lund, R (1999).: "Storyline og fremmedspråk" pp. 195-212 in Eik, L. T. (ed.): Storyline, Oslo: Tano Aschehoug (also listed under Young learners and intercomprehension)
Gulbrandsen, K.(2001: "Den europeiske språkmappa" pp. 4-9 in Språk og språkundervisning nr 2/2001, Oslo: Landslaget Moderne Språk

Activities:

Identification of some European languages
Relate a text in French/Spanish to words and phrases you recognize from other languages, including Norwegian, and try to summarize it. (for a learner who does not know French/Spanish)
Several good activities in The Languages Book written and compiled by Mike Raleigh, published by ILEA English Centre, London 1981
Go to the following site to collect ideas for your own My Languages Portfolio: http://www.nacell.org.uk/resources/pub_cilt/marchPupils Language Portfolio.pdf

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