UNLPam – Facultad de Ciencias HumanasPRÁCTICA EDUCATIVA II

(Didactics of ELT and Practicum at Primary School Level)

Student teachers: Avendaño, Ivana and Blanco, Fátima

Practical N° 17Intercultural Awareness

Teachers’ voices from Argentine classrooms

TEACHING SEQUENCE ONE

1) How does the sequence develop a cultural understanding?

The sequence develops a cultural understanding through activities that help learners to acquire the linguistic competence needed to communicate in speaking or writing, to formulate what they want to say/write in correct and appropriate ways. In this case, the teacher asks the students questions about the cover of a book such as:

Why do you think the children of the cover belong to other countries?

What are they wearing?

What do they look like?

By answering these questions, students acquire linguistic competence but also, they develop their intercultural competence, the ability to ensure a shared understanding by people of different social identities and the ability to interact with people as complex human beings with multiple identities and their own individuality.

2) In what ways does it foster dialogue with otherness?

It fosters dialogue with otherness by presenting activities that make students aware of the different personalities people adopt by asking them what clothes children from other countries wear. Also, it is achieved by asking students different ways of saying “PEACE” and asking them to find the countries on the globe. The purpose of the activities is to prepare them for interaction with people of other cultures, to enable them to understand and accept people from other cultures as individuals with other distinctive perspectives, values and behaviours; and to help them to see that such interaction is an enriching experience.

3) What is the relevance of relating diversity with world peace?

It is relevant to relate diversity with world peace because exposure to diversity has an important role on promoting peace and understanding among the students. Pupils may learn that they have more in common than they would have thought, and that their commonalities overshadow their differences. Besides, being exposed to diversity increases the chances for mutual respect across cultures, religion, etc. and plays a key factor in education’s role within the promotion of peace.

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UNLPam – Facultad de Ciencias HumanasPRÁCTICA EDUCATIVA II

(Didactics of ELT and Practicum at Primary School Level)

Student teachers: Avendaño, Ivana and Blanco, Fátima

Furthermore, students will reflect on a valuable lesson: although we are all different we have something in common: we all want the same: to live in peace.

4) Why is this teaching sequence of social relevance for children?

This teaching sequence has social relevance for children due to different factors:

Teacher elicits children to talk about different things (describe what are the children of the cover wearing, their appearance, what an Argentinian child would wear if he were to be included on the cover)

Discuss what Peace represents to them and how would be apply in class. Children sing a chat that they learned the previous class. Teacher reads the story interactively, but this time she makes pauses for student to

complete the statements making them find on the globe. Teacher makes student reflect upon the topic. Teacher points to a conclusion and show student how they would apply the concept in

class. Teacher acts “scenes” which represent tolerance, hope and respect. Projects: poster with different ways to say Peace, the families’ opinions on why Peace is

important in the world. Each student designs another page to be included in the book they read. Finally, they will present it in turns to the rest of the class.

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