Olga Isac Head of Languages Department at Heritage International School, IGCSE/AS/A Level German Teacher/ DaF Teacher, Heritage International School

In this article, Olga Isac explains how a foreign language classroom is the perfect place to develop intercultural, interpersonal skills and cultivate values

Being a foreign language teacher for over 16 years, I can tell that a Foreign Language class is a place where we develop key skills, which are imperative in modern society. Learning a foreign language does not only imply learning grammatical structures and rules, learning vocabulary by heart, writing dictations, and completing gaps in a text. It is undoubtedly way beyond that. In fact, in a foreign language class, we build global citizens. In this article, I would like to talk about the Intercultural and Interpersonal skills, which are constantly fostered in any foreign language lesson, because we teach about a new culture of the respective country, its customs, traditions, arts, literature, music, films, holidays, festivities, school systems and many more. With all this luggage of knowledge, the students develop cultural awareness, once they learn about it, they understand it, accept it, they become empathetic and open-minded towards that precise culture they learn about. As a result, we cultivate values that are of utmost importance in the world of globalization.
 
How do we contribute to developing these skills in a foreign language class?  
For instance, if you decide to have a cross-border project with your class, besides improving language skills, you contribute to cross-border communication. The students get to know other students from another country and in such as way, they develop their intercultural competence.  According to Darla Deardorff, the Intercultural Competence Model (2006) is based on five elements: 
  • Attitudes- respect, openness, curiosity
  • Knowledge- cultural self-awareness
  • Skills- observing, listening, evaluating, analyzing, interpreting, and relating
  • Internal outcomes- flexibility, adaptability, and empathy
  • External outcomes-appropriate communication and behavior

The modern student’s book in a foreign language no longer provides traditional methods of teaching. In any textbook, it can be observed in the contents, that various cultural aspects of the country, where the taught language is spoken, are taken into account. The units in the student’s book refer to traditional food, historical places, cities, places of interest, famous personalities, historical events, lifestyle, and teenage life. We can observe a massive input of cultural topics and this is great. This motivates the students to continue with the language. It is well known that you learn a subject well when you like it. Due to this, we must always prepare motivational activities in class.

We all know how impactful music on teenagers is. Playing the music in a foreign language class, along with a task, such as, for example, completing the gaps in a song, might give an insight into the music genres popular in Germany, France, Italy, or any other country of the target language. Moreover, at the end of every unit, a project task might be found, which prompts the students to search for information, analyze, and compare cultural aspects of the respective country to their own. Additionally, the students might be required to make presentations on their research. This is a wonderful opportunity to motivate, on the one hand, individual work and on the other hand, to learn about some cultural aspects of interest.

In other words, the students get acquainted with the culture profoundly. If they ever visit that country or make a field trip, or have a student exchange, the impact will be different, they will be culturally prepared. To exemplify, the students will exhibit an understanding of others, appreciation, and acceptance that we are all different, and yet, we can work together, study together, and create together. They will possess those five elements of intercultural competence, which play a key role in building relationships in the future. Basically, we prepare our students for future challenges. 

The learning of a foreign language must never be underestimated, because, as we all know, it not only develops memory, the brain activity but also helps to be cognitively far forward in comparison with students who are not motivated to enlarge their horizons by learning a language other than their own. Similarly, we can observe a relationship between foreign language skills and intercultural skills, as well as interpersonal skills. To put it more simply, we help our students to communicate better, to socialize easier, to become more self-confident, and again, to build stronger relationships in the future. 

To elucidate, I would like to point out that during a language class, students make dialogues, in pairs or small groups, they debate, have question/answers activities, they analyze books, films, poems, and quotes, in other words, they regularly interchange opinions, agree, disagree, express what they think. What’s more, not only do they learn how to express their thoughts in a foreign language, but also listen to others and respond respectfully. They learn how to accept the opinion of others, discuss it and eventually, come to a conclusion together.  This skill will, without any doubt, play a great role in their future career, because it is a key requirement when applying for a job. 

According to Owen Hargie and David Dickson, “The interpersonal skills are at the very epicentre of our social existence.“  To put it in another way, we constantly need to communicate in order to exist. Developing these skills is one of the objectives of a foreign language class. We develop these skills along the way while learning vocabulary, grammar, and other linguistic aspects. 

All things considered, it should be noted that a successful foreign language class, besides linguistic knowledge, also develops both, intercultural and interpersonal skills, as well as cultivates such values as empathy, respect, cooperation, openness and acceptance. This suggests that learning a foreign language is a complex process, which helps to understand better your native language, your own culture, and not lastly, yourself. 

References

https://infoguides.gmu.edu/EDUC878/ICModels

Owen Hargie and David Dickson, Skilled Interpersonal Communication: Research, Theory, and Practice”, Routledge, 2004, ISBN 0415227208, 9780415227209

 

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