Valuing Diversity Through Intercultural Communicative Language Teaching
This is the third and final video in a series about Intercultural Communicative Language
Teaching (iCLT).
The first two videos briefly discussed iCLT and Principles 1 - 4 of iCLT that Jonathan
Newton proposed.
Here we will finish with Principles 5 and 6.
Principle 5: iCLT acknowledges and responds appropriately to diverse learners and learning
contexts.
One of the stages on the way to acculturation, the creation of a “third space” where
the individual is comfortable taking aspects from two or more cultures, is called “minimization.”
Minimization is when the learner focuses on the similarities between themselves and other
cultures.
This is better than the first step of denial, where the individual considers different beliefs,
values and etc. to be wrong.
Different equals wrong in the Denial stage.
Many instructors with good intentions fall into the trap of overemphasizing similarities
between cultures.
This is not desirable.
The idea that we are all the same, that we all bleed red, devalues diversity.
Besides, what do we really mean when we say we are all the same?
What standard do we use?
Unconsciously, we are saying everyone else is like me, which is why Minimization is considered
ethnocentric.
Only by actively embracing our differences can we truly value everyone.
By the way, acceptance is not equal to agreement.
I do not have to agree with your morals and beliefs, but I do need to accept your right
to have morals and beliefs that are different from mine.
Principle 5 not only values the diversity in the classroom and encourages its use as
content for language lessons, it also respects the background of the learner.
For example, an iCLT teacher would never tell learners to speak only in English when they
are outside or inside the classroom.
L1 use is not just tolerated; it is embraced in a pedagogical manner.
Furthermore, Principle 5 leads to differentiated instruction for learners because it recognizes
that students from different cultures will have diverse learning preferences.
Principle 6: iCLT emphasizes intercultural communicative competence rather than native-speaker
competence.
The last of Newton’s principles promotes the concept of English as an International
Language (EIL) rather than a second or other language.
Do the billion people in India speak English incorrectly because they do not sound like
the 300 million people in the US?
When we explicitly or implicitly set native-speaker competence as the goal for our class, we are
setting the majority of students up for failure.
Correspondingly, we are setting an assimilation goal instead of an acculturation/integration
goal.
Of course, some learners will choose to assimilate into the target culture, but it should be
their choice and not the instructor’s.
Instead, if we focus on understanding register and pragmatics in speaking, situational use
of language, suprasegmentals (intonation, stress, and rhythm) in pronunciation, and
analysis of culture, then we enable the majority of learners to reach intercultural communicative
competence.
We help them understand that they do not have to give up their cultural identity to reach
fluency in the target language.
The goal is to understand and to be understood – not to speak without an accent or with
perfect grammar.
Many students will not readily accept this concept because they have been learning English
for years and no one else has presented this concept to them.
In that case, considering what EIL means could be a discovery project for the class.
Also though, you do have to understand that in some settings, in some situations, in order
for the LL to be successful, usually in business settings, they do need to strive for more
native-speaker-like fluency than in other settings.
So, you need to adjust a little bit to what the goal of the learner is.
In summary, Principle 5 celebrates diversity in the world and in the classroom.
While Principle 6 frees learners from the mostly unrealistic goal of native-speaker
competence.