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Josephine Prado
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Leslie Bohon
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Dear Intercultural Communication members,
We would like to wish each of you health and well-being for 2021. Marking the change of years, we can reflect on the past and plan for the future. This last year brought many challenges, but hopefully, also opportunities for growth. During most of 2020, educators across the globe explored ways to promote language learning with cultural awareness, cultural responsiveness, and cultural sustainability through virtual educational settings. To highlight the creative adaptations and solutions for virtual learning, this newsletter’s theme -- online teaching and learning -- recognizes three creative approaches from three continents and three educational contexts.
To launch our theme, authors Sylvester, Fay, Dawson, and Huang from the University of Manchester, UK share an inspired version of the cultural simulation card game Barnga adapted for the Zoom platform. Our second piece explores ways that virtual field trips enhance English language and intercultural learning. Authors Torres and Statti list several technological platforms and share examples of activities they have successfully used in their U.S.-based online graduate classrooms. Our third and final featured article is from the K-12 context in Argentina. Author Villalba describes how virtual learning afforded indigenous students opportunities to engage with Argentinian academic curriculum in culturally sustaining ways. These three diverse pieces highlight the diversity of technology use and how it can enhance English language and intercultural teaching. These ideas are especially valuable during COVID-19 times when we, as educators, often find ourselves dependent on technology to continue teaching and learning.
As TESOL’s Interest Section for intercultural communication within the context of language teaching and learning, we believe that a diverse set of voices will enrich our work and our lives. We welcome you to join us as you are able. There are several ways to share and to connect. Once a month we have informal “coffee hour”, which is an opportunity to get to know ICIS members and connect for work or research possibilities. The coffee hours will be Wednesday or Friday early afternoon, third week of a month. The next coffee hour will be on January 27, 2021, focusing on intercultural learning from the student point-of-view. For all events, please stay tuned in to our social media channels on Facebook and Twitter. They will keep you up-to-date on all ICIS activities.
Another way to connect with ICIS is to submit a piece to the ICIS newsletter. Share your insights, issues or experiences regarding intercultural learning, teaching intercultural competence or cultural exchange in your educational setting. The deadline for the call for submissions to our spring/summer newsletter is Monday, February 1, 2021. Please email your submissions to newsletter.icis.tesol@gmail.com.
Additionally, you can “Meet Your ICIS Leadership Team” through a brief set of bios. We look forward to working with everyone in the TESOL ICIS community as we explore together the art and science of intercultural learning. Please feel free to contact us with comments, suggestions, or questions.
Finally, with love and respect, we remember Dr. Lynne Diaz-Rico. Lynne was a dear friend and esteemed colleague to many in ICIS. Readers will find memories and tributes to Lynne, written by several leaders in ICIS. We gratefully dedicate this newsletter to Lynne.
We hope you enjoy this edition of the ICIS Newsletter. We look forward to hearing from you.
Warm regards,
Josephine Prado
Leslie Bohon ICIS Newsletter Co-Editors |
