Maxi-Ann Campbell Duke Kunshan University Kunshan, China

Barbara Lapornik F.Preseren High School Trieste, Italy

Amy Alice Chastain Emirates College for Advanced Education, UAE

In supporting the 2015–2016 ICIS goals of interacting with other associations outside TESOL, Amy Chastain, Maxi-Ann Campbell, and Barbara Lapornik presented a panel entitled “Incorporating Qualitative Research and the Arts in the Language Classroom: Case Studies From Around the World” at the 2015 International Association of Language and Intercultural Communication (IALIC) Conference. As the theme for the IALIC 2015 conference affirmed, it is vital to “[move] away from an essentialist view of culture [and explore and promote] alternative perspectives to study language and intercultural communication in this increasingly hybrid, mobile and interrelated world (IALIC, 2015)." 

Amy, immediate past chair of ICIS, introduced the panel and began the colloquium with a brief overview of the benefits and uses of qualitative research design and methods, as well as creative expression and participation through the arts, as the basis for ESL/EFL classroom projects in high school and university settings. In completing these projects, students link critical thinking, intercultural communication, and language to investigate aspects of their local communities and multicultural representation and gain insight into cultures, heritages, and language use that, in turn, initiate dialogue and, in some cases, ultimately inspire social change.

Based on her work in the United Arab Emirates, Amy presented on the outcomes and effects of drama and ethno-drama on language use/features, communication strategies, identity construction, and beliefs about language policy and practice and related themes that emerged based on student experience and reflection after such practices. The lessons and activities were inspired by and incorporated Tara Goldstein's (2003) work and the original short plays written and performed by Amy's students, which enabled them to explore and discuss issues such as those surrounding language choice, access to education, identity, and advocacy for the first time in this context.

Maxi, the current ICIS chair-elect, focused on activities she has done with university students in her class as they relate to music and intercultural communication simulations. While music and simulations are certainly not new to the field of intercultural communication or language teaching, it was her hope that she would provide the audience with focused, practical suggestions for using these resources effectively in the classroom. She offered, for example, tips on how to find meaningful music that can stimulate discussion on topics as varied as the recent economic crisis and differences in job application culture (e.g., discussion of equal opportunity laws). She then provided suggestions for using simulations in the classroom on a regular basis to make it more effective, no matter the class size. The first time one does an IC simulation, it may not be effective, so multiple simulations should be planned throughout a semester to achieve maximum impact. She then ended her discussion with reflections on student response to these activities.

Barbara presented her own, by now 15-year long experience with international projects, which included student exchanges. Starting with the opportunities offered by the new EU Erasmus+ programme, she showed how she had included the IC skills within the projects themselves to foster students’ intercultural competence. The activities selected centered on culturally effective behaviour, on ways of dealing with prejudices, and on the analysis of critical incidents and their emotive reaction. She also considered a few communication tools aimed at preventing misunderstanding and different strategies for conflict resolution techniques, which are dealt with in class. She concluded by presenting two longer projects focusing on student-led interviews with migrant people .

Conference Highlights

There were several splendid plenaries given at the IALIC conference, but the highlight for Maxi and Amy was certainly Joseph Lo Bianco’s plenary, entitled “Facilitating Dialogue: Peace Building and Language Policy in Conflict Zones in SE Asia.” Lo Bianco’s talk focused on the work he has done using UNICEF grants to mediate conflicts through research, language policy, and language education. He began his talk by noting that his is the only UNICEF grant that focuses on language education, even though the root of many conflicts begin with linguistic misunderstanding. His research has found that the conflict often stems from miscommunication between groups who have different linguistic and cultural backgrounds as well as language policies that put particular groups of people at a disadvantage. One of the things that made the deepest impression on Amy was his meticulous care for allowing every single voice in every single language represented to share equal recognition and input through his team's careful construction of unified documents detailing the needs and desires—declarations of peace—that each individual and group brings to the table at these transformational forums led by Bianco's efforts. Each day, every contribution is carefully transcribed and translated and integrated, in order to be presented together in concert the next day to continue to build toward a unified voice for peaceful resolution for all involved. This practice exemplifies what many of us, as language teachers, believe and strive for in teaching language: to empower students without detracting from the power they already have to express themselves in their own tongue.

Maxi took particular notice of Lo Bianco’s statement that providing a child an education in a language that is not their mother tongue is one of the cruelest things that anyone can do to a child. It leads to an ineffective education system that proliferates a cycle of poverty and violence. Therefore, Lo Bianco and his team have begun to mediate this problem through their research and language policy advising. This plenary particularly stood out to Maxi as it further reinforced to her that language teaching was not simply about grammar or pronunciation, but it can be a powerful tool for effective communication, prosperity, and peace building if wielded effectively; the reverse is also true if language policies are made without careful research. Maxi plans to continue exploring the relationships among language teaching, intercultural communication, research, and conflict resolution.

IALIC leadership and conference attendants gather to begin the 15th annual IALIC Conference in Beijing, China.

Amy Alice Chastain describes the background of ethno-drama projects to audience members.

Maxi-Ann Campbell offers tips for finding meaningful music that can generate discussion about intercultural differences and similarities.

Barbara Lapornik looks at definitions of intercultural competence before describing the activities she does in her classroom to develop her students' intercultural skills.

References

International Association for Languages and Intercultural Communication. (2015).

Maxi-Ann Campbell is currently an EFL/writing instructor at Duke Kunshan Univeristy, and ICIS's chair-elect. She has taught English at Tsinghua University and Shantou University, and has served as a Global Academic Fellow at NYU Shanghai. Her research focuses on native-nonnative speaker interaction in university settings and the interplay of culture and language in Chinese English-medium universities on students’ development of linguistic and cultural competence.

Barbara Lapornik, MA, lives and works in the town of Trieste, Italy. She is currently a teacher of English at F.Preseren high school, its vice-principal and European project manager. Since 1999, she has coordinated three EU Comenius and Erasmus projects and more than10 student exchange projects with EU countries. She has been presenting her experience in international conferences.

Amy Alice Chastain has been active in TESOL and serves as immediate past chair of ICIS. She has taught and lived in both China and the United Arab Emirates and studied in France in vastly different cultures and learning environments, each with its own challenges and rewards, and she looks forward to where her journey might take her next. Amy’s research interests include exploring ways to encourage and build intercultural understanding and communicative competence, the use of ethnography and narrative, language choice, and identity.