Developing Intercultural Understanding: An Introduction for Teachers
The Developing Intercultural Understanding Program aims to develop participants' notions of interculturality and knowledge of intercultural understanding within the context of studies of Asia in English, Languages, SOSE and the Arts. The Program explores links between intercultural understanding and current State and Territory curriculum documents and national curriculum priorities and provides practical classroom activities that explore interculturality across learning areas and year levels.
- Index
- Session 1: Introduction to the Program
Session 1: Introduction to the Program
Suggested time allocation: 10 mins.
Refer to Slide 1: Program outline.
Explain that the program explores culture, identities, language, and diverse worldviews in building intercultural understanding. In developing intercultural understanding through exploring diverse worldviews, particularly in relation to Asia, the program draws on the curriculum contexts of History, Geography, SOSE/HSIE (or equivalent), English, Languages and The Arts, and engages with written, spoken, visual, and multimedia texts and representations.
Describe the program as having three areas of focus. They are:
- Culture, language and intercultural understanding
- Teaching and learning implications of intercultural understanding and
- Identifying and responding to learner needs (including self as learner).
Make clear that the program acknowledges that understandings of 'culture' and 'cultural identities' are many and varied. However, the current program is based on a clearly articulated definition of 'culture', and understanding of its relationship to 'cultural identities' and to language.
Further elaborate that the program is based on definition of 'intercultural understanding' as the ability to participate and negotiate with people in a variety of contexts. Participating and negotiating with people requires an ability to know and understand 'your' culture, 'another's' culture and have skill in working between your own and another's culture.
Alert participants to the sensitive nature of exploring culture and the importance of acknowledging and valuing diverse perspectives. Discussions need to occur in a spirit of respect and empathy.
Refer to Slide 2: Program aims
