{"id":101608,"date":"2025-06-01T07:53:26","date_gmt":"2025-06-01T07:53:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essays.homeworkacetutors.com\/what-is-the-potential-of-modern-language-teaching-to-promote-intercultural-understanding\/"},"modified":"2025-06-01T07:53:26","modified_gmt":"2025-06-01T07:53:26","slug":"what-is-the-potential-of-modern-language-teaching-to-promote-intercultural-understanding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/what-is-the-potential-of-modern-language-teaching-to-promote-intercultural-understanding\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is the Potential of Modern Language Teaching to Promote Intercultural Understanding?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This essay is set out to explore the promotion of intercultural understanding (IU), more specifically through the lenses of modern language teaching. IU focuses on the integration of social positions,<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>practices\u00a0<\/strong>and power relations of sociocultural difference understood by individuals or groups within a society \u2013 Pope, R. L., Reynolds, (2004). I believe it is an important issue within society and underlines some of the issues facing today within the education system. Over the years, articles found in the news such as the \u2018Guardian\u2019<\/em>\u00a0have highlighted the fact that our language classrooms are in crises and have raised the question of how this\u00a0can be\u00a0improved. The Guardian, (2013) I have been on both sides of the education system as a student and now a teacher and I have felt isolated from the other subjects within the curriculum to teach\u00a0IU\u00a0due to the sheer lack of\u00a0cross-departmentalisation. Modern language teaching does have its uniqueness within the national curriculum (NC) which allows\u00a0the exploration of\u00a0IU\u00a0out of the mother tongue, but this uniqueness is not sufficed on its own. This essay focuses on\u00a0the importance of\u00a0IU\u00a0through literature, first-hand experiences within both private and state education and then concludes with proposed solutions towards\u00a0my own pedagogy\u00a0and how it will\u00a0make a difference\u00a0to me as\u00a0teacher\u00a0moving forward. Outside the classroom so far this has led me to develop into a social enterprise called Languages that talk.<\/p>\n

As both globally and nationally, classrooms\u00a0are situated\u00a0within increasingly complex, entangled, and diverse human conditions, as well as the idea of intercultural and multicultural\u00a0education\u00a0becoming ever more popular.\u00a0The persistence of\u00a0racial inequality in different nations as well as in schooling is undeniable (Luke 2008) In order to understand\u00a0the development of\u00a0intercultural understanding (IU) we need to indeed go backward in order go forward.\u00a0\u00a0From as far back as 3000 BC, communication was not only providing a solution for communication within society but used for trade, power\u00a0and\u00a0rulers. As society gradually become more developed and expanded, contact between speakers of different languages became more regular and severed greater purposes as well as for the community. Many were learning the culture and religion of others to barter across the transatlantic and eventually all over the world.\u00a0Linguanomics, (2017) If we take the example of Marco Polo 1266, due to his multilingualism he was able to travel, trade and build relationships with multiple communities all over the world which as result meant that he had also accumulated advanced knowledge about cultural indifference during his time spent traveling overseas. Soon he was sought after by emperors and tradesmen. Without dwelling into great detail, the history of trade and intercultural learning\u00a0is stuffed\u00a0with accounts of the rise and fall of languages (Linguanomics, 2017). Within today\u2019s societal attitudes\u00a0IU\u00a0often embraces not only the\u00a0linguistical\u00a0part of the journey but also the cultural diversity, clothes worn, as well as values and languages followed.<\/p>\n

Growing up within one, if not\u00a0the<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>most multi-cultural city in the world, London, it would be bizarre to not find the promotion of\u00a0IU\u00a0through language teaching within schools at the forefront within the education system. However, over the years, educational policies around intercultural languages have been under reform and whilst there had been an acknowledgement that intercultural understanding is important it has not been seen as essential and\u00a0therefore\u00a0has not moved into an area of urgencies such as the science technology engineering and math subjects (STEM) The Guardian, (2013). However, the question posed is what the purpose of is promoting intercultural understanding besides the need and value for language teaching brings about? How can multilingualism be exploited and become an invaluable source to promote social well-being and economic growth as early as within the classroom.<\/p>\n

Over years\u00a0the definition of\u00a0IU\u00a0has morphed in various forms within the UK education system. Whilst applied linguists have claimed the inseparable relationship between culture and language for many years, the cultural dimension in languages education\u00a0has been approached\u00a0from a variety of perspectives (Risager, 2006). Since the 70\u2019s there has been a shift in focus to cultural learning for more pragmatic purposes in response to the growing need for intercultural communication for business and political purposes. Indeed, economist Barry Chadwick points out that \u2018having the ability\u00a0to function\u00a0in the language and culture of the host economy can\u00a0have a significant\u00a0pay off in terms of promoting social adjustment and civic participation\u00a0Bleakley, A (2004). Yet despite the statements offer,\u00a0IU\u00a0remains a non-essential skillset within schools. Within UK schools, citizenship\u00a0is taught\u00a0and much of what the framework sets out\u00a0to be\u00a0is very much interlinked with what the overarching aim of what\u00a0MFL\u00a0promotes within the classroom. It is important to note however that the link between language and culture appreciation means that we do not only just learn another\u2019s language for the sake of lingua franca, nor the sharing of a com but we learn how our society can work collaboratively for the greater good and responsibility towards others Edwards, J (2012) Culture learning started moving towards a closer focus on society and social structures. (Risager,K\u00a02007<\/u><\/a>).\u00a0By the late 1980s, the cultural dimension was clearly established in language teaching and was commonly\u00a0referred to as\u00a0culture appreciation (CA) as sub-development from the original definition of\u00a0IU.<\/p>\n

Since 1988, the traditions of the European Union (EU) members have argued that fostering harmonious relationships with people from other cultures\u00a0should be\u00a0an explicit purpose of language teaching.\u00a0\u00a0(European Commission,\u00a01988)\u00a0Cultural and linguistic learning should, therefore,\u00a0be closely integrated for the learner should become not only\u00a0communicatively, but also\u00a0interculturally\u00a0competent (Byram, 1997).\u00a0\u00a0As a first step, this essay looks towards the work with\u00a0Garrido\u00a0and A\u0301lvarez (2006) who state that \u2018It is necessary to raise awareness of the theoretical rationales for intercultural languages education so that the link between philosophy and practice becomes more explicit\u2019\u00a0\u00a0For example, the Department for Education and Science (DES) in England and Wales claimed that it was\u00a0the responsibility of\u00a0MFL\u00a0teachers to help \u2018learners to appreciate that they are citizens not only of the United Kingdom but also of Europe\u2019 (DES, 1999) However it was not until 2007 that the phrase \u2018intercultural\u2019 found its way into\u00a0MFL\u00a0policy texts for the English National Curriculum in secondary schools. The revised\u00a0MFL\u00a0program of\u00a0study\u00a0states: \u2018Learning languages contributes to mutual understanding, a sense of global citizenship\u2019 and lists \u2018IU\u2019 as one of the four key concepts underpinning the study of languages (DSFC, 2007).\u00a0\u00a0In the latest version of the 2013 National curriculum, the purpose of language learning\u00a0is highlighted\u00a0as \u2018a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures.\u00a0DfE, (2013)\u00a0In\u00a0goes on to state that \u2018A high-quality languages education should foster pupils\u2019 curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world.\u2019 If we compare this to citizenship we can see a similarity\u00a0within\u00a0the two aims within the curriculum. Here it states, \u2018They should experience and\u00a0evaluate\u00a0different ways that citizens can act together to solve problems and\u00a0contribute\u00a0to society.\u2019 It follows on by explaining the \u2018importance of diverse national, regional, religious and ethnic identities in the United Kingdom and the need for mutual respect and understanding\u2019\u00a0DfE, (2013).The use of\u00a0MFL\u00a0to promote CA through the language\u00a0is achieved\u00a0in both and\u00a0therefore\u00a0highlights\u00a0the importance of\u00a0cross\u00a0departmentalisation\u00a0in order to\u00a0convey and promote the same message. Integrating\u00a0IU\u00a0from various viewpoints allows students to see the crossover of subject aims rather as disconnected.<\/p>\n

Placing the changes towards the National\u00a0Curriculum and examination reviews aside, one of the main reasons languages have slumped in popularity within the education system according to Lid\u00a0king, chairman of Speak to the Future, a campaign for languages states that \u2018the value of languages isn\u2019t conveyed to students or\u00a0headteachers\u00a0anymore. Languages\u00a0have been seen\u00a0as \u2018important but not essential\u2019, unlike the STEM [science, technology, engineering\u00a0and\u00a0mathematics] subjects. (Guardian, 2013) Intercultural understanding at this point has attempted to convey its importance within society\u00a0however\u00a0has failed at being seen as vital within the future of the world of work.\u00a0\u00a0If we take the Pierre Bourdieu\u2019s sociological theoretical framework around intercultural education, we are able to\u00a0identify\u00a0that the barrier of promoting\u00a0IU\u00a0through\u00a0MFL\u00a0teaching is not just about\u00a0a \u2018equipping students with certain amount knowledge about others\u2019 but in\u00a0fact\u00a0unpacking the processes around representations and interpretations around others.\u00a0Bourdieu, P (1977)\u00a0His social\u00a0analysis of cultural reproduction\u00a0is linked\u00a0to education, in which, he argues that the field of education is a site where existing social structure\u00a0is perpetuated\u00a0and reproduced (Swartz 1997). In regard to\u00a0IU, pre-existing knowledge or perceptions on cultures standards can and does exist through verifying levels social structures i.e. Cultural capital.\u00a0Cultural capital\u00a0refers to forms of knowledge, and educational\u00a0credentials,\u00a0and symbolic\u00a0capital\u00a0refers to socially recognized legitimization such as prestige or\u00a0honour.\u00a0\u00a0These can also be formally categorized within family, art, education\u00a0and\u00a0class.\u00a0Bourdieu, (1990). Schools are agents of neutralizing,\u00a0Bourdieu\u00a0and\u00a0Passeron\u00a0(1990) and within modern language teaching our aim as the teacher is to disassemble and demystify these.<\/p>\n

Bourdieu\u00a0argues that we are not the sole authors of our perceptions, thoughts, and (re)actions because we are all inescapably constituted within a variety of historically constituted social and political discourses. Within his work,\u00a0Bourdieu\u00a0speaks of the role and effect of habitus.\u00a0\u00a0He defines this as \u2018a system of durable transposable dispositions that is progressively inscribed in people\u2019s minds\u2019 (1984, 471) Thus, habitus is a product of early childhood\u00a0behaviour\u00a0which is\u00a0continually modified by the\u00a0individual\u2019s\u00a0later reactions with the world. The elements of social spaces\u00a0can be\u00a0collectively\u00a0defined\u00a0cultural capital.\u00a0\u00a0If we look at\u00a0first hand\u00a0examples within both sectors we can draw upon a few distinctive divergences between the two and perhaps one could argue that\u00a0IU\u00a0is better promoted within the\u00a0MFL\u00a0classrooms within the private sector.\u00a0Within the world of education, the hierarchical distinctions are drawn in and what\u00a0constitutes\u00a0cultural capital in education are more arbitrarily favourable to those children from upper and middle classes than to those from the lower class. (Swartz,1997) This\u00a0can be\u00a0echoed with the statement made by\u00a0Raveaud, who claimed \u2018Middle class\u00a0parents want middle-class schools and schools want middle-class pupils (M,\u00a0Raveaud\u00a02007). Furthermore,\u00a0Bourdieu\u00a0(1989) stated that \u2018schools are not as neutral as they are appearing as they have adopted a Comprehensive education system.\u2019 The same national curriculum yet a vast range of advantages,\u00a0are created\u00a0and offered for those who can embrace them and\u00a0therefore\u00a0not offered proportionally.\u00a0However as already identified, not all are as fortunate\u00a0to be\u00a0within\u00a0this\u00a0position\u00a0as\u00a0Diane\u00a0Reay\u00a0(2012) highlights\u00a0the reality of\u00a0this inequality within the education system today. This can suggest discrepancies within the education system and furthermore how\u00a0the translation of\u00a0IU\u00a0can\u00a0in fact\u00a0produce a\u00a0monocultural\u00a0perspective if it\u2019s not transmitted consistently across the board. This\u00a0can be\u00a0exemplified through a simple comparison between two school ethos\u2019s and the implicit language used, the first from the private and latter state.<\/p>\n

One private school in London states that \u201cto encourage all pupils to develop to their full potential by stimulating their intellectual curiosity, enthusiasm, and imagination. To promote excellence in academic, creative and athletic<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>endeavours. To teach the value of integrity, morality and a concern for others. To enhance pupils\u2019 appreciation of their own and other cultures. To develop pupils\u2019 self-confidence and independence so that they are well equipped to play an active role in society.<\/em><\/p>\n

If we explore the school policy above, they have incorporated a strong focus and the importance of developing a cultural understanding which enables and encourages the students to embrace their role within society. This also highlights that cultural understanding does not have\u00a0to be\u00a0solely promoted within the language classroom but is a responsibly of everyone within the school network to\u00a0encourage\u00a0this integration. Furthermore, the use of high register language indicates the type of demographic who will find this way of thinking to fit into their habitus. On the other hand, if we look into a vision adopted by a local state school this proclaims<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018To implement a policy that is extremely inclusive, ambitious and challenging which will move all members of the community forward. There is a belief that through teamwork we can succeed both individually and collectively through the words Aspire, believe succeed. We succeed by achieving to our full potential and making a positive contribution to the wider community\u201d<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

From the latter school policy, we can\u00a0analyse\u00a0the use of language used and immediate differences between the two schools\u00a0regarding\u00a0the lack of promotion towards global citizenship and the appreciation of the other cultures. This may not, of course,\u00a0imply that within this school they do not promote such temperaments, however, they do not have this implemented implicitly within their quota which can\u00a0exemplify\u00a0a lot about the culture of the school and its reflective practices to what it would like their students to adopt.<\/p>\n

Another area to consider is recent budget cuts within teaching and the implications it\u00a0has had on modern language teaching. The most drastic impact this has had is on language assistants and school trips abroad.\u00a0British council stated that Language assistants can act as \u2018myth-busters\u2019 and show pupils\u00a0that national stereotypes,\u00a0although they may arguably\u00a0have an element\u00a0of truth in them,\u00a0should not be\u00a0followed blindly. British Council (2015)Spending time with a language assistant within the\u00a0MFL\u00a0lesson from countries where the target language\u00a0is spoken\u00a0in invaluable. This allows students to develop a more realistic impression of what it means to come from another country\u00a0rather than\u00a0relying on a textbook \u2018but more\u00a0importantly, it helps them develop a better understanding of other cultures \u2018However according to a recent study from the British\u00a0council, \u2018only one-third of state schools\u00a0employ\u00a0a language assistant, compared with 73% of independent schools.\u00a0The other alternative has been language assistants that have been proven very popular and overall very positive for the student\u2019s motivation and confidence within the language. Language assistants are known for their high impact on student\u2019s language learning. As well as extending students language vocabulary bank, general understanding of the language and most importantly cultural awareness and confidence\u2019 (British Council report 2017).<\/p>\n

The second\u00a0most invaluable\u00a0experience that Language assistances advocate within the\u00a0MFL\u00a0classroom is allowing pupils to\u00a0travel the world without leaving the classroom. However, over the recent years reports around budget cuts within the education system have shown that\u00a0\u2018Only 30% of state schools still run exchange\u00a0trips with a host family; in comparison to 77% of independent schools do so\u2019 Language Trends 2016\/17For\u00a0many students within the state sector, being able to experience cultural difference outside of the classroom boils down to a lack of disposable income to fund trips outside of their\u00a0home town. This means that social mobility and disposable income can highlight a strong correlation between understanding different\u00a0perspectives and intercultural learning experiences. Therefore, the link between language and the country of origin is heavily relied on to the presence of a language assistant. In fact, from first-hand experience many students I have met have found\u00a0IU\u00a0irrelevant to their current lives as they have \u2018never been on a plane before\u2019 and having to talk on a typical\u00a0MFL\u00a0topic such as holidays for many, feels unconnected as they\u00a0ae\u00a0forced to make up a holiday in order to pass the topic. As a result, language assistants become many student\u2019s first time many students interacting with someone out or their immediate community and the town. Needless to say, thanks to school budget cuts parents still wishing to take advantage of these invaluable resources, will need to predominantly fund them independently, which as we know excludes millions of families. Unlike in the private sector, school trips and family holidays are very much part of the norm and therefore becoming\u00a0well-travelled\u00a0and thus having their minds stimulated outside the classroom holds a huge advantage towards\u00a0IU\u00a0and their educational etiquette.\u00a0Shim, J.M (2011)<\/p>\n

If we return back to\u00a0Bourdieu\u2019s habitus framework, in light of today\u2019s educational disadvantages inside and outside the language classroom, as we know, the access these extra resources are few and far within state education. Diane\u00a0Raey\u00a0highlights that \u201csome children in these (state) schools talked wistfully about hardly ever doing art, drama or dance: \u201cThese children come from families where their parents can\u2019t afford to pay for them to do those activities out of school. It almost feels criminal. It feels very unfair.\u201d The Guardian (2017) This has a huge impact on social divide and detracts students from different backgrounds to share the same social situation and thus the same educational experience. Bourdieu, (1997) These islands of exclusion that exist can stem from the\u00a0MFL\u00a0classroom and in fact can become a barrier to promoting intercultural understanding as it doesn\u2019t allow all students to experience it.\u00a0\u00a0She goes on to state that\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re a working-class child, you\u2019re starting the race halfway<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>round<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>the track behind the middle-class child\u2019<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>Reay\u00a0(2017) echo\u2019s the economic depravity highlighted within the education system underpinning the fact\u00a0<\/em>\u2018that the difference between amounts spent on educating children privately or in the state sector is stark\u2019.<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>Reay<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>cites<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>research from University College London<\/u><\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/em>that found \u2018\u00a312,200 a year is the average spending on a privately educated primary pupil, compared with \u00a34,800 on a state pupil. For secondary, it\u2019s \u00a315,000 compared with \u00a36,200.<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>As we know, the advantage of attending private schools does allow one to embrace better school facilities and as well as a greater leg up than students within\u00a0state. This has allowed a small minority of students to explore intercultural understanding or indeed become more aware of culture appreciation within society in greater exposure than others.\u00a0L.D.Rico (2006)<\/p>\n

On the other hand, if we look outside of framework proposed above, we can explore the impact that teachers can have as vehicles of promoting intercultural understanding within the classroom through their own pedagogy and how this\u00a0is transmitted.\u00a0The role of the teachers underpinning\u00a0IU\u00a0can\u00a0be highlight\u00a0as a traditional claim by the Department for Education and Science (DES) in England when they stated that it was\u00a0the responsibility of\u00a0MFL\u00a0teachers to help \u2018learners to appreciate that they are citizens not only of the United Kingdom but also of Europe\u2019 (DES, 1990)<\/p>\n

If we look into further detail to these specific factors the work of\u00a0Varghese, Morgan, Johnston and Johnson (2005), who\u00a0maintain\u00a0that\u00a0in order to\u00a0understand language teaching and learning we need to understand teachers; and\u00a0in order to\u00a0understand teachers, we need to have a clearer sense of who they are: the professional, cultural, political and\u00a0individual identities\u00a0which they claim, or which\u00a0are assigned\u00a0to them. The direct impact of social demographics, personalities, educational values and interest may also\u00a0encourage\u00a0or inhibit pedagogical attention to Intercultural Understanding within the national curriculum. Pointed out by researchers in the field of intercultural and multicultural education, the tendency to focus on differences, diversity, and learning about others, attending solely to\u00a0individual\u00a0effort within micro-contexts of classrooms and schools (e.g. empathy, good intention, teacher commitment, and student empowerment) is also prevalent.<\/p>\n

Aleksandrowicz-Pe\u0328dich et al. (2003) found that teachers who were keen to\u00a0incorporate\u00a0intercultural learning\u00a0in\u00a0their teaching were\u00a0frequently\u00a0motivated by positive personal experiences of intercultural relationships. In fact, Starkey (2007) revealed that some\u00a0MFL\u00a0teachers were keen to relive the formative intercultural experiences from their own lives through their students. Whilst time spent abroad\u00a0can be\u00a0counted as belonging to teachers\u2019 life experiences. The focus on the types opportunities that\u00a0were created\u00a0through adopting a genuine interest into others enable one to reflective holistically and understand others in greater clarity and empathy.\u00a0Bryam\u00a0argued that fostering harmonious relationships with people from other cultures\u00a0should be\u00a0an explicit purpose of language teaching. Cultural and linguistic learning should, therefore,\u00a0be closely integrated\u00a0in order that\u00a0the learner should become not only communicative but also intercultural competent (Byram, 1997).<\/p>\n

However, although many teachers have undergone training off the curriculum, simply developing\u00a0the application of\u00a0the subject and making connections within practice has highlighted the lack of attention to the intercultural approach within the classroom. Sticking too much to the book not drawing upon their experiences can\u00a0demotivate\u00a0students from feeling connected to this subject.\u00a0Garrido\u00a0and A\u0301lvarez (2006) underline the shortcomings of teacher education. They claim that although current language teacher education programmes are both \u2018good at developing\u00a0the application of\u00a0the knowledge of the subject and the management of the teaching and learning process\u2019,\u00a0when it comes to making connections between philosophical and educational theoretical frameworks and pedagogical practice, there are significant weaknesses. One of the main motivators for becoming a teacher of Business studies and French was the opportunities I was able to embrace during my studies. Not only did I embark on a year abroad, I managed to immerse myself in the culture and view\u00a0my own culture\u00a0from another angle. This enabled me to form a greater patience towards others and shake any ignorance that the world revolved around the English language. Indeed, there were moments where I wanted to offer my\u00a0assistance, but students couldn\u2019t comprehend me, linguistically and this became a frustration that I had to find a solution for which resulted with challenging and diffusing my linguistic habitus.<\/p>\n

Moreover, on a community-based level, I noticed that I couldn\u2019t share these experiences with other students of my background and ethnicity due to the fact that I was the only student from the black Asian minority ethnicities on my course at the time who had studied modern language up to a degree level. (BAME) I wanted to use my experiences of being a British born black female student who didn\u2019t attend a private school but through the interest in\u00a0MFL\u00a0and learning and living in another culture other than my own. Through\u00a0this\u00a0I managed to broaden my horizons and I felt the need to inspire other students from similar backgrounds to understand how important cultural understanding\u00a0can be\u00a0and how this\u00a0can be\u00a0promoted through the language classroom. It is therefore proven the Intercultural understanding is subjective and can be heavily influenced by the teacher\u2019s personal\u00a0conceptualizations\u00a0of\u00a0IU, and how it\u00a0is influenced\u00a0by their experiential personal and professional histories (Connelly &\u00a0Clandinin, 1985), i.e. what does\/should\u00a0IU\u00a0look like in terms of teaching and learning. Drawing from experiences and therefore applying them within the classroom can have an invaluable effect on student\u00a0motivation\u00a0and understanding\u00a0to\u00a0the matter.<\/p>\n

The various aspects of self-understanding\u00a0are complemented\u00a0by what\u00a0Kelchtermans\u00a0refers to as \u2018SET\u2019, that is the \u2018personal system of knowledge and beliefs about education that teachers use when performing their job\u2019\u00a0Kelchtermans,\u00a0G.\u00a0(2009) which develops during teacher education courses mixed with more personal experiences in applied situations. Within this\u00a0framework\u00a0the teacher\u2019s identity and connection towards the role and purpose of\u00a0an\u00a0MFL\u00a0teacher can have direct impacts on the success of\u00a0the intercultural promotion.\u00a0\u00a0Within this framework\u00a0Kelchtermans\u00a0designed, the following 4 out of 5 concepts are relevant for this work. Self-esteem within this context\u00a0can be\u00a0defined as the\u00a0component\u00a0of self-image, i.e. the filtered and interpreted feedback that teachers receive (most commonly from pupils) Despite how passionate a teacher\u00a0can be\u00a0and how rich within their experienced and personal stories\u00a0the engagement from\u00a0the students\u2019 needs\u00a0to be\u00a0met. Research from the DFE has shown that relevancy of the topics taught within the language classroom accompanied by the way\u00a0there\u00a0taught will have a direct improvement to student\u00a0motivation.\u00a0\u00a0Conscious that the language curriculum is failing to inspire young people, schools and the Department for Education\u00a0are\u00a0looking\u00a0at\u00a0ways to make lessons more stimulating. This might be by delivering more interesting content \u2013 moving students away from just talking about their pets, and\u00a0instead\u00a0talking about interesting and challenging topics, such as cultural events. (DfE, 2014)<\/p>\n

The second concept is Job\u00a0motivation\u00a0within this context it encompasses the motives or drives for becoming a teacher.\u00a0\u00a0If teaching moral is poor, despite how stimulating or reformed the topics within the language classroom are, the lack of passion for the subject can directly\u00a0have a negative effect on the students and therefore stifle and not stimulate their intercultural understanding as the messaged has not been conveyed correctly. This can have a\u00a0detrimental\u00a0effect on the students as\u00a0the\u00a0can become unmotivated towards a subject due to the teacher\u2019s persona.<\/p>\n

The third concept regard to task perception. This relates to how the teacher\u00a0constitutes\u00a0their professional programme or the necessary tasks and duties to do a good job, an\u00a0endeavour\u00a0that \u2018implies value-laden choices, moral considerations\u2019 Reflecting upon this concept enabled me to give back to the education system that has once enabled me with the wider vision and opportunities and therefore the\u00a0desire\u00a0to teach inspire and\u00a0transmit\u00a0knowledge to the best of my ability became a \u2018no-brainer\u2019<\/p>\n

The\u00a0final\u00a0concept highlights the \u2018structural characteristics of the profession: teacher stimulation of the class vs vulnerability.\u00a0\u00a0With the pressure to teach to the test as it is in my schools, teachers within the\u00a0MFL\u00a0may feel restricted to developing their own intercultural classroom learning pedagogy and in certain aspects feel controlled and restricted to how they would rather teach this within their classroom. Teachers are not in full charge of the conditions in which they work due to externally imposed regulations, quality control systems and constantly changing policy demands,\u00a0however, budget cuts to the department\u00a0can be\u00a0if not the most contributing factor.<\/p>\n

Within the state sector, funding has been drastically reduced which as a result has placed increasing pressure on teachers to meet new national curriculum demands, produce top results all on\u00a0half\u00a0the funding for resources made readily available. One could say that curiosity\u00a0has been stifled\u00a0and \u2018teaching to test\u2019 has been the new fostered way of thinking for many departments within the schools. T.Hall (2017) However, the use of authentic online recourses that are above and beyond the current\u00a0MFL\u00a0syllabus within the\u00a0MFL\u00a0classroom can have an invaluable experience on transmitting\u00a0IU\u00a0in a more\u00a0feasible\u00a0way. These authentic learning activities such as songs, videos,\u00a0Skype\u00a0and YouTube stories, enables pupils to get access to target language cultures from a more insider perspective. This may help them to\u00a0empathise\u00a0and consider things from a less ethnocentric perspective, which in turn, contributes to\u00a0IU. In fact, the beauty of talking about culture and foreign\u00a0culture,\u00a0is that you are not limited to anything, you can talk about any subject, you can just open up a website in the target language. This is the uniqueness that modern language teaching can bring out of the curriculum and is\u00a0one of the only\u00a0subjects that allows students to grasp subject knowledge as well as an intercultural experience. It is important to promote multicultural education and student should acquire knowledge about other cultures and not just their own. Banks, J., & Banks, C. (2003).<\/p>\n

Cultural appreciation is what we don\u2019t have and not just stepping into someone else\u2019s shoes, understanding the world does not revolve around our lives, we speak up and stand up in English too easy but what about the lives you want to connect with but they you don\u2019t understand them, linguistically\u2019 Francis (2018) However,\u00a0IU\u00a0goes above and beyond the classroom and as stated at the beginning of this essay the potential of\u00a0IU\u00a0enables not only social well-being and cultural appreciation but also economic growth.\u00a0\u00a0As recently as last November, Schools Minister Nick Gibb said that the Government was committed to \u201cremaining open to the world after we leave the EU and to becoming even more global and internationalist in our outlook. Improving the take-up and teaching of modern foreign languages in our schools is an important part of achieving that goal\u201d. He added that there were, \u201cbusiness, cultural and educational benefits to learning a language\u201d (Grand Committee, 2018).<\/p>\n

Earlier we gave the example of influences being among the same \u2018habitus within the educational system and the advantage that can have in some cases. However, within the state school\u00a0system, the range of students and mixture of diverse backgrounds can have a direct and powerful standpoint which goes outside of the language classroom.\u00a0Diane\u00a0Reay\u00a0(2012) highlights\u00a0the reality of\u00a0this inequality within the education system today. According to a\u00a0report<\/u><\/a>\u00a0by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development<\/p>\n

\u201cFour-fifths of children from working-class minority ethnic families<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>are taught<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>in schools with high concentrations of other immigrant or disadvantaged students, the highest proportion in the developed world\u2019. In regard to \u2018language background\u2019 students more so within state schools integrated with their peers who are members of the<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>EAL<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>community (English as an<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>additional<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>language)\u201d<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>OECD, (2010) If we look at this through the lenses of an opportunist\u00a0this\u00a0gives states schools and those within these social demographics exceptional first-hand experience of the importance of integration and learning first hand from their peers the cultural differences and tapping into unknown histories to explore different social and cultural structures. This\u00a0in fact\u00a0does not need to happen only within modern language teaching as most schools where there are more cultural, and languages\u00a0spoken\u00a0then languages offered at the school. This means that if we solely wait until we are in the language classroom to embark upon\u00a0IU\u00a0we are missing the opportunities of practical usage of\u00a0IU.<\/p>\n

In regard to above and beyond the classroom we\u00a0are faced\u00a0with a daunting macroeconomic\u00a0factor,\u00a0Brexit. If we lose the EU work\u00a0foe\u00a0due to visa rejections and the lack of sponsorship we will lose a huge chunk of our workforce that in\u00a0fact contribute\u00a0massively\u00a0the running and operations of the UK. Her\u00a0majesty\u2019s\u00a0government (2014) According to the British council, small and\u00a0medium sized\u00a0enterprise\u2019s (SME\u2019s) have highlighted\u00a0the importance of\u00a0bilingualism in the workplace in order to boost business and grow their market presence.\u00a0\u00a0British Council 2013. This report draws the conclusion that we do not have enough native English graduates who are capable of speaking a second language nor understanding the culture of dynamics of another\u2019s other than their own. The old saying goes\u00a0if I\u2019m selling to you, I speak your language. If I\u2019m buying,\u00a0dann\u00a0m\u00fcssen\u00a0Sie Deutsch\u00a0sprechen!\u00a0Dunlap, (1999) However\u00a0sadly we have begun to create a society where we can only buy and sell in our own language. This brings to light an international problem for the future of the UK within the market and the robustness of relationships with other EU countries regardless of the hard or soft\u00a0Brexit. However, this growing epidemic highlights the very importance of addressing this problem within schools through\u00a0IU\u00a0in order to\u00a0develop the mindsets of the future and has led me to\u00a0reflect\u00a0on ways It will impact me as\u00a0the teacher going forward.<\/p>\n

This\u00a0on-going\u00a0issue\u00a0in fact\u00a0led me to set up a social enterprise called languages that talk. It aims to inspire students to continue language learning as well as equipping them with practical examples of the benefits intercultural integration can have across all types of business. Within this program, students at the end receive work experience.\u00a0Languagesthattalk, (2018). The reason why this business\u00a0was set\u00a0up was in response to primary market research which showed students having little idea of what\u00a0skillsets\u00a0languages could bring outside of the class. The main crux of the business is sharing experiences with each other to bring the theory of\u00a0IU\u00a0to life. As a teacher, this is one element that I believe holds significant impact of transforming student\u2019s mindset, personal experience\u00a0and\u00a0relevance. I find in the classroom when I share my story of how I became a language and economics teacher, I find the respect from the\u00a0student\u2019s\u00a0is greater. They enjoy\u00a0the originality of\u00a0the lessons as well as\u00a0the relevance of\u00a0the topics. This allows them to understand in greater context what\u00a0IU\u00a0looks like and its importance. I am a firm believer in\u00a0brining\u00a0yourself to the classroom as that enables me to wear my subjects\u00a0rather than\u00a0just teach them. I\u00a0therefore\u00a0become an ambassador to my subjects and hopefully a role model for others. Additionally, due to the social divides within the education\u00a0system\u00a0I strive\u00a0to be\u00a0able to give all students a chance to capitalize on my knowledge in order for them to make the most of themselves.\u00a0For the sake of a continuous diversified workforce, integrated values and democratic society, collaboration inside and outside the classroom, right through to the workplace is highly important. The idea of a \u2018lingua Franca\u2019 monolinguist approach is buried behind and becoming an intercultural society is what is in front. This essay has aimed to highlight this with proposed solutions within education and outside to sustain this.<\/p>\n

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                                                                      This essay is set out to explore the promotion of intercultural understanding (IU), more specifically through the lenses of modern language teaching. IU focuses on the integration of social positions,\u00a0practices\u00a0and power relations of sociocultural difference understood by individuals or groups within a society \u2013 Pope, R. L., Reynolds, (2004). I believe it is an important […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7086],"tags":[13869,13872,13882,13883,13880,13881,13870,13871],"class_list":["post-101608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-assignments","tag-best-rated-professor-essay-writing-services-online","tag-custom-written-essay-hub-for-fast-assignments","tag-help-with-writing-discussion-post-responses","tag-i-need-help-to-ace-my-homework-in-5-hours","tag-pay-someone-to-write-my-essay-in-hours","tag-phd-thesis-writing-and-editing-service-australia","tag-usa-academic-writing-help-for-college-students","tag-write-harbor-research-paper-assistance-for-graduates"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101608","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101608"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101608\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}