Intercultural Competence (ICC) is a lifelong process that includes the development of knowledge and respect of other cultures, and the ability to behave and communicate effectively in a global world. ICC is crucial in the teaching of world languages. Director of the Italian language program Janice Aski and Assistant Director April Weintritt have participated in a number of initiatives to bring ICC into the language teaching curriculum.
Their latest project was the Intercultural Learning in World Language Education Webinar Series. Together with Purdue University, Aski and Weintritt organized a series of three events during the fall of 2020 aimed at equipping educators at all levels of global language education with the concepts of ICC. The first two webinars introduced new messaging regarding the value and significance of ICC in world language education and discussed activities and techniques that develop ICC in the classroom. A third webinar, led by Purdue faculty, discussed how to implement ICC into any level of language instruction.
The series also introduced a new spokesperson for the study of world languages. Jhumpa Lahiri, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, worked closely with McGraw Hill and Aski to produce a video series about how learning a new language helps us to develop the skills we need to thrive in our interconnected world. Lahiri’s concise relatable videos include topics such as “Advice to Language Learnings Who are Afraid of Making Mistakes,” “Why You Should Learn a Language,” and “Learning a New Language Transforms Your Identity.”
You can delve further into this topic in Aski and Weintritt’s Italica Spring 2020 article “New Messaging and Intercultural Competence Training in Response to Falling Enrollments in World Languages.” The article notes that many people see speaking proficiency as the only measure of success in learning a new language. The very gradual improvement of this difficult skill can contribute to frustration and a decreased desire to pursue the language. Instead, Aski and Weintritt suggest highlighting the development of ICC through language learning and explicitly discussing with students the transferable skills and attitudes that they develop in world language courses.
Full recordings of the Webinar Series, a link to Jhumpa Lahiri’s video series, and other resources on Intercultural Competence are available at Intercultural Competence in World Language Education.
