Exam Questions
on Byram & Fleming,
Language
learning in intercultural perspective
Students who have qualified as frequentanti have been exonerated from a good number of chapters (anywhere from four to ten, in some cases even more). Since there are 14 chapters in the book, this means that, expressed postively, frequentanti are to read, according to their results on the partial exams, anywhere from four to ten chapters (in some cases even fewer), in the following order:
Chapters 1, 4, 5, 13, 3, 10, 7, 6, 11, 9, 8, 12, 14, 2;
i.e., students who must read four chapters are to
read Chapters 1, 4, 5, 13; students who must read six chapters are to
read Chapters 1, 4, 5, 13; 3, 10; and so on.
Below you will find the questions as they will
appear, word for word, on the final exam paper. They are given
in advance to help you prepare your (re-)reading of the text.
"The final exam questions appear below?!?!" you are probably exclaiming; "Where's the trick???" . "How is it possible that students be permitted to see the exam questions before an exam????" This reaction is understandable and reveals the way people typically view "exams". The teacher of this course has another view, however. He sees exams as part of a holistic teaching process based on constructivism, cooperative learning, and learner-centered syllabi. |
Chapter 1 The privilege of the intercultural speaker (Clairae Kramsch)
a. Most Italian students think that, to learn a
foreign language well at the university, they should have a native
language teacher. This is because they think that such a teacher will
be able to give them the "correct" models of pronunciation,
usage, etc.
Kramsch expresses a different
view. Explain it and, then, either defend it or attack it
.
b. What does the example of the Bon Marché
advertisement show about "understanding a text in a foreign
language"?
c. Thomas gives a "democratic" definition of an authentic competence in a second language (p.24). Explain it.
d. Garfinkel gives a definition of culture; explain it (p.27).
e. How can Thomas' and Garfinkel's definitions be
used to define what it means to have an intercultural
competence of English?
Chapter 3 - Evolving intercultural perceptions
among university language learners in Europe (James A. Coleman)
a. When learning a second language (L2), does going
to live in the L2 country ("L2land") help you to appreciate
the L2land culture? What did Coleman's investigation show?
b. Describe the method Coleman used to discover if living in the L2 country improves appreciation of the L2land culture. Is the method scientifically valid in your opinion?
c. What explains the attitude of British students?
(Include reference to the possible influence of the way data was
collected and interpreted.)
Chapter 4 Cultural practice in everyday life: the language learner as ethnographer (Barro, Jordan & Roberts)
a. Define "ethnography" and explain "ethnographic practice?"
b. The authors cite Malinowski (p. 81) to justify the priority of a particular kind of knowing over another kind of knowing in studying languages and cultures. Explain the two kinds.
c. The authors say that language students normally just see themselves as "language people"; not "ethnographers": What does "language people" mean? How do you see yourself?
d. The authors offer a social-political interpretation of "exchanges" in European societies (buying someone a drink) and in exotic societies (Ongka's big Moka). On the basis of the description of the latter (Ongka's behaviour), imagine how a Martian might describe a typical Italian ceremony of one-sided gift giving (N.B. Christmas would not normally be a good example since it usually involves reciprocal, not one-sided, gift giving.). Can you also imagine, from seeing films or from personal visits, something similar in the UK, in the USA, in Ireland or in some other English-speaking country?
e. The authors give the criteria for "a good
ethnographic project": what are they? Does your
ethnographic project for the Module "Modi di essere in
inglese" correspond to these criteria?
Chapter 5 The culture the learner brings: a bridge or a barrier? (L. Jin & M. Cortazzi)
a. The authors describe two cultures of university language classes: British and Chinese. Is the Italian university culture (in the corsi di studio in lingue) similar to either? Describe the similarities and/or the differences. (Suggestion: reread the text and mentally substitute "Italian" for "Chinese".)
b. If the authors' explanation of Confucianism and
Taoism is correct, how would you speak English to a group of Chinese
students on visit to Roma Tre if you were responsible for guiding
them around the university (respecting Chinese communicative style)?
How would you help them adapt to Italian university learning habits
(respecting, as much as possible, the Chinese culture of learning)?
6. Mind the gap! AN ethnographic approach to cross-cultural workplace communication research. (Antonia Cooper)
a. Explain the nine characteristics of ethnographic
research listed on page 127.
Chapter 7. Cultural awareness and dramatic art forms (Michael Fleming)
a. The author does not seem to appreciate the standard use of drama in learning a language (role-play, dialogues such as "At the hotel"). Instead, he gives two examples of how dramatisation can be used as a means of reasoning and learning (in) the foreign language. Explain this procedure and evaluate it positively or negatively.
b. Would you be fully satisfied if, in your English
courses at Roma Tre, explanations were substituted with
dramatisations along the lines suggested by the author?
Chapter 10. Intercultural theatre through a foreign language. (Prisca Schmidt)
a. Explain how students compose the script: what mechanism gets them to use not only "English theatre prose" but also a plot and a cultural matrix that seem English?
b. The author quotes Brook (p. 198) in saying that "a
word does not start as a word -- it is an end product which begins as
an impulse, stimulated by attitude and behavior which the need for
expression dictates." How is this vision of
language-as-something-more-than-words put into practice in composing
the play?
Chapter 13. Language teaching and the process of European integration (Karen Risager)
a. Explain the 4 approaches to foreign language teaching, based on choice of target language(s) and future interlocutors. Give the limits, according to the author, of the first three. Give your opinion (in favour or against) of the fourth approach.
b. How does the idea of what culture is,
expressed by a language teacher, influence her teaching? Does this
apply to you, as a language learner? (Does your idea of culture
influence how you think you should study English)? If so, how. If
not, why not.
END
|
||
Perché far sapere le domande prima dell'esame? ovvero "Dov'è il trucco?" Il primo trucco sta nella natura delle domande. Non sono domande su questa o quella nozione, bensì domande di ragionamento. Quindi, anche se lo studente cerca di imparare a memoria una risposta per ciascuna domanda, nella discussione verrà fuori se, dietro le frasi precostituite, ci sia o meno un ragionamento. Il secondo trucco sta nella diversa concezione ed utilizzazione dell'esame stesso: non viene visto come momento meramente valutativo bensì come parte integrante del processo educativo. Sapere in anteprima le domande dell'esame aiuta lo studente a mettere a fuoco e a socializzare il suo apprendimento. Ci sono tre ovvie obiezioni a questa presa di posizione. Un esame fatto in questa maniera, si potrebbe sostenere, non riesce a valutare la prontezza dello studente, né le sue capacità individuali, né l'estensione delle sue conoscenze. Possiamo rispondere a queste obiezioni nei termini seguenti. 1. Sarebbe chiaramente insensato far sapere le domande in anteprima qualora concepissimo gli esami alla stregua di un "quiz televisivo", basati cioè su domande orali mnemoniche e tempi di risposta limitati. Ma ciò non debba essere l'ottica di un insegnamento universitario Anzi, non andrebbe premiato chi è svelto nel rispondere oralmente, bensì chi è ponderato. Di gente con la risposta svelta la TV è strapiena, nei dibattiti sull'attualità come nei quiz. Non è un modello da proporre ad un futuro studioso. 2. Sarebbe insensato far sapere le domande in anteprima qualora l'esame avesse la pretesa di misurare ciò che lo studente ha potuto apprendere "da solo"; infatti, quando sanno le domande in anteprima, gli studenti tendono a collaborare, dividendo il lavoro e scambiando risposte tra di loro. Ma, a pensarci bene, non esiste in realtà uno studio senza interazione con altre persone: anche lo studente più individualista consulta bibliotecari, compagni, il docente a ricevimento, corrispondenti in Internet, parenti.... La teoria della cooperative learning prevede dunque l'inclusione sistematica della seconda componente (i compagni) e, dati alla mano, dimostra la superiorità di una formazione in cui ai momenti di studio individuali subentrano momenti di scambio, di confronto e di insegnamento a vicenda. L'obiezione no. 2 cade, dunque, se situiamo l'esame all'interno dell'intero processo di formazione.
|
||
|