A dialogic approach to the design of a transcultural communication classroom activity for multilingual learners

Abstract

When preparing teaching materials about communication between people from different linguistic backgrounds, many factors require consideration; these include theoretical orientation, purpose, context, educational needs, study level, as well as the cultural backgrounds of the teachers and their target learners. The classroom activity described in this paper aims to engage multilingual learners in discussion, analysis and reflection about the interrelationships between language, identity, culture and communication. The theoretical basis of the paper draws on dialogic and poststructural approaches to communication. During this activity students: discuss theoretical approaches to communication; ..