Lina Paola Patiño Mayorga
Code: 26101003
Intercultural communication I
Presented to: Zulay Diaz
Elizabeth Cuellar
MULTIMODALITY AND INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE AS TOOLS TO FIGHT
AGAINST BIGGEST CHALLENGES IN COLOMBIA EFL CONTEXTS
The propagation of learning a second language has become unstoppable in our globalized world, and
particularly in our country, it has turned into a necessity for a lot of people, and especially because it
brings benefits as: being successful in a professional life, getting a better job, studying in a different
country, traveling abroad, etc. There are countless reasons why learning a new language can be an
advantage for people around the world. As a response of this need, many language lessons and programs
have been created in our country to satisfy that demand, however not all of them are effective. So, what is
happening with language teaching in our country? Why it is not effective? What are the main aspects that
a teacher has to keep on mind when teaching a language in our globalized world?
Firstly, I would like to mention the actual state of language teaching in our country. According to
Sanchez A. (2013), Languages became in one of the main objectives for MEN (Ministry of national
education) in 2004, when national program of bilingualism was established; this was created with the
main purpose of promoting English learning, as well as improving the quality of teaching it. After this
announcement bilingualism became in a state policy, reason why it acquired a greater visibility and
generated an increased interest among the academic community. After some years, we can see how this
change produced a bid increment of institutions to meet the demand in our country, however this bid was
focused on providing quantity rather than quality, therefore nowadays we can find large amounts of
educational offerings to teach English, though most of them are ineffective and do not fulfill student’s
expectations.
Secondly, I would like to mention two of these aspects that produce ineffectiveness and
inefficiency, becoming big challenges when teaching a language in our country; so, In first place I
consider that language teaching has developed the same methodology that many years ago by following
traditional methods, based on repetition of grammar and vocabulary without a real comprehension of the
context where the language is been learning. According to Boumová V. (2008) Traditional methodology is
based on a reduction of the integrated process of using a foreign language into sub-sets of discrete skills
and areas of knowledge. It is largely a functional procedure which focuses on skills and areas of
knowledge in isolation. So, I consider that working in isolated areas worked many years ago, but I think
that those years have finished, and nowadays we can see that this method does not work for our country,
therefore there must be a change to modern methods and methodologies. Another aspect that produces
ineffectiveness when teaching a language is students’s stereotypes. According to Byram and collaborator’s
(2002) Stereotyping involves labelling or categorizing particular groups of people, usually in a negative
way, according to preconceived ideas or broad generalizations about them and then assuming that all
members of that group will think and behave identically. Consequently stereotypes do not allow students
to be open minded about the language they are learning in order to understand the culture issues that
involve it, so students just study the structure and organization of the language without understanding the
deep meaning about how to use it when facing a real context.
Thirdly, I would like to mention two concepts to counter these challenges, as traditional methods and
stereotypes, and they are: multimodality and intercultural competence. In the first place I will explain the
definition of multimodality in order to understand it better in this context, so according to Garcia D.
(2011) Nowadays, multimodal texts, defined as any text whose meanings are realized through more than
one semiotic mode (Van Leeuwen, 2006, p5) are the kind of discourses that people have more interaction
with. An example of this is the argument of texts composed by more than one code of representation:
advertisements, the internet, television shows, magazines, etc. This is important because teenagers
consider these texts meaningful and relevant to their everyday lives. Therefore, including multimodal texts
in the teaching process will benefit learning since they increase students’ motivation and interest.
Therefore, instead of using the same traditional method of repeating and memorizing words without a
coherence, teachers can use this pedagogical tool called multimodality in order to show students different
ways of seeing the same topic by the use of technology, so they can understand it better and also they can
feel interested and motivated on it. Multimodality also can help students to feel close to the language they
are learning, so barriers as stereotypes can be clarify in order to get a better understanding of the language
and through it the culture. As a second tool to counter challenges as stereotypes, I will mention the
developing of intercultural competence. In a recent research about developing intercultural dimension in
teaching, Byram and collaborator’s (2002) mentioned: “intercultural dimension' in language teaching aims
to develop learners as intercultural speakers or mediators who are able to engage with complexity and
multiple identities and to avoid the stereotyping which accompanies perceiving someone through a single
identity. Therefore, intercultural competence will allow students to avoid stereotypes in order to have a
better understanding of the language by becoming intercultural speakers in this globalized world.
As a conclusion, globalization has brought many changes to our society, so, we as teachers cannot ignore
that these changes affect also education and if we want to impact our students and if we want to provide
an effective and useful language teaching we should look beyond the linguistic and social stereotypes,
keeping on mind concepts as multimodality and intercultural competence in order to provide to our
students a meaningful education and a motivational way of learning a language.
REFERENCES
Sánchez A. (2013). Bilingüismo en Colombia. Centro de estudios económicos regionales. Banco de la
república. http://www.banrep.gov.co/sites/default/files/publicaciones/archivos/dtser_191.pdf
Boumová V. (2008). Traditional vs, modern teaching methods: advantages and disadvantages of each.
Department of English and American studies: Masaryk University.
http://is.muni.cz/th/86952/ff_m_b1/MgrDiplomkaBoumova.pdf
Byram, M., Gribkova, B., & Starkey, H. (2002). Developing the intercultural dimension in language
teaching: A practical introduction for teachers. The Council of Europe.
García D. (2011). Student’s beliefs: Multimodal texts as pedagogical tools in foreign language learning.
Universidad Antonio Nariño. Revista papeles. Volumen 3 No. 5. P.P 21-35.