Abstract

It is now widely recognised that learning a language should not just involve linguistic competence but also intercultural competence. It is also clear that intercultural competence can be developed through related subjects such as geography, history, mother tongue teaching. This book takes this as a given and provides practical help for teachers who wish to help their learners acquire intercultural competence in the ordinary classroom. It contains descriptions of lessons and materials from a wide range of classrooms in several countries and for beginners to advanced learners.

Michael Byram, Adam Nichols and David Stevens are in teacher education at the University of Durham. They specialise in the teaching of foreign languages (Byram), geography (Nichols) and English as mother tongue (Stevens) and have found a common interest in the ways in which all these subjects involve cultural issues. They have invited authors from throughout Europe and North America to describe their work in the classroom or in producing teaching materials to develop intercultural competence.