(Teaching and Assessing Intercultural Communicative Competence (Multilingual Matters)) [By: Byram, Michael] [Dec, 1997]

by Michael Byram

Foreign and second language teaching should prepare learners to use a language with fluency and accuracy, and also to speak with people who have different cultural identities, social values and behaviours. This text aims to define precisely what competencies are required, how these can be included in teachers' objectives and methods, and how the ability to communicate across cultural differences can be assessed.

Paperback

First published November 1, 1997

About the author

Michael Byram taught languages in secondary school and adult education. At Durham University since 1980, now emeritus, he has researched the education of linguistic minorities and foreign language education. His most recent book is From Foreign Language Education to Education for Intercultural Citizenship (Multilingual Matters) and he is the editor of the Routledge Encyclopedia of Language Teaching and Learning.

Reviews

[Diz · Rating 5 out of 5]

For foreign language teachers that want to cover culture as an integral part of language education, this is a classic book that must be read. In particular, I like Byram's idea that learning about culture is not about transferring information about other cultures, but rather a process the empowers learners to interact with different cultures in real-time situations. This book is particularly good at setting up objectives for intercultural communicative competence, but a little weak on the assessment side. Regardless, it's a must-read for language teachers.

[Szymon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The recent worldwide mobilisations of not least young people in relation to global issues [...] suggest that this is the time to acknowledge the importance of intercultural communicative competence for all, not just for traveling but for understanding, discussing and finding new ways of transnational collaboration and change.

Byram's seminal work on intercultural (communicative) competence within foreign language teaching is an essential read for language teachers. It manages to highlight the importance of culture within language teaching, and outlines its objectives quite well. This revisited 2020 version closes some gaps and misconceptions while staying true to the original work. I found some of the examples presented by Byram slightly unclear, and the enumeration of objectives and descriptions quite vast, but as Byram himself says it is to present teachers a selection of skills that they have to suit for their specific classroom context. Part of the reason why this book works is also that Byram at least attempts, sometimes more successfully than others, to describe potential assessment of a concept that is so broad, and appearingly vague, as ICC.
Would have read this down the line either way, but was an essential read for my BA thesis, too. Can only recommend to future language teachers that want to talk about culture in a critical way within their classroom (especially cus I think the model can also be applied to mediation between culture groups beyond just links to nationality, such as queerness).

[Luqman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tulisan yang membicarakan konsep pengajaran bahasa asing kepada pelajar dan perkara-perkara yang perlu diberi perhatian oleh guru alam menyampaikan isi pelajaran. Tulisan ini juga mengetengahkan isu berkaitan para guru seluruh negara dalam mengembangkan pembelajaran bahasa kepada pelajar.