Julie Casoli Uvsløkk

• Casoli Uvsløkk, Julie; Vold, Eva Thue & Brevik, Lisbeth M. (2022). Intercultural Competence in Language Subjects in Norwegian Lower Secondary Schools: A Classroom Video Observation Study. Vis sammendrag

  In precarious times, seeing each other and seeking to understand each other is a key competence. To deal with inequality and social injustice around the world, it is essential to acquire intercultural “knowledge”, “skills” and “attitudes”, and hence develop “critical cultural awareness” (Byram, 2020, p. 44). These elements are fundamental within the field of intercultural competence. Learning processes focusing on developing students’ intercultural competence are therefore central in making young people reflect on contemporary social challenges. This paper presentation will give an account of the role of intercultural competence in Norwegian lower secondary English and French classrooms. Based on video- observations of 60 English lessons and 45 French lessons in 9th and 10th grades (ages 14-15)—collected by researchers between 2015 and 2017 and showing naturally occurring instruction over two school years at seven lower secondary schools in Norway—we will first quantify the amount of time allotted to work on intercultural competence in these classrooms, then investigate the types of instruction and strategy use that take place in the classrooms. In the analysis of instructional practices, we particularly build on the works of Michael Byram, Darla Deardorff (Deardorff, 2011) and Hild Elisabeth Hoff (Hoff, 2020). Given that there are variations between the English and foreign language curricula in how explicitly they refer to intercultural competence, we expect to find variations between the two subjects when it comes to actual teaching and the extent to which intercultural awareness is an integrated part of classroom discourse. Questions we will explore are: To what degree is intercultural competence taught in French as a foreign language (L3) and English (L2) classes? What can we actually observe? Is intercultural competence an integrated part of foreign/second language teaching, or is it treated separately? Is the focus mainly on Great Britain, the USA, and France, or are other relevant language areas and/or minority cultures also included in the teaching? Are there any common characteristics across the subjects? Are there noticeable differences? Although there is a considerable body of research literature on the concept of intercultural competence and different theoretical models, few studies provide findings based on empirical observations of intercultural competence within second and foreign language classroom teaching. Even fewer studies have compared across different language subjects. Consequently, the findings from this study will contribute to filling a knowledge gap in Nordic educational research.

• Uvsløkk, Julie Casoli (2021). Conference paper: Intercultural Competence and Critical Thinking in Lower Secondary English and French Classrooms in Norway. Vis sammendrag

  How can focusing on culture and intercultural competence help students develop critical thinking skills? In a globalized world, where cross-cultural understanding plays a crucial role in all scopes of life, language teachers are expected to support students in this process. Culture – and in later years to some extent, intercultural competence – has long been part of language instruction alongside vocabulary or grammar. However, when the latter are considered pillars of language learning and teaching, culture and intercultural competence are often overshadowed by the focus on linguistic skills (Heimark, 2013; Vold, 2014). Only a small amount of research concentrates on how culture and intercultural competence within the foreign language and English school subjects are taught in Norwegian classrooms, and even fewer studies have compared across the two subjects. This paper presents findings from the LISE-project, where a team of researchers has filmed naturally occurring instruction over time: four to six lessons have been recorded in language subjects over two school years at seven lower secondary schools in Norway.This presentation will present reflections on how critical thinking is taught as part of culture and intercultural competence based on video-observations of selected English and French lessons in 9th and 10th grades collected by the researchers between 2015 and 2017. Given that there are variations between the English and foreign language curricula and that the general guidelines in the two subjects concerning intercultural competence are vague, this paper will explore the possible impact of these variations and imprecisions on actual teaching situations within and across both school subjects. To what extent are students encouraged to move beyond factual presentations in order to critically reflect upon their own and others’ cultures? Studying these phenomena is crucial in order to develop critical thinking in 21st-century language classrooms.

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