A LANGUAGE COURSE FOR IMMIGRANT STUDENTS

A Proposal to Break Cultural and Literacy Barriers through ICTs and Design

Gemma Delicado Puerto

, Mercedes Rico García

and Eva Mª Domínguez Gómez

Dpto.de Filología Inglesa, Facultad de Formación del Profesorado, University of Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain

Dpto.de Filología Inglesa, Centro Universitario de Mérida, University of Extremadura, Mérida, Spain

Dpto.de Dca. De la Expresión Musical, Plástica y Corporal, Facultad de Formación del Profesorado,

University of Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain

Keywords: Distance and e-Learning, Importance of Language/Visual Component in the Design of A1/A2 Course for

Spanish as a Foreign Language/Cultural Component.

Abstract: Despite of the economic crisis Europe and Spain are facing, foreign-born workers are still increasingly

becoming a crucial part of the European community and an important component of the local workforce.

Taking the necessity of training newly arrived population into account, this paper aims to share with the

scientific community an A1/A2 blended course of Spanish as a foreign language for immigrant workers

following the policies of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning,

Teaching, and Assessment. It differs from other language course since it is based in three focal and

innovative cornerstones: specific cultural training for immigrant workers, preparation for fast cultural

assimilation, overcoming illiteracy before arriving into the country. All that by means of the ubiquity

provided by the ICTs and a great component of visual material which will help to overcome illiteracy and

cultural problems originated in multiple ethnicities, bridging the gap between formal teaching practices and

the experience of using language and culture knowledge by living in a target language country.

1 INTRODUCTION

As more foreign-born workers stream into the

workforce and believing that it is in the best interest

of immigrants to better understand the cultural and

language barriers, we present an A1/A2 blended

course of Spanish as a foreign language for

immigrant workers that have been supported by the

Estremaduran local government. This project aims to

challenge prospect workers to overcome cultural and

language barriers while learning a foreign language

before arriving into the host country. It diverges

from other language course since it is based in three

central and original sections: specific cultural

training for immigrant workers, preparation for fast

cultural adaptation, overcoming illiteracy. Language

teachers are particularly aware of the need for

students to transfer learning to real life settings. In

this sense the Ubiquity of learning technologies

provide the opportunity for students of foreign

languages to bridge the gap between formal teaching

practices and the experience of using language and

applying cultural knowledge in a target language

country. The Internet is constructing this global link

for students to communicate and learn languages. In

addition, the ubiquity provided by the ICTs and the

great amount of visual material included in

multimedia applications will help to overcome

illiteracy and the cultural problems originated in

multiple ethnicities. Being practical in helping break

down these cultural barriers can: train this

population on-line to make them aware of the

cultural differences beforehand, can make them

assimilate faster to the new context; Improve

employers’ ability to recruit, hire and retain workers;

In a long term, increase workers’ productivity.

2 SPECIFIC ISSUES

IMMIGRANT FACE WHEN

THEY FIRST ARRIVE

Thinking in Spain as a recent melting pot, the

writers did research to trace the most common issues

immigrants face when they first arrive in the

183

Delicado Puerto G., Rico García M. and M

Domínguez Gómez E..

A LANGUAGE COURSE FOR IMMIGRANT STUDENTS - A Proposal to Break Cultural and Literacy Barriers through ICTs and Design.

DOI: 10.5220/0003956701830186

In Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Computer Supported Education (CSEDU-2012), pages 183-186

ISBN: 978-989-8565-07-5

 2012 SCITEPRESS (Science and Technology Publications, Lda.)

country. By means of detailed questionnaires passed

a long a number of newly arrived immigrants

located at different nongovernmental associations

that take care of this population, the course editors

established the main and common facts this newly

arrive residents had to go through. They designed

explicit exercises addressing themes such as specific

work-related language functions and structures,

culture and cultural differences, stereotypes, and

politics all within the target language on a

technological format to train students before landing

in Spain.

3 SUPPORTING LITERACY

THROUGH ICT

S VISUAL

COMPONENT

In many developing world countries, there are no or

very few social welfare systems to provide

population with formal education, so in some

occasions they receive a few years of schooling. In

that sense, immigrants coming from these countries

have a triple barrier: illiteracy, cultural shock and

difficulty finding a job. Recently, educational

technology is nudging literacy instruction beyond its

oral and print-based tradition to embrace online and

electronic texts as well as multimedia. The

ubiquitous connectivity is already having an impact

on us and will have a greater impact in the near

future in illiterate people. Within a multimedia

support, the visual component becomes a powerful

instructional tool and a lingua franca that can be

understood by a great number of nationalities and

backgrounds, a population that in too many

occasions a lack of basic formal education. The goal

is the acquisition of meaning using multimedia

devices, visual imagery, and virtual environments, as

well as a low amount of written text.

Figure 1: ¿Cómo solicitar el NIE?

Among these institutions, CEAR, Comisión Española de Ayuda al

Refugiado and the Red Cross.

The images are illustrated by Carmen Sanz Rubio.

4 OVERCOMING LANGUAGE

AND CULTURAL

DIFFERENCES THOUGH ICTS

Language goes hand-in hand with cultural

differences. Linguists and anthropologists have long

recognized that linguistic competence alone is not

enough for learners of a language to be competent in

that language (Krasner, 1999). In that sense,

language and cultural barriers and

misunderstandings can get in the way of successful

communication and generate complications in the

workplace. To this light, the course studied the most

striking cultural difference between Spain and the

rest of the countries and designed exercises with an

important cultural component. This training will

facilitate multiple ethnic groups with very different

cultures a successful entrance and also will

accelerate their process of personal and professional

adaptation to the new context. This course differs

from other language course since it is able to train

the students before landing in Spain with a great

variety of cultural exercises that will teach them

about the Spanish culture at the same time they learn

the Spanish language. These differences can cause

problems interpreting what the other person means.

Some simple examples: Institutions and Roles and

status of people; Body language and personal

appearance; Religion

4.1 Language and Cultural Content

By means of a multiplicity of cultural activities the

course intends to become a comprehensive

customized resource that instructs students about the

Spanish language and culture to make them adapt

faster to the new circumstance. Each level is divided

into 5 units.

Within level A1 students are expected to:

Understand and use familiar everyday expressions

and very basic sentences to respond to very specific

needs; Introduce themselves, ask and respond to

questions regarding personal information such as

where he/she lives, the people he/she knows and the

things he/she owns. Interact in simple circumstances

when the interlocutor speaks slowly, clearly and can

assist him/her in the communicative act.

Within the A2 students are expected to:

Understand commonly used and very basic phrases

and expressions (e.g. basic familiar personal data,

shopping, geographical environment, job-related

language); Can communicate regarding simple

routine tasks requiring the exchange of simple and

CSEDU2012-4thInternationalConferenceonComputerSupportedEducation

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direct information on familiar topics and daily

routines; Can describe features of his/her

surroundings and topics related to his/her general

interest. Students will be evaluated of each level by

means of 5 exams that will cover the most relevant

communicative and cultural goals presented along

the units. Using authentic situations will help to

engage students in authentic cultural experiences, so

the units address first steps such as learning about

the most important Spanish institutions. In addition,

students face issues such as applying for the

universal health care card, to register at the local

town hall, to send money home, to enroll children at

school, to understand the job sections of local

newspapers, to be able to post an add on a

newspaper, to do a first interview etc.

4.2 Modes of ICT Delivery

Computer technology, used to try to overcome the

challenges of distance learning, provides learners

with new and varied options for language learning

through interactive tasks delivered through CD-

ROMs, Web pages, online platforms, virtual

environments and communications software on the

Internet. However, as the widespread and underlying

access to information and computational resources

becomes more pervasive, the existing ICT teaching

models need to be thoughtfully reconsidered to

decide in which ICT, the degree of ubiquity,

application and tools can define the types of learning

activities and resources available. In this sense, the

course presents a wide variety of technological tools

adapted to specific and explicit learning purposes.

The course is offered on a CD format with offline

Access to language and cultural content. This system

leads students to using different tools depending on

the didactic goal. When it comes the time to work

together with other students, collaborate and interact

with them and the teacher, the course introduces not

only Moodle, but Tools for Student-Student and

Student-Teacher Communication, Tools for

Collaborative Work and LMS. To carry out and

enhance theoretical leaning the course also provides

with an authoring tools called FMI. Second Life also

helps students and teachers simulate real language

situation. In that sense, the course breaks

geographical and schedule limitations of

conventional courses.

5 CONCLUSIONS

We present a multimedia level A1 and A2 language

training program specifically customized to cover

formative needs in foreign language for selected

working collectives. This course is delivered through

the ICTs and designed using a huge visual

component. It aims to facilitate adult students with

limited literacy skills to overcome literacy

challenges and improve literacy skills. By using CD,

Moodle and Second Life, together with authoring

tools such as FMI (which includes hotpot helps

create Activity and Task Types, Individual study

etc.), Tools for Student-Student and Student-Teacher

Communication, Tools for Collaborative Work and

LMS, we aim to overcome illiteracy and on the other

hand, to be able to target a wide audience with

different cultural background and languages

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

“Aulas Interactivas 2.0: Plataforma de e-learning

para la enseñanza de idiomas ocupacionales”

supported by Gobierno de Extremadura (Code

PDT08A022).

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ALANGUAGECOURSEFORIMMIGRANTSTUDENTS-AProposaltoBreakCulturalandLiteracyBarriersthrough

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