‘Do you know Naomi?’: researching the intercultural competence of teachers who teach Greek as a second language in immigrant classes

Culture and Interculturality in the Adult ESL Context in Urban Quebec: A Case Study

“…The results of Magos and Simopoulos' (2009) study showed that only four of the teachers were able to take advantage of the experiences and backgrounds of their students. These four asked students about their past experiences and integrated their stories into the lesson plan.…”

“…To complete the observations of Jill's approach to culture, any sharing of personal experience or the elicitation of personal experience from the learners was noted. The extent to which the teacher drew on personal and learners' experience was pertinent in both Menard-Warwick (2008) and Magos and Simopoulos (2009).…”

“…Like the ESL teacher in Menard-Warwick's (2008) study and the interculturally competent minority of teachers in Magos and Simopoulos (2009), Jill drew heavily on the learners' experiences. However, she was more measured in sharing her own experience and quite reserved in giving her opinion.…”

“…The positive affective climate of the class can be compromised. In this nonacademic learning context, when students are not comfortable in the class, they drop out (Magos & Simopoulos, 2009). Deferring such discussions to break time or small-group discussion allowed Jill to maintain a harmonious whole-class atmosphere, which was one of her objectives.…”

“…Magos and Simopoulos (2009) examined teachers of Greek as a second language in culturally diverse adult immigrant classes in Athens. They examined whether and to what extent the teachers "promoted effective intercultural communication while teaching the second language" (p. 255).…”