Preparing Students for the Global Workplace: Classroom Strategies for Developing English and Intercultural Communication Skills

Simões, Anabela Valente

doi:10.21125/iceri.2020.1765

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…Students' grades were published only after the closing conference, on the last day of the term. Nearly 90% of the submitted posters were graded with either Excellent (18)(19)(20) or Good (14)(15)(16)(17). The average mark was 16 (out of 20) and it is worth highlighting that some groups produced extremely interesting, high-quality research work, despite this being a new and challenging experience for them as undergraduates.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Empowering Efl Learners for the Global Stage: A Collaborative Approach to Cultivating 21st-Century Skills and Intercultural Competence in Higher Education

Simões,

Moreira,

Oswald

2023

ICERI Proceedings

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In today's interconnected world, marked by technological progress, global mobility and international cooperation, Higher Education Institutions (HEI) have a responsibility to provide students with the essential skills required to thrive in such a dynamic environment. With the increasing significance of 21st-century skills in determining employability, educational institutions worldwide are thus in pursuit of methods to enhance students' readiness for the demands of the modern world. This pursuit extends beyond merely supporting the development of essential skills and qualifications for professional success -it is also about empowering students to become engaged and capable citizens who can adeptly manage change and uncertainty, about fostering active learning methods and supporting the development of robust interpersonal skills.In the academic year 2021/2022, still amidst the effects of a global pandemic that brought enormous disruptions to every level of education, two departments of the University of Aveiro, Portugal, came together to challenge English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students to engage in a collaborative activity which aimed, above all, to prepare future Business Communication professionals for the global challenges ahead. The resulting "Global Skills for the 21st Century: Language and Intercultural Competence" project was designed as a learner-centred activity, based on collaboration and research work, with the main purpose of developing students' English language and intercultural communication (IC) skills, as well as fostering the development of evermore relevant transferable skills, such as communication and collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving, adaptability and resilience, among others. As will be evidenced, the project design aligns with frameworks, guidelines, and recommendations established by various international organisations, namely the United Nations, the UNICEF, the OECD, the European Union, the Council of Europe, and the World Economic Forum.The objective of this paper is twofold: on the one hand, to present this online-based collaborative classroom activity developed by two groups of undergraduate students. On the other hand, the authors seek to provide answers to the questions: "To what extent do such collaborative learning approaches contribute to the enhancement of language and IC skills, as well as the simultaneous development of essential 21st-century skills?" and "What is students' self-perceived development in terms of social skills and cognitive/functional skills?". To provide an answer to these questions, a mixed-methods approach was employed, utilising an online questionnaire and the analysis of students' assignments (research posters). The results indicate that the project positively influenced students' cognitive, social/emotional, and digital skills. The assessment of research posters demonstrates the application of language and IC skills in producing high-quality outputs. These findings highlight the value of implementing student-centred pro...

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Empowering Efl Learners for the Global Stage: A Collaborative Approach to Cultivating 21st-Century Skills and Intercultural Competence in Higher Education

Simões,

Moreira,

Oswald

2023

ICERI Proceedings

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“…It includes the ability to cope with uncertainty and complexity, learn to learn, support one's physical and emotional well-being, empathize and manage conflict". Often coined as soft skills, i.e., any skill or quality that can be classified as a personal characteristic that shapes how an individual communicates and relates with others, personal and interpersonal skills, such as autonomous learning skills, analytical and critical thinking skills, empathy, flexibility and adaptability, cooperation skills, conflict-resolution skills, and organization and time management, are all-important, highly transferable skills that can be applied in nearly every work setting [13,19].…”

Section: Objectives Methodological Options and Educational Referencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similar cultural research activities had been implemented in previous years, namely, through the project "Building Cultural Bridges in the Classroom", an initiative that aims at involving students in the development of their linguistic and intercultural skills in more active and motivating ways, such as direct contact with peers from different cultures, in this case, with volunteers from the European Solidarity Corps visiting the city for a period of time [13]. As a result of the limitations imposed by the global pandemic, in the fall of 2021, the ELBC teacher sought an alternative to the previously successful cross-community interactions and opted for a COIL project-an internationalization strategy that, at the time, was very much encouraged by the UA as a possible response to the disruptive circumstances we were facing.…”

Section: Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Internationalization at Home: Enhancing Global Competencies in the EFL Classroom through International Online Collaboration

Simões

Sangiamchit

2023

Education Sciences

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Higher education institutions today are expected to not only equip students with the skills and qualifications required to succeed professionally, but also to prepare them to develop active learning strategies, build successful interpersonal relations—both at local and global levels—and be active citizens who are able to handle change and uncertainty. Synonymous with the notions of “virtual mobility” or “internationalization at home”, Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) is an educational approach with the potential to enhance the development of this broader skillset while providing students with an opportunity to interact with peers from across the globe. The purpose of this paper is to present a cross-cultural pedagogical activity implemented within a class of Business Communication undergraduate students from the University of Aveiro (UA), in Portugal, together with volunteer students from the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, in Thailand. In this exploratory study, the authors sought to gauge the effectiveness of such virtual global learning approaches and understand how UA students self-perceived their own skillset development. Based on qualitative and quantitative information, it was possible to conclude that students’ perceptions were generally positive and that cognitive, social, and intercultural competencies, as well as other critical 21st-century skills, were successfully addressed.

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“…Hard skills refer to easily defined and measured knowledge or abilities that are obtained through (certified) schooling, training, courses and on-the-job training, whereas soft skills, which are often transferable across careers and industries, refer to any skill or quality that can be classified as a personal trait. In other words, these refer to the individual characteristics that shape how individuals communicate with others; personal and interpersonal skills such as active learning, adaptability, creativity, critical thinking, dependability, effective communication, empathy, flexibility, managing feedback, organization, problem-solving, resilience, stress tolerance or teamwork are all important pieces in the set of transferable skills that can be applied in nearly every setting in today's fast-paced global economy (Simões, 2020).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing Multilingual Competence and Cultural Awareness through Forms of Non-Formal Learning: A Contribution to Sustainable Employability, Active Citizenship and Social Inclusion

Simões

2021

European Journal of Education

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We live in a fast-changing world, where breakthrough technological advances have not just disrupted industries but also changed the way we live, work and learn to a degree humankind has never experienced before. As the modern workplace becomes ever more global and interconnected, proficiency in foreign languages (FL) assumes a fundamental role in international business relations. Simultaneously, being able to navigate culturally diverse environments, i.e., understanding how international stakeholders think, work, and express themselves through their attitudes and behaviours is of paramount importance as well. These challenges also raise pressing questions: How can we prepare learners for a global world in constant evaluation? How can we help them develop 21st-century skills as important as critical thinking, creativity, communication, adaptability, digital literacy and cross-cultural understanding? In May 2018, the Council of the European Union (CEU) adopted a Recommendation on Key Competences for Lifelong Learning, a framework that attempts to establish a common understanding of competences needed in the present moment and the future, by emphasising the inter-relatedness of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values. An important reference tool for education and training stakeholders, this recommendation identifies the following key competences: 1) Literacy competence; 2) Multilingual competence; 3) Mathematical competence and competence in science, technology and engineering; 4) Digital competence; 5) Personal, social and learning to learn competence; 6) Civic competence; 7) Entrepreneurship competence; and 8) Cultural awareness and expression competence. The EU Member States are, thus, encouraged to prepare their citizens for changing labour markets and active citizenship in more diverse, mobile, digital, and global societies, and to develop learning at all stages of life. While teacher-guided approaches will remain an important pedagogical practice, the main approach to teaching key competences is through providing learning environments that facilitate active learning, i.e., student-centred settings where open-ended problems and challenges can be solved through debate, experimentation, exploration, and creativity. This paper aims to narrate a non-formal activity carried out within a Business English Communication course taught at the Higher School of Technology and Management of the University of Aveiro (Portugal), in collaboration with an international group of volunteers from the European Solidarity Corps. This initiative sought to contribute to the development of some of the key competences for lifelong learning, especially multilingual skills and cultural sensitivity and expression, but also digital skills and personal and social skills of the participants.

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Preparing Students for the Global Workplace: Classroom Strategies for Developing English and Intercultural Communication Skills

Cited by 3 publications

References 0 publications

Empowering Efl Learners for the Global Stage: A Collaborative Approach to Cultivating 21st-Century Skills and Intercultural Competence in Higher Education

Empowering Efl Learners for the Global Stage: A Collaborative Approach to Cultivating 21st-Century Skills and Intercultural Competence in Higher Education

Internationalization at Home: Enhancing Global Competencies in the EFL Classroom through International Online Collaboration

Developing Multilingual Competence and Cultural Awareness through Forms of Non-Formal Learning: A Contribution to Sustainable Employability, Active Citizenship and Social Inclusion

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