Intercultural skills, skills for lifeGrundtvig Project

2010 - 2012

InterculturalityAs A ToolIn The Teaching Of Spanish As AForeing Language

Leaves are free and fly everywhere. There are nofrontiers in the Nature. Only men create them for feelingsafer.The Universe is wild and wide…and we are the Universe!

At School...

Students from different nationalities:China, Russia, Pakistan, Africa and Morocco

are in front of the school “Plus Ultra”, in Logroño.It is their first day….they show illusion but fear at the same time.

Step by step, they start their integration in our language and culture.

All of them at same classroom, with the same books for learning Spanish.Ready to be involved in our culture, as well, trying not to loose theirs.

• Different Races and• Different Cultures…

• An Appropiate Mixture To Create SomeIntercultural Skills...For A Better Life!

Black And White In Harmony

The smell of Africa is in her skinand its landscapes embroided in her dresses.

Pakistan in his deep eyes.…hidden words in Urdu inside his soul,to be changed into the Spanish ones.

The sweetness in her eyes. They are seeing other way of living.

All her happiness to share with the others.

And more and more foreign students in this classin a good attitude for an interculturality that will enrich all of us.

• Learning Spanish Through The Interculturality.• Regarding It,

We Are Trying To Get A Good UnderstandingBetween NationsPro Avoiding Racism And Xenophobia.

A good imput in the proccess of learning the SpanishLanguage is to talk about ourselves.

We talk and write about who we are, what are our familieslike, where we live and so on. We think it is a greatmotivation for learning important things from each others.

We do a big effort to be undertood in a foreing languagethat doesn´t usually exppress all we would like to, but…

We are in a big mood of comunicating, because there arelots of things to tell about our countries and families, lots offeelings and thoughts to express yet.

Lots of smiles to make easier our life!

AT THE COMPUTER ROOM

At the computer room we have the opportunityto learn Spanish using technology, but also…

We can use it to show to the others part of ourculture like dances, music and so on, reflected onthe screen.

Or produce some power points about ourgastronomy and culture.

Or chat in an informal wayto share different styles of life.

Or sharing photos that expressmore than thousand of words.

• GASTRONOMY + CULTURE = INTEGRATION

• “To Know Our Own Gastronomy And CultureAnd Others Is A Great Way Of Acceptting,Respecting And Value Them.”

• “We Can Not Know A Foreing Country WithoutHaving Assimilated Its Cuisine.”By Julio Camba (Spanish Writer)

Cooking for the others is offering part of us to be tasted.

While eating, we create a good apmosfere, when we canchat about informal things that are important for us.

By the way, we admire different dishes,different ways of feeding.

We value, respect and taste them!

Because eating them we accept the differences.

Around the table, students and teacherscreate a school for integration.

And our students from abroad are very grateful for it.How easy can be our relationship around food and drink!

SHARING TRADITIONS ANDCOSTUMES

Muslim use henna to tatoo part of their bodywhen celebrating their “Lamb Festivity”.

They show different models to draw on.We enjoy sharing their traditions.

And…why not to lend our armsor hands to being painted by them?

Because at the same time we contact our hands,we are contacting our souls.

We learn that Muslim women usually wear beautiful dresses duringtheir “Lamb Festivity”. Here are some models:A pink one..

A purple one...

A cream one…an explosion of colours and shapes!Differents styles but the same illusion inside.

SPANISH SOCIAL LIFE

• The best way to learn any foreign sociallife is to take place there and see whathappens.

“Eat as they eat and drink as they drink” if their religion allows it.If not, at least, they have the opportunity to be tolerant and respectour way of social life.

This is the way to become firmer on their believes or tochange into a new ones. It is their choice.We respect any decition coming from them.

PLAYS AND GAMES

• Leisure was created for relaxingourselves and improving our social life.

• The ways of leisure can changedepending of cultures but its benefits areuniversal.

Slot machines can be good or wrong depending of their use, but herethey are, like part of our social life.Why not to teach them how do they work?

The young Spanish waitress shows how it works and after that, sheallows to be photographed with them.A pintoresque photo to hang on their facebook for sharing with theirliving very far away friends.

In the classroom there are not slot machines to spend money;inoffensive dominoes to spend time and talk.Women on one side and...

Men on the other side,… following their tradition.

At the end, they might forget the words we said to them,but they will never forget the way we made them feel well.By Carl W. Buechver

The End