Developing English learners' transcultural skills through content- and task-based lessons

Abstract

Abstract This article discusses the use of content- and task-based work in English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) classroom contexts with a view to nurturing transcultural understanding between speakers of English from different cultural backgrounds. Three groups of EFL learners, one in Spain and two in Poland, aged 14 to 16, worked on a task-based unit of work about the African continent in their EFL class, which they subsequently discussed with their peers in the other two participating schools on a blog specifically set up to that end. By providing learners with the opportunity to voice their concerns on the topics discussed, the task-work sought to encourage their co-construction of new shared knowledge and the critical re-evaluation of their preconceived worldviews. Results suggest that the content- and task-based activities, along with a novel use of a virtual third space as a zone for transcultural learning and collaboration, fostered participants’ transcultural competence and their ability to communicate effectively in the international arena through English as an International Language (EIL).