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Maisa de Alcântara Zakir Graduate Program in Language Studies – UNESP

First International Meeting on Language Learning in Tandem: Past, Present and Future. Teletandem and Culture: an a nalysis o f t he c ultural d imension i n a v irtual d iscussion f orum a mong s tudents o f a Brazilian and a n American university.

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Maisa de Alcântara Zakir Graduate Program in Language Studies – UNESP

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  1. First International Meeting on Language Learning in Tandem: Past, Present and Future Teletandem and Culture: an analysis of the cultural dimension in avirtual discussion forum among students of aBrazilian and an American university Maisa de AlcântaraZakir Graduate Program in Language Studies – UNESP CAPES Foundation, Ministry of Education of Brazil Brasília-DF 70.040-020, Brazil University of Miami February 27th 28th and March 1st2014

  2. Overview of the presentation • FLTA Program: the beginning; • The research context; • Theoretical framework; • Culture (Kramsch, 1998); • Culture Related Episodes (ZHU, 2012; ZAKIR, FUNO & TELLES, forthcoming); • Dialogical Discourse Analysis Principles (Brait, 2013; • The culture dimensions (Levy, 2007) • Excerpts of the discussion forum.

  3. The beginning… • The FLTA Program (2009-2010): a transformative experience; • More than 400 international students from 45 different countries; • The Fulbright Conferences: • First contacts with foreigners: cultural shock. • The immersion experience: real X virtual • “Have you... have you been to the United States? Or traveled?” • No, never. But, I did teletandem before. Two times. With hum... a guy from Utah” • Oh, wow! • And a guy from Miami. So I... • Oh, very different! • Yes, very different. And I really want to know Miami. I think it’s... amazing, I don't know. Will and Gabi – Spring Semester 2011

  4. The research context • The scope of the project Teletandem and transculturality in on-line foreign language interactions via webcam; • General research question: how can the cultural dimension of teletandem interactions in foreign languages be described? • Research topics (Telles, 2013) • (1) Ways of understanding the study, the learning and the social use of foreign languages; • (2) Ways of representing the culture of the teletandem partner and the impact of such understanding on the process of learning a foreign language and on the relationship with the partner; • (3) the contribution of the cultural dimension of teletandem to the education of the learner to relate to other cultures; • (4) The impact of the cultural dimension of teletandem on the different views of institutional implementation in the curriculum

  5. The research context • Brazilian university: 14 students (pre-service language teachers; voluntary participation); • American university: 14 students (different majors; second semester of Portuguese; TT as part of the syllabus during the class); • 10 teletandem sessions, from which 5 were recorded (average 45 minutes long); • Twice a week (March to April 2012) • Written activities in the virtual platform Teleduc – discussion forum

  6. The initial (“ideal”) hypothesis • Teletandem as a context to promote and enrich the participants’ “cultural knowledge”/ “cultural experience” • a “better” understanding/ a “wider” perspective of the L2 culture. • BUT… is that what “really” happens?

  7. Discussion forum • 1. What aspects of your own culture have you highlighted (or would you highlight) to your partner during the teletandem sessions? Why? • 2. What aspects of your partner’s culture has s/he highlighted? What has changed in your perception about his/her culture because of the teletandem sessions?

  8. Dialogical Discourse Analysis Principles • Discourse as language in its concrete andliveintegrity (Bakhtin, 2008, p. 207) • The issue of verbal interaction as constituting language transforms the enunciation act into a broad process, which takes into account both the relations between the interlocutors in the social scope and the context in which this enunciation is produced (BAKHTIN, 2004). • “The dialogism principle in Bakhtin’s theory is given by the premise of the constitution of the self by the other” (FLORES & TEIXEIRA, 2009, p. 163).

  9. Dialogical Discourse Analysis • The dialogical discourse theory is grounded on the the inseparable relation that exists between language(s), history and subjects (Brait, 2010). • The theory implies a conception of language, construction and production of meaning necessarily grounded on the discursive relations among historically situated subjects.” (p. 10).

  10. Key elements in data analysis - DDA • a) recognizing the multiplicity of discourses that constitute a text or a set of texts and that modifyor subvert their relations due to the change(s) in the context(s) in which they are produced and received; • b) the discourse, defined as dialogical relations, which is the object of an interdisciplinary subject that Bakhtin called “metalinguistics” or “translinguistics”  starting point of the dialogical discourse analysis/theory; • c) the theoretical-methodological assumption that the dialogical relations are established from the point of view of a historical, cultural and social subject; • d) the dialogical relations are not “ready and finished” in a certain research object, but they are always established from a point of view that is shaped by values, ideologies, frontiers; • e) the role oflanguagesandsubjects in theconstructionofmeaning; • f) theconceptionoftext as “signed” byan individual ou colectivesubjectthat moves historical, social and cultural discourses. (BRAIT, 2013, p. 85).

  11. A definition of culture • “In summary, culture can be defined as membership in a discourse community that shares a common social space and history, and common imaginings.” (Kramsch, 1998, p. 10) • “Moreover, any one individual’s experience of culture will be affected by the multiple aspects of their identity—race, gender, sex, age, sexuality, class, caste position, religion, geography, and so forth—and it is likely to alter in various circumstances.” (Skelton & Allen, 1999, p. 4). • “Thus, culture is both a manifestation of a group, or a community, and of an individual’s experience within it, or apart from it. As a group, members engage with one another in a shared social space. […]Recognisingthe perspective of the individual in relation to the group is key in developing a pedagogical approach. (Levy, 2007, p. 105)

  12. LRE – Language Related Episodes • LRE – Language Related Episodes are “any part of a dialogue in which language students talk about the language they are producing, question their language use, or correct themselves or others.” (Swain & Lapkin, 1995, 1998).

  13. CRE – Culture Related Episodes • CRE – Culture-Related Episodes: “moments when the spoken classroom discourse focuses on the collaborative construction of cultural understanding and cultural knowledge among the participants.” (ZHU, 2012, p. 7). • CRE - “Anypartof a dialogue produced in the teletandem sessions in which the students focus on any interest, explanation or inquisitiveness about their own culture or the partner’s” (Zakir, Funo & Telles, forthcoming)

  14. LEVY (2007) – Culturedimensions 1. Culture as elemental; 2. Culture as relative; 3. Culture as groupmembership; 4. Culture as contested; 5. Culture as individual (variableandmultiple).

  15. 1. Culture as elemental: the learner is no more a "blank slate"

  16. 2. Culture as relative: “culture is, fundamentally, a relative concept, not an absolute one.”

  17. 3. Culture as groupmembership:

  18. 3. Culture as groupmembership:

  19. 4. Culture as contested:

  20. 5. Culture as individual (variableandmultiple)

  21. Culture as elemental • Raíssa spoke with me about music festivals, things that she likes to do in her city, and the differences between her college city and her hometown. I hadn’t realized that metal and hard rock were as popular as they are in Brazil. (Phillip, A, 04/09/12) • My skype partner Daniela is very studious and is working hard to earn her degree. Although one thing that did surprise me a little bit was that she wasn’t a big soccer fan. Especially since she lives in Sao Paulo, home of the 2011 champions Corithians. (Vincent, A 04/12/12)

  22. Culture as relative Durante as sesõesquetiveaté agora tentamosabordar um pouco da expressõesqueutilizamos no nossodiaa diasemprecomparando a de um pais com o outro, tambémfalamossobreas musicas, elesacreditamquetodobrasileirogosta de samba, mas nósbrasileirossabemosquenãoéassim...e o teletandem desta forma virauma boa oportunidade de explicarmos e mostrarmosparaelesque o Brasil e repleto de culturasdiferentese hámuitacoisa boa queelesaindanãoconhecemsobrenossopaís. (Denise, B, 03/28/12) Hoje, especificamente, destacamos sobre a nossa cultura, os sotaques de diferentes regiões brasileiras e os modos de os brasileiros fazerem piadas com as diferenças entre sotaques cariocas e paulistas, por exemplo. Também destaquei o estilo de vida de cada cidade como, por exemplo, baianos tranquilos e paulistas estressados. Meu parceiro também destacou o estilo de vida da sua cidade, Valencia - Espanha, e falou também da mania de os Americanos de Nova York serem agitados também assim como São Paulo e me contou que ficou impressionada de ver tantas lanchonetes que vendem café por esquina. (Alice, B, 03/28/12)

  23. Culture as group membership When we spoke about Easter and Good Friday I realized that we are not so different in how we celebrate these holidays. I think it is very similar to Hispanic culture than American culture because I was raised in a Hispanic way and we have a lot of similarities. (Ashley, A, 04/23/12) Realmente, quandoDenise e eufalamos da cultura e das costumes de nossospaísespodemosqueelestêmmuitascoisasemcomum a nívelgeral (eunãosoumuito da culturaamericana, agora estoucomeçando a saber mais, mas achoqueBrasilémuitomaisparecidoàEspanhaqueaosEstadosUnidos).(Olga, A, 04/13/12) Euconcordo com vocêquandofalasobre as semelhançasnosdoispaíses, eutambémacheimuitassemelhanças, talvezporqueeusouhispana. Euencontreiinteressantequemuitas das costumes brasileiras, comocomemorarosquinzeanos das meninas, sãomuitosparecidasàs dos hispanos. (Hannah, 05/04/2012)

  24. Culture as contested • Osaspectos do povobrasileiroqueeuacreditoimportantesseriam o nossoestilo de vida, o nossosorrisomesmoemsituaçõesextremas, nossavontadeemconheceroutrasculturas. E o queficouevidentecomomudança, naminhavisão da cultura deles, éo fato de queelestambémtêminteresseemoutrasculturas, elestambémtêmcuriosidades. E essecontatopara o aprendizado da línguaémuitoimportante, poisalém da necessidadeimediataemusar a língua, tambémganhamosconhecimentosculturais, e melhorpodemosdifundir o quesomos, além do futebol e do Rio. (Ísis, B, 03/28/12) • Vocêpodedescrevercomo o povobrasileiro tem um sorrisomesmoemsituaçõesextremas? Achoqueesteémuitodiferente do queosaspectos do povoamericano. Achoque as pessoasamericanasraramenteestãosorrindo(Carl, 04/06/12)

  25. Culture as individual • Tambémqueromencionarquenosestamosfalando com só um amostradas pessoasnossopaíses. Euachoquetemosquelembrarquenossoparceironãorepresentatoda a populaçãobrasileira. Alémdesteeuadoroqueeu e minhaparceirapodemosnosentenderaindaquesomosde diferentespaíses. (Hannah, A, 04/05/12)

  26. Final remarks • Culture dimensions: variable and dynamic; • Teletandem interaction(s): a context to reflect about culture and CALL; • Mediation sessions after teletandem interactions: a context to rethink language teachers’ education and the role of foreign language and culture exchanges.

  27. Uma culturaestrangeiranão se revelaemsuacompletude e emsuaprofundidade a nãoseratravés do olhar de umaoutracultura(e elanão se revelanuncaemtodasua plenitude, poisoutrasculturasvirão e poderãover e compreendermaisainda). (...) Face a umaculturaestrangeira, colocamosperguntasnovasqueelamesmanãose colocava. Procuramosnelasumaresposta a essasquestõesquesãos as nossas, e a culturaestrangeiranosresponde, nosdesvelandoseusaspectosnovos, suasprofundidadesnovas de sentido. Se nãocolocamosnossasprópriasquestões, nosdesligamos de umacompreensãoativa de tudoqueé outro e estrangeiro (trata-se, bementendido, de questõessérias, verdadeiras). (Amorim, 2006, apud De Paula, 2013).

  28. Thank you! maisazakir@gmail.com

  29. References • ARANHA, S; CAVARALI, S. M. S. A trajetória do projeto Teletandem Brasil: da modalidade institucional não-integrada à institucional integrada. Horizontes em Linguística Aplicada. Brasília. (no prelo). • BAKHTIN, M. Marxismo e filosofia da linguagem. 11. ed. Trad. Michel Lahud e Yara Frateschi Vieira. São Paulo: Hucitec, 2004. • ______. Problemas da poética de Dostoiévski. 4. ed. Trad. Paulo Bezerra. Rio de Janeiro: Forense Universitária, 2008.  • BRAIT, B. Análise e teoria do discurso. In: ______ (Org.). Bakhtin – outros conceitos-chave. São Paulo: Contexto, 2010. • BRAIT, B. Construção coletiva da perspectiva dialógica - História e alcance teórico-metodológico. In: FIGARO, R. (Org.). Comunicação e análise do discurso. São Paulo: Contexto, 2013. • FLORES, V. N.; TEIXEIRA, M. Bakhtiniana, São Paulo, v. 1, n. 2, p. 143-1634, 2º sem. 2009. Disponível em: <http://revistas.pucsp.br/index.php/bakhtiniana/issue/view/236/showToc>. Acesso em: 02 setembro 2011. • KRAMSCH, C. Contextandculture in languageteaching. Oxford: OYP, 1993. • ______. LanguageandCulture. Oxford University Press Oxford, 1998. • LEVY, M. Culture, Culture Learning and New Technologies: Towards a pedagogical framework. Language Learning & Technology, v. 11, n. 2, 2007, p. 104-127. Disponível em: <http://llt.msu.edu/vol11num2/levy/>. Acesso em: 13 julho 2011. • SWAIN, M.; LAPKIN, S. Interaction and second language learning: Two adolescent French immersion students working together. Modern Language Journal, • v. 82, 1998, p. 320-337. • TELLES, J.A. Projeto Teletandem Brasil: Línguas Estrangeiras para Todos – Ensinando e Aprendendo línguas estrangeiras in-tandem via MSN Messenger. Faculdade de Ciências e Letras de Assis, UNESP. 2006. Disponível em: <http://www.teletandembrasil.org/site/docs/TELETANDEM_BRASIL_completo.pdf>. Acesso em: 02 setembro 2010. • ______. Teletandem e Transculturalidade na interação on-line em línguas estrangeiras por webcam. Projeto de pesquisa financiado pela FAPESP, 2011 (in mimeo). • WELSCH, W. Transculturality: thepuzzlingformofculturestoday. CaliforniaSociologist, 17 & 18, 1999, p. 19-39. Disponível em: <http://www2.uni-jena.de/welsch/Papers/transcultSociety.html> Acesso em 08 julho 2011. • ZHU, J. Weavinglanguageandculturetogether: theprocessofculturelearning in a chinese as a foreignlanguageclassroom.2012. 456 f. Tese (Doutorado em SecondLanguageAcquisiton), GraduateCollegeoftheUniversityof Iowa, Iowa City, 2012. • ZAKIR, M. A.; FUNO, L. B. A.; TELLES, J. A. Episódios relacionados a cultura em teletandem: uma análise de interação entre uma aluna brasileira e um aluno estadunidense. (em preparação).

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