Pluricultural Competence in Action

Session 4:   Culture Shock

Teacher:       Athena Alchazidu and Kateřina Sedláčková

Term:            Spring 2024


Session objectives

●     This session aims to acquaint students with a variety of approaches that will help them
explore the reasons that provoke culture shocks, in order to prevent undesired reactions. As a
result, participants will foster their pluricultural repertoire and develop their pluricultural
competence.


Key concepts

●     Culture Shock

●       Culture Awareness

●       Politness vs rudeness


1 Group work - preparation

Form pairs, or groups of 3 and choose one of the topics to learn about and present.
  * Reasons that provoke Culture Shock and how to avoid it.
  * Culture Awareness: basic principles
  * Politness and assertiveness vs rudness and preponderance


Each group has a set of learning tasks to complete that include listening and reading tasks.

·         Work together as a group to finish all the tasks.

·         When you’re ready, prepare a mini presentation for the other people in the class.

·         The mini presentation should cover the following points:

o   a description of the main point(s) of the concept

o   some examples


·         Prepare notes with the most important points to be able to cover key information and
speak fluently.














Also, prepare a few questions for your audience to make sure they understood your presentation.



2 Group work – presentation


·         Recreate groups so that there’s at least one person knowledgeable about each concept.

·         Take turns and present your concept.

·         As you’re listening to the presenters, take notes.

·         You can ask them as many questions as you want to make sure you understand their
presentation.











3 Class discussion


·         Rearrange groups.

·         In your group, discuss the following questions related to your topic:









4 Sharing


·         Choose a dish/typical costume/dress, etc. you really like  and present it to class
mentioning its cultural significance in the country/region/community, it comes from.

·         Explain how it represents key aspects of the culture it comes from.

·         Put down key ideas that define that tradition.













New vocabulary

Go through the material once more, and list any new words you do not know and consider useful to
learn. Write at least one example sentence for each word.