Content and Language Integrated Learning: Cultural Diversity

Abstract

Carrio -Pastor’ s multi-authored volume is a collection of eight papers on Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), all interweaved with the subtitle of the book: Cultural Diversity . As the editor mentions in the preface, the book has the general goal of analyzing the cultural aspects of content and language learning; and specifically, the provision of theoretical background and examples in which content, cultures and language learning are implied. Two are the sections of the book: the first section, entitled “ CLIL in context” , gathers four chapters which approach culture from different perspectives; under the title “ CLIL in practice” , the second section presents four case-studies belonging to different educational levels in which different forms of culture are embodied in the CLIL classes. In the opening paper, DAvID MArsh specifies the tenets of intercultural communication and evaluates it considering maximalist approaches against minimalist ones. On the one hand, the author defines intercultural communication as intergroup communication embodying each group’ s behavioural models observable in social interaction. On the other hand, the author warns the reader about the ethnocentric ideology of maximalist views on interculturalism, and builds the case that interculturalism has shifted its focal point towards a more minimalist approach, paying attention to individuals’ intercultural behaviour. Marsh skilfully builds on his argument by making room to personality factors, also being influential in intercultural communication. In trying to place the focus of intercultural communication research on the individual’ s social interaction, Marsch argues for interlocutors’ situational adaptability, whose individual situational interpretations are all influenced by a continuous adaptation to the multi-sided communicative situations, comprising interlocutors’ sociological and psychological traits.

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