Developing Intercultural Awareness through Paintings and Films in an Expanding Circle Classroom Setting

Abstract

Modern language education in Southeast Asia using an Expanding Circle pedagogy has seen a swing of the pendulum from achieving a native-level competence in the target language to following the norms of 'intercultural speakers' (Kramsch, 1993). As Byram (2006) adds, these speakers maintain intercultural competences which encourage them to interpret their own cultural values, beliefs and behaviours, as well as those of others. To acquire these competences, language learners need to develop intercultural awareness as a primary step. Such awareness has received less than adequate attention in Thailand to date. In this academic article, attempts are made to demonstrate how students‘ intercultural awareness can be strengthened through a painting and film project, using Gee‘s (2011, 2014) model of discourse analysis. Readers can observe attainable positive outcomes in which learners show signs of developing intercultural awareness, which serves as a solid foundation for competent intercultural communicators, who will be able to interact effectively and appropriately in another culture.