Language teaching & learning (other than ELT)
March 2021
Designed for college students who are at a high-intermediate level of English proficiency, this book provides an effective introduction to different aspects of cross-cultural encounters. Using language suitable for both purpose and audience, this book explores various topics related to cross-cultural interaction, such as communication, education, gender, and food.The aim of this book is to equip students with the ability to deal with cross-cultural situations and help them develop an open-minded attitude towards people from different cultures.Consisting of carefully arranged elements such as informative readings, real-life dialogues, in-depth discussions, engaging after-class activities, and colorful illustrations, this book is also a useful learning tool for those who would like to expand their English vocabulary, cultivate better reading skills, and enhance their listening comprehension.There are 14 units in this book, with each unit divided into seven or eight sections:1.Think & DiscussEach Think & Discuss section contains a picture and accompanying questions related to the topic of the unit. This section serves as a warm-up, building up students’ ability to comprehend visual scenarios and allowing them to share their thoughts with classmates.2.BrainstormingEach unit contains a number of brainstorming questions related to the article in Guided Reading, allowing students to reflect on ideas or issues that are presented in the article and form their own opinions before reading it.3.Guided ReadingThis section contains an article exploring the topic in a cross-cultural context, providing students with cross-cultural knowledge and fostering open-mindedness in them when they deal with cross-cultural issues. There is also an audio file that goes along with this section for students to enhance their listening competency.4.Reading ComprehensionThis section provides either reading comprehension questions or a True or False quiz to test students’ understanding of the article and open in-depth discussions on the ideas presented in the article.5.DialogueEach unit contains a dialogue that plays out scenarios related to the topic. Through conversations between characters, students can derive a general picture of how cross-cultural encounters may happen in real life. Like the Guided Reading section, this section comprises an audio file to help students strengthen their listening ability.6.Dialogue DiscussionA number of discussion questions follow each dialogue to test students’ comprehension of the dialogue and prompt them to discuss the real-life issues raised.7.Further DiscussionSome units contain a further discussion section in which students can engage more deeply with issues that are connected to the main topic. It gives students an opportunity to examine and reflect on cross-cultural ideas that are relevant to today’s world.8.Making ConnectionsThis concluding section provides suggestions for extra reading materials, research topics, or activities that will enrich students’ knowledge of the topic and apply what they have learned to real life.
