Connecting currents of intercultural communication in the international classroom: Teachers' best practice examples

As universities have an increasingly international outlook, it is often assumed that intercultural communication (ICC) will be a natural outcome for all participants in the international classroom. However, cross-cultural contact does not guarantee competence in ICC. Arguably, content teachers are thus best placed to model ICC and facilitate its development in their students (Paige & Goode, 2009).
With this in mind, the researchers undertake an observation-based qualitative study, analysing thirty English-medium instruction (EMI) classes taught by thirty teachers at five European universities, to examine ICC in multicultural higher educational contexts. The conceptual framework for the analysis is derived from the TAEC EMI Handbook (2019) ICC self-reflection statements and the Intercultural Teaching Competencies (ITC) model (Dimitrov and Haque, 2006). This poster presents the findings; real examples of teachers applying ICC best practice in the international classroom with respect to answering questions, discussions and brainstorming, classroom management, administering tasks, perspective-taking, jokes and anecdotes, assessments and feedback, and course content and international examples. The poster also demonstrates that connecting the currents of ICC and content delivery can lead to better awareness of student diversity, interculturally cognizant facilitation skills, culturally responsive teaching, and the creation of appropriate course content.