Intercultural Citizenship Education Through Picture Books in Foreign Language Teaching

Course content

Intercultural citizenship education integrates two critical components: foreign-language education, which broadens perspectives beyond the classroom, and citizenship education, which typically focuses on local or national contexts within school communities. This approach emphasizes the development of intercultural communicative competence within foreign language education and encourages civic engagement within local communities or on a national level (Byram, Golubeva, Hui & Wagner, 2016; Porto, 2016). By fostering connections with a broader, more globalized world, such as on a European scale, this educational framework aims to bridge local and global perspectives. Within this seminar, participants will explore the theoretical foundations of Intercultural Citizenship Education, with a specific focus on using picturebooks as a vehicle for promoting intercultural citizenship. The seminar will delve into the significance of picturebooks as aesthetic objects, discussing techniques such as read-alouds and mediation to enhance learning experiences. Through interactive sessions, participants will engage in hands-on activities centered around picturebooks that address intercultural and citizenship themes.
The seminar aims to deepen participants' understanding of intercultural citizenship education and to explore innovative strategies for promoting intercultural competence and active citizenship within educational contexts. Towards the end of the term, participants will collaborate to create a set of teacher resources centered around a selected picturebook, thereby integrating theoretical knowledge with practical application.