Summary:
This collection of essays analyses the evolution of theory of intercultural competence and its relationship to education for citizenship. It does so by analysing the concepts of intercultural competence, including the notion of the intercultural speaker, by discussing the ways in which language education policy develops and by comparing the theories and purposes of foreign language education and education for citizenship.
Review:
It would be hard to deny the importance of Byram's excellent book. It is unique, because it views language teaching as a social and political activity and it gives new insights into the topic of foreign language education. The abundance of examples has a double merit in the book because, on the one hand, it helps in better understanding the topic and, on the other hand, it makes the book more interesting to read. Michael Byram's book is a worthwhile read and welcome addition to our body of knowledge on foreign language education. The book is of manageable size and scope and quite accessible to non-experts. At the same time, it is clearly worded, interesting, useful and opens new avenues for future research and study.
Tünde Bajzát, University of Miskolc, Hungary, Linguist List 20.1850
I enjoyed reading this book. It promises to be a typically clear and compelling discussion of the institutional implications for adopting an intercultural approach to language teaching in European schools. It deserves to be read and debated widely.
Professor John Corbett, Department of English, University of Glasgow
Author Biography:
Michael Byram is Professor of Education at Durham University, England. He studied French, German and Danish at King’s College Cambridge, and wrote a PhD on Danish literature. He then taught French and German at secondary school level and in adult education in an English comprehensive school. Since being appointed to a post in teacher education at Durham in 1980, he has carried out research into the education of linguistic minorities, foreign language education and student residence abroad. His books include Teaching and Assessing Intercultural Communicative Competence (1997) and he is the editor of the Routledge Encyclopedia of Language Teaching and Learning. He is also an Adviser to the Council of Europe Language Policy Division.
Readership Level:
Postgraduate, Research / Professional
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