English Language, Team Building and Intercultural Awareness for Academic or Non Academic Staff O

Course details

The aims of this course are:

• To develop the English language skills of participants
• To explore using teambuilding to raise the awareness of participants of every individual’s potential to stereotype, marginalize and discriminate based on their previous experiences
• To raise awareness of cultural differences and develop skills in cross-cultural communication
• To share experience on the value of multicultural teams and identify ways of working more effectively within them

Format

• Course consisting of 20 morning sessions plus 2 afternoons in mini workshop format along with afternoon teacher-led cultural activities.

Methodology

• The language development sessions will use communicative language teaching to achieve maximum involvement from course participants and the focus will be on involvement and interaction to quickly develop the essential language required for discussion on teambuilding and intercultural awareness.
• The input sessions on team building and intercultural awareness will include an element of theory on each subject matter as well as interactive elements including roleplay, games and discussion.

Day one

• On arrival participants meet their tutors and are given an induction covering information about the school and Dublin. They also receive out-of-hours emergency contact telephone numbers for key Alpha personnel.
• General Language development session
• Cultural Influences
• Stereotypes and where they come from
• An afternoon orientation tour of Dublin provides participants with an opportunity to practise their English in a more informal setting outside the classroom, familiarise themselves with the geography and history of the city.

Day two

• General and Specific Language development session
• Introduction to Diversity
• Understanding the needs and expectations of different groups
• Recognising participants’ own assumptions
• Afternoon visit to Dublinia; experience a re-enactment of live in Viking and Medieval Dublin

Day three

• General and Specific Language development session
• Recognise, respect and acknowledge Diversity
• Cultural Programming; Cultural Filters
• Developing Diversity Competence
• Afternoon excursion to GAA Stadium – museum focusing on Ireland’s unique sports (Gaelic football and hurling) and their contribution to the social fabric of urban and rural communities in Ireland; the museum also includes an area for experiencing practice activities for these 2 sports.

Day four

• General and Specific Language development session
• Development of plans/teambuilding
• Benefits of teamworking
• Building small teams within a bigger context
• Afternoon excursion to Guinness Storehouse

Day five

• General and Specific Language development session
• Coaching workshop, role play and interactive exercises around the area of building teams from diverse groups and respectivng the contributions made by the persity of each member
• final review of course