Our first speaker for this year's New Year Event is Dr. Sophia Emmanouilidou who will be talking about "Convivial Classrooms: Creating Contact Zones in a Multicultural School Environment". Dr. Sophia Emmanouilidou received her Ph.D. from the School of English, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, with distinction in 2003 and on a full scholarship from the Foundation of National Scholarships in Greece (IKY). She has been a Fulbright scholar at the University of Texas, Austin, and she has published several articles on Chicana/o literature and identity-focused theories. Her interests include border cultures, social studies, literary theory and ecocriticism. She has taught at the University of the Aegean, Department of Social Anthropology and History; and the University of the Peloponnese, Department of History and Culture, and the TEI of the Ionian Islands, Department of Environment Technologists. She is presently teaching at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Department of American Literature.
1. What is the main focus of your
talk?
This
talk answers the following questions: What is a convivial
classroom? What do we mean by the
term ‘convivial’ tools? Drawing from Ivan Illich’s philosophy of
education, I would say that an English language classroom can be a space that
uses our knowledge of facts, information, and skills to enrich our life
experiences. Illich claims that what we learn at school is a tool that helps us
comprehend and re-vision the world, ideally in a communal mode. In this
context, a classroom can become a space that
promotes associations among different people, despite their varied backgrounds
(cultural, familial, religious, and others), and encourages people to accept difference.
Valuing diverse backgrounds can be achieved through various activities:
introduction tales, when a student interviews and then introduces another
student to the group, round table discussions on a ‘hot topic’, such as
depletion of natural resources, creative writing based on a visual stimulus,
such as a painting, food festivals, project work on festivities and
celebrations around the world, and others. All these activities enhance
students’ learning skills, such as critical thinking, creative thinking,
communicating, and collaborating.
2. What do you hope that members of
the audience will remember about your talk?
In this talk, I will share examples from my own
classroom experience that show how the principles of conviviality, such as interculturalism and the
promotion of a democratic society, can be developed in a classroom setting. I call these types of communication convivial interludes: they are short breaks from our
programmed routines, when we can escape the mandates of curricula, syllabi and
textbooks. One might consider these convivial breaks as a delay or an
interruption, but they can also be happy occasions for us all to be friendly
and welcoming to diversity. One such
activity is the World Café, a kind of informal conversation that examines
diverse perspectives on a specific topic, such as gender roles. It is also
important to remember that convivial interludes are not always planned. Sometimes
they pop up unexpectedly during the students’ reactions to information
presented in a textbook; for example, students might object to a definition
that does not seem agreeable, or a stereotype in an illustration. Whether
planned or spontaneous, convivial interludes allow students to practice their
language skills, take initiative in representing their cultural backgrounds,
and eventually recognize and celebrate diversity.
3. How could the principles of
conviviality be used in a monocultural classroom to encourage students to
accept others whose lifestyle, beliefs, gender orientation, etc. differ from
their own?
Conviviality in a learning environment means that
mutual understanding among participants can be achieved despite their
differences. I
am not so sure if the term monocultural reflects
our current social reality, especially when we consider the free flow of
meanings and definitions in the ‘glocal’ world we live in. Although there are
still projections of a dominant culture, many believe that they are quite
old-fashioned or even obsolete. So, I wonder if we have already moved from
monoculturalism to multiculturalism. And
if we have, shouldn’t a classroom setting help students make this transition to
a mentality that supports inclusion? The principles of conviviality in
education can certainly make this ongoing cross-cultural dialogue an enjoyable
experience, especially when students use English to communicate with each
other.
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