Interculturality is an inseparable part of ELE teaching. Recently, TANDEM Madrid started a course in the form of workshops on Intercultural Competence. This is an innovative way of complementing the Spanish courses for foreign students with a range of knowledge that will allow them to better adapt to the Spanish culture and have a better experience during their stay in Madrid.
Intercultural competence could be described as the set of cognitive skills, affective and behavioural skills and characteristics that support effective and appropriate interaction in a variety of cultural contexts.
Professor Lucía Largo describes the last workshop she taught at TANDEM Madrid as follows:
“Living a study experience in Spain can be both an incredible experience but also confusing, as we don’t understand all the cultural cues that help us to manage on a daily basis. With the students we created an oasis in which they could talk openly about the obstacles they encountered along the way. At the same time, we have been discovering new ways of interpreting the world, helping them to courageously step out of their comfort zones and enrich their cultural identities.
In our last session together, we looked at what they had learned in Spain. We also saw how their perspectives on so many cultural issues had changed and prepared for their return home. Now they have two important challenges: to adapt again to another cultural environment and to become cultural ambassadors, transmitting to their family and friends everything they have learned in Spain.
In the pictures you can see the activity we did to say goodbye to the intercultural workshops: they are writing to each other why they thank each other.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank this very special group myself: Thank you for always coming with a great desire to share and learn, I have learned a lot too”.
Lucía Largo.
