Kształtowanie kompetencji interkulturowej (KI) wśród najmłodszych

Abstract

Due to the current social changes accentuating the idea of so-called global citizenship, the notion of intercultural competence (IC) has rapidly gained interest among researchers in the field of foreign-language pedagogy. However, IC, defined as a set of certain abilities, attitudes and knowledge facilitating the appropriate use of a language in order to achieve various communicative goals, seems to remain beyond the sphere of interest of those working with young learners. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to accentuate the need to plan purposive training focused on the development of intercultural competence as part of the process of foreign-language learning by kindergarten students. The first, theoretical, part of the article aims to define the notion of intercultural competence, and specifies its role in foreign-language acquisition by the youngest. Then, the paper focuses on the practical aspects of IC development among the discussed age group, proffering some simple ideas and examples of exercises to be used with children. Additionally, the author proposes possible ways of assessing the level of students’ intercultural competence, and shares her observations and conclusions drawn after her intercultural talk with a group of Polish five- and six-year-olds.