I’ve been back from Bogota for a couple weeks now and I’m still riding the post-conference high that comes from intense days filled with amazing people, very little sleep, a lot of coffee, and the thrill of visiting a new country. (And, right after that, I attended the SIETAR-USA conference. Whew!)
One thing that struck me while in Bogota was the potential positive power of “tip of the cultural iceberg” activities. To be honest, I’d sorta forgotten.
photo by Maria Trebol
Colombia Night at the AASSA conference.
I loved this event! The school gym was decorated with colorful fresh flowers, food and drink from all regions of the country lined the tent just outside, and Colombian music and dance filled the stage all evening. (Unfortunately, I forgot my camera in my hotel room that night, otherwise I’d post pictures.)
As I ate traditional Colombian soup and drank juice from fruit I’ve never heard of and watched an intercultural group of middle school girls move and shake to Colombian beats (and wondered what the men wearing traditional Colombian clothes carried in the woven bag slung across their chests – I still want to know!), I remembered just how fun these types of activities can be.
Then, I thought back to trying chocolate and bread in my French class in high school, handing out German chocolate to kids and parents at elementary school international fairs, and learning how my name would be written in Arabic at a recent local exhibition.
photo by carf
Just the tip of the iceberg?
I bring this up because it often seems that once the depth and complexity of culture becomes apparent, once we become aware of all that comprises the " below the water " part of the cultural iceberg things like values and beliefs I think there’s a tendency to dismiss activities that simply focus on the top 10% of the iceberg. You know, things like food, dances, traditional clothing, and holidays. The fun stuff.
But these " tip of the cultural iceberg " activities shouldn’t be avoided. There are definite benefits to them: they’re concrete, often experiential, and they can spark cultural curiosity.
At the same time, nor should they be the only intentional cultural activity offered (at a school, for example). They can be fun, but do they really build intercultural competence?
Let’s explore this topic over the next few weeks. Right now I’m thinking about:
- Strengths and weaknesses of tip of the cultural iceberg activities
- How to create activities with meaningful intercultural impact
- How such activities can foster intercultural competence
What do you think? What kinds of tip of the cultural iceberg activities have been successful in your experience – as a teacher or a participant? What were the outcomes of such activities? What would you improve? What are your questions?
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