Piotr Romanowski

The overriding aim of the article is to present, evaluate and discuss the effectiveness of early bilingual education in a monolingual environment, such as Poland. As opposed to situations where parents use two languages due to their different nationalities and backgrounds or instances of employing foreign nannies to address children in another language (usually their own L1), this paper will focus on a controversial issue of using a foreign language (L2) by a parent and speaking it to a child in a natural way. The purpose of the theoretical section is to depict the role of parents, the possible strategies used in raising children bilingually as well as potential problems to be encountered in the process. The subsequent empirical part outlines the results of analysed case studies collected from 22 Polish families who have successfully employed such a model of language learning and communication with their children. [es] La educación bilingüe temprana en contextos monolingües. El caso de las familias polacas Resumen. El objetivo primordial de este artículo es presentar, evaluar y debatir la efectividad de la educación bilingüe temprana en un entorno monolingüe, como es el de Polonia. Frente a situaciones en las que los padres usan dos idiomas debido a sus diferentes nacionalidades u orígenes, o a casos en los que niñeras extranjeras hablan a los niños en otro idioma (generalmente su propia L1), este trabajo se centra en el controvertido asunto del empleo de un idioma extranjero (L2) por parte de un progenitor y su utilización de forma natural para dirigirse al niño. La sección teórica plasma el papel de los padres, las posibles estrategias utilizadas en la crianza de los niños de forma bilingüe y los posibles problemas que se pueden encontrar en el proceso. La parte empírica posterior analiza los resultados de los estudios de caso recopilados: 22 familias polacas que han empleado con éxito este modelo de aprendizaje de idiomas y comunicación con sushijos. Palabras clave: educación bilingüe temprana, bilingüismo, educación bilingüe, estrategias de comunicación.

The aim of the present paper is to analyse the extent to which contemporary e-learning solutions support the development of intercultural competence in the didactics of specialist languages. A special consideration will be given to those solutions which use e-learning modules. A few remarks concerning the terminology of intercultural competence as well as didactic modules have been made at the beginning. Last but not least, on the basis of the theory of didactic module, the process of (glotto) didactic module development and the examples of its realisation in the context of development of intercultural competence have been indicated. As shown in the paper e-learning solutions based on glottodidactic modules contribute to the development of intercultural competence, which is an essential component equipping interactor with indispensable and critical knowledge and skills. All this is required in modern specialised communication, occurring especially in multilingual and/or multicultural environments. 1. Digital media, e-learning platforms and learning Over 2 billion people nowadays use the Internet and due to the growth of tablet and smartphone sales, digital media is booming in a rapid pace. These devices provide a fancy medium for feeding the information to the users comfortably, however, they also increase the time spent by users online. On the other hand, they also constitute a great opportunity through which learners practise a foreign language and they also use it to facilitate intercultural learning. Nowadays, since we all live in a global village and speak English – the language recog-nised as the lingua franca of the new millennium – we get in contact more often than before with people of various cultural backgrounds. In addition, as culture impacts communication to such a great extent, it seems natural and helpful for teachers to expose their students to lessons and activities that reveal how particular cultural components influence interaction among different nationalities and ethnic groups. E-learning platforms serve as excellent and valuable resources for language teachers and students. It needs to be indicated that e-learning constitutes a general term used to refer to a form of learning in which the instructor and student are separated by space or time where the gap between the two is bridged through the use of online technologies (van Haren, 2010). E-learning is used interchangeably in a wide variety of contexts. In distance education, especially at universities, it is defined as planned teaching/learning experience that uses a wide spectrum of technologies, mainly

The major aim of the present chapter is to focus on the application of the intercultural approach in the development of communicative skills in Business English. It seems that intercultural language education has redefined the agenda of modern teaching all over the world and it has touched upon various types of English. The author intends to discuss the skills relevant in the process of communication in Business English, which prove enormously different from those worked on in everyday communication. The intercultural component is particularly essential in Business English as learners should not only have a chance to become familiar with the cultural information related to the language they are studying, but also possess and develop a certain degree of intercultural awareness and sensitivity since they are demanded from any business persons communicating at the criss-cross of cultures. 22.1. The Intercultural Approach in Foreign Language Teaching In recent years a growing body of research has been observed in the area of the intercultural approach in language teaching. In line with the findings, it has been implied that language learners must be developed into intercultural speakers who are able to engage with complex and multiple identities. In addition, it is imperative to avoid the stereotyping which accompanies perceiving someone through a single identity (Byram et al., 2004). The intercultural dimension in language teaching is concerned with: (1) helping learners to understand how intercultural interactions take place, (2) how social identities become part of all interaction, (3) how their perceptions of other people and other people's perceptions of them influence the success of communication,

The aim of the paper is to discuss the existing CLIL models with respect to how they are used by teachers in Polish lower–secondary education. Throughout the paper a general situation in the system of education concerning bilingual classrooms is depicted with the focus on four CLIL models traditionally used in contemporary schools. The overall objective is to analyse the popularity of languages employed as the medium of instruction in bilingual provision, the subjects whose content is imparted through the medium of a foreign language as well as the four major curricular models themselves developed and implemented for the needs of bilingual programmes in the Poland. STRESZCZENIE Celem niniejszego artykułu jest omówienie modeli zintegrowanego kształcenia przedmiotowo‑ ‑językowego (CLIL) funkcjonujących w polskich gimnazjach, w których istnieją oddziały dwujęzyczne. W artykule zostaje krótko omówiony stan kształcenia dwujęzycznego w polskim systemie edukacji ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem gimnazjów. Przedstawiono cztery modele CLIL, zobrazowano popularność poszczególnych języków w kształceniu dwujęzycznym a także przedmioty, które najczęściej nauczane są w języku obcym na poziomie gimnazjalnym. Słowa kluczowe: dwujęzyczność, CLIL, zintegrowane kształcenie przedmiotowo‑językowe, modele kształcenia przedmiotowego, szkoły gimnazjalne

The present paper discusses the issue of the communicative curriculum, which integrates culture as its indispensable component. The role of culture in the development of communicative competence has been presented with a special emphasis on intercultural communicative competence being a constituent of the former. Nowadays, the acquisition of intercultural communicative competence proves necessary as it shapes speakers' ability to communicate and equips them with essential skills, attitudes and knowledge. Therefore, cultural content plays an important role in shaping learner's communicative abilities and preferences and should not be separated from mainstream teaching.

The aim of this chapter is to discuss the present situation of bilingual instruc- tion at the secondary level of education in Poland.  Therefore it is the author’s intention to focus on the role of CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) provision, being the main methodology implemented in Polish schools.  The range and popularity of bilingual programmes in secondary schools will also be depicted in numbers, with a clear upward trend.

The major aim of the present chapter is to focus on the application of the intercultural approach in the development of communicative skills in Business English. It seems that intercultural language education has redefined the agenda of modern teaching all over the world and it has touched upon various types of English. The author intends to discuss the skills relevant in the process of communication in Business English, which prove enormously different from those worked on in everyday communication. The intercultural component is particularly essential in Business English as learners should not only have a chance to become familiar with the cultural information related to the language they are studying, but also possess and develop a certain degree of intercultural awareness and sensitivity since they are demanded from any business persons communicating at the criss-cross of cultures. 22.1. The Intercultural Approach in Foreign Language Teaching In recent years a growing body of research has been observed in the area of the intercultural approach in language teaching. In line with the findings, it has been implied that language learners must be developed into intercultural speakers who are able to engage with complex and multiple identities. In addition, it is imperative to avoid the stereotyping which accompanies perceiving someone through a single identity (Byram et al., 2004). The intercultural dimension in language teaching is concerned with: (1) helping learners to understand how intercultural interactions take place, (2) how social identities become part of all interaction, (3) how their perceptions of other people and other people's perceptions of them influence the success of communication,

The major aim of the present paper is to discuss the skills relevant in the process of communication in Business English, which prove to differ enormously from those worked on in General English courses. It also becomes evident that the intercultural component is essential and learners should not only have a chance to become familiar with the cultural information related to the language they are studying, but also possess and develop a certain degree of intercultural awareness and sensitivity since they are demanded from any businessmen communicating at the criss-cross of cultures. Last but not least, teaching Business English communicative skills is seen as a process of working creatively with the business content supplied by the students that we as teachers of English then shape in terms of its language.

The aim of the present paper is to propose a specially designed ESP course book evaluation sheet as well as discuss the need for and usefulness of ESP course book evaluation. The specifically devised checklist for Business English materials will take into consideration various aspects of course design, content and methodology as well as general attributes referred to by such renowned materials " evaluators as Cunningsworth, Ellis and Johnson, McDonough et al. to name only a few. Throughout the paper the author will also assert the specificity of ESP courses as more demanding and more focused on the expectations and requirements of the learners. Hence, appropriate evaluation of any new course book proves necessary because the needs of the students and how they are prioritized will affect their eventual success.

The aim of the paper is to discuss the present situation of foreign language learning in Europe on the basis of conducted statistical analysis. The multitude of languages taught at various educational levels with the predominant role of English as the most widely instructed lingua has been depicted. Consequently, it has been ascertained that although the EU seems homogeneous and consistent in its language policy, there is, for example, a huge discrepancy in the number of languages offered at various levels of education across the European countries, not to mention the age at which students begin their linguistic education. The role of CLIL has also been demonstrated as the provision encouraging the use of curricula aimed at promoting the right interpersonal skills, cultural sensitivity, communication and language abilities – all in demand in today's reality.

The aim of the present paper is to discuss the application of certain communicative strategies by adult learners of English in their learning contexts. Firstly, a review of literature devoted to taxonomies of strategies is presented. Particular attention is to be paid to Tarone's classification of 1976 as well as Faerch and Kasper's of 1983 as their typologies will later be used in the study conducted among adult learners in language schools in Warsaw. It is also essential to provide some background information on the methodology used to investigate language learning strategies as communicative strategies are a part of them. Additionally, different patterns in empirical research on learning strategies are in the focus of the following part of the present paper. The participants have completed a survey where they expressed their preferences regarding the repertoire of strategies. Furthermore , the respondents were exposed to six classroom situations where the use of communicative strategies was imperative. It was the author's intention to analyze which strategies are more frequent and favoured by adult learners of English. Certain correlations were finally investigated to check what variables determine the selection of communicative strategies and whether they are used efficiently.

Intercultural language education has redefined the agenda of modern languages all over the world. It has also begun to impact on English Language Teaching. An intercultural approach prioritizes the need for a critical, multicultural curriculum, which actively educates and facilitates the construction of learners' personal and social identities in the process of developing their language skills. Its major influences in ELT refer to intercultural competencies, academic and social benefits of intercultural learning, the use of ethnographic research to implement ELT, issues in adapting curriculum to situational learning needs, and designing tasks in an intercultural classroom. The aim of the present paper is to prove that the development of intercultural skills in foreign language teaching becomes more effective through careful instruction and the gradual process of raising learners' awareness of multiplicity of perspectives. By handling a selection of language tasks students can experience diversity and will eventually analyze their behaviour in order to adjust their language roles to new circumstances. The materials designed for proper intercultural training included essays, projects and portfolios.

The present paper discusses the importance of needs analysis in ESP. By delving into different theories, the author's overall objective is to scrutinize a wide spectrum of existing frameworks that would lead to a single, comprehensive model for needs assessment. The impact of the said approaches on course design is underlined with the particular example of Business English. Ultimately, the author unveils a framework which could serve as a basis for syllabus design in all types of ESP courses.

While research into intercultural teaching has grown exponentially during the past two decades, it has primarily resorted to the use of quantitative data collection instruments and the interpretation of scores calculated through them. As such, studies in the field can seem somewhat decontextualized, ignoring in some cases setting-specific parameters. Therefore, further study is needed to bring together theory, research, and practice demonstrating how this teaching is reflected in research design and how it is undertaken in different settings.

Intercultural Foreign Language Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Contexts is an essential reference source that provides a series of rich insights into the way intercultural education is practiced in numerous international contexts and showcases practical examples of teaching situations and classroom activities that demonstrate its impact within the classroom. Featuring research on topics such as higher education, multilingualism, and professionalism, this book is ideally designed for educators, researchers, administrators, professionals, academicians, and students seeking pedagogical guidance on intercultural teaching.

This book covers research topics in bilingual education, language policies, language contact, identity of bilingual speakers, early bilingualism, heritage languages, and more, and provides an overview of current theory, research and practice in the field of bilingualism. Each chapter is written by a specialist in the field. Part I focuses on the numerous and heterogeneous relations between languages as well as the implications arising from bilingual speech processing. In Part II, a series of contextualized studies on bilingual classrooms are presented, with diverse research designs applied in different educational settings being a key feature of these studies. Part III bridges theory and practice by offering an insight into mono- and multilingual school settings showcasing examples of educational institutions where bilingualism successfully soared and depicts the needs related to language education.