Урок "When in Rome do as Romans"

Цель: Совершенствование коммуникативной компетенции в процессе обучения иностранному языку в условиях профильного (экономического) класса.

Задачи:

• совершенствовать навыки аудирования, чтения, используя языковую догадку; находить нужную информацию.
• способствовать усвоению новых страноведческих знаний (правила этикета)
• воспитывать чувство толерантности, политической корректности, уважения к традициям других народов.

Оснащение:

• карта мира;
• магнитофон, задания для аудирования;
• тексты и задания для чтения;
• иллюстрации, карточки с вопросами для мини-проекта;
• УМК “Business English” (издательство Longman)

Ход урока

1. Организационный момент. Постановка проблемы, цели и задач урока.

Teacher: Good morning! Glad to see you. How are you? As for me I feel a bit confused today. One of my friends asked me a curious question yesterday: ”What is considered to be a good gift for an Arabic businessman?” You see she is invited to visit the Middle East on business. It was not easy for me to answer the question . Can you answer?

Students: (give different variants)

Teacher: It is rather not this item. I will not give the answer at once. But I have a nice idea for today`s lesson. Let`s discuss some difficulties that Russian businesspeople may across in other countries. Then we will try to write an information sheet with tips for foreigners travelling in this country.

2. Фонетическая и речевая зарядка.

Teacher: So, there is a famous English proverb on the board: “WHEN IN ROME DO AS ROMANS”. Let`s read it, translate and find a Russian equivalent, then explain it.

Students: В Риме делай так как римляне. В свой монастырь со своим уставом не ходят. While visiting other countries we should know and follow their traditions.

Teacher: During our discussion we will need some national adjectives and names of some countries. Repeat them after the cassette recorder. Mind the stressed syllables. So look at the board.

European	Greek	Belgian	Danish (Danes )
German	Venezuelan	French	Spanish ( Spaniards )
Australian	Scandinavian	Arabian (Arab) (! but Arabic language )

Teacher: Now finish my sentences:

• If they come from Germany they are the Germans.
• If they come from ………. they are …….

3. Чтение текста и выполнение заданий.

Warming up:

Teacher: If someone comes from another country what do you expect in their behavior or manners? Take , for example, eating habits in Japan.

Students: They don`t use spoons. When they eat soup, they raise soup bowls and just sip. In other cases they use chopsticks.

Teacher: Which other nationalities do you think are the most different from your own ?

Task 1. Read this article and choose one of these titles for it:

• When in Rome...
• Travelling abroad
• Doing business in Europe
• Problems that business people face
• Good manners, good business
• I didn't mean to be rude!

Nobody actually wants to cause offence but, as business becomes ever more international, it is increasingly easy to get it wrong. There may be a single European market but it does not mean that managers behave the same in Greece as they do in Denmark.

In many European countries handshaking is an automatic gesture. In France good manners require that on arriving at a business meeting a manager shakes hands with everyone present. This can be a demanding task and, in a crowded room, may require gymnastic ability if the farthest hand is to be reached.

Handshaking is almost as popular in other countries -including Germany, Belgium and Italy. But Northern Europeans, such as the British and Scandinavians, are not quite so fond of physical demonstrations of friendliness.

In Europe the most common challenge is not the content of the food, but the way you behave as you eat. Some things are just not done. In France it is not good manners to raise tricky questions of business over the main course. Business has its place: after the cheese course. Unless you are prepared to eat in silence you have to talk about something — something, that is, other than the business deal which you are continually chewing over in your head.

Italians give similar importance to the whole process of business entertaining. In fact, in Italy the biggest fear, as course after course appears, is that you entirely forget you are there on business. If you have the energy, you can always do the polite thing when the meal finally ends, and offer to pay. Then, after a lively discussion, you must remember the next polite thing to do - let your host pick up the bill.

In Germany, as you walk sadly back to your hotel room, you may wonder why your apparently friendly hosts have not invited you out for the evening. Don't worry, it is probably nothing personal. Germans do not entertain business people with quite the same enthusiasm as some of their European counterparts.

These cultural challenges exist side by side with the problems of doing business in a foreign language. Language, of course, is full of difficulties - disaster may be only a syllable away. But the more you know of the culture of the country you are dealing with, the less likely you are to get into difficulties. It is worth the effort. It might be rather hard to explain that the reason you lost the contract was not the product or the price, but the fact that you offended your hosts in a light-hearted comment over an aperitif. Good manners are admired: they can also make or break the deal.

(Adapted from an article by Richard Bryan in Business Life)

Student: I don`t like the headlines as ”Doing business in Europe”. It seems very dull and boring. “Problems that business people face” is too general. We do not touch financial problems.

Student: In my opinion the headline “Travelling abroad” is not really relevant.

Student: To my mind the most suitable and stylistically appropriate titles are “Good manners, good business “ and “When in Rome …” They underline the idea how important is to know national traditions and customs.

Task 2. True or False?

Teacher: Now look it through once more, paying attention to the sentences below. After that you will decide whether they are true or false according to the writer

1. In France you are expected to shake hands with everyone you meet.
2. People in Britain shake hands just as much as people in Germany.
3. In France people prefer talking about business during meals.
4. It is not polite to insist on paying for a meal if you are in Italy.
5. Visitors in Germany never get taken out for meals.
6. A humorous remark always goes down well all over the world.

Keys:

• true sentences - 1,4;
• false sentences – 2,3,6 and 5 (never is an exaggeration)

Task 3. Let`s discuss the following questions:

• Which of the ideas in the article do you disagree with?
• What would you tell a foreign visitor about “good manners“ in Russia?
• How much do you think international business is improved by knowing about foreign people`s customs ?

Teacher: So, let us make up a list of “culturally sensitive problems.” You can avoid offending local people by mistake if you know them.

Students: (share their ideas)

List of problems:

• eating habits
• table manners
• greeting and saying goodbye
• giving gifts or flowers
• visiting someone`s home
• clothes
• arranging meetings
• punctuality
• addressing people

4. Аудирование:

Teacher: Let`s continue working on our list of problems. For new ideas let`s listen to the tape.You will hear short extracts in which local people give some advice to foreign business people visiting their countries or region. Choose the correct option. (on the cards)

When in Rome do as Romans.

1. Business visitors to Australia should try to:

1. say what they mean.
2. give the impression of agreeing with their hosts.
3. listen carefully to what people say.

2. Men travelling alone by taxi in Australia should:

1. make sure the driver knows who is boss.
2. shake the driver's hand on getting into the taxi.
3. not sit in the back seat.

3. In the Middle East meetings:

1. are never held on Fridays.
2. are never held before 12 o'clock.
3. are never held during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar

4. Visitors to the Middle East should:

1. learn to write Arabic script before leaving home.
2. have business cards printed in Arabic and English.
3. write their names on their business cards in Arabic.

5. Business visitors to Spain may be surprised:

1. that people eat lunch with their families.
2. that lunch is the main meal.
3. that many restaurants do not open before nine in the evening.

6. An unacceptable gift to take to your host or hostess in Spain would be:

1. chocolates
2. flowers
3. chrysanthemums

7. In Venezuela punctuality:

1. is something locals find strange about business travellers.
2. is necessary as everyone has a lot of work to do.
3. is not expected of locals or foreigners.

8. If you are invited to a Venezuelan's home for a meal, you should:

1. write a short letter saying that you accept the invitation.
2. send flowers the day after.
3. send flowers before and write to thank your hosts afterwards.

Keys:

• 1)a
• 2)c
• 3)a
• 4)b
• 5)c
• 6)c
• 7)b
• 8)c

Tapescript:

(A = Australian woman, ME = Middle Eastern man, S = Spanish man, V = Venezuelan woman.)

a: I think the first thing business visitors need to know is that Australians always say what's on their minds and they probably expect you to do the same. Another important characteristic is that it's a very egalitarian society and people don't like it if you try to pull rank ... you know, to try to impress them or imply that you're somehow superior. For example, for men, if you get into a taxi on your own, the taxi driver will expect you to sit in the front seat with him, as if you were getting into a car with a friend. When we meet we shake hands and use first names. Men, well they quite often call each other 'mate'. Something you definitely should NOT do in Australia is drop litter in the street. It's actually against the law! Oh and also we're very punctual, so be on time!

me: In the Middle East there are important differences in the timetable of the working day and working week, and business visitors need to be aware of these. During the month of Ramadan - the ninth month in the Islamic calendar - the working day finishes at 12 o'clock, so don't expect to do business after that. The working week runs from Saturday to Wednesday or Thursday ... Friday is a day for religious observance. We're very hospitable people, and if you're invited home for a meal, you can expect the food to be delicious, but it will probably be served a little later than in some other parts of the world. A good gift to give is a fountain pen ... they're wonderful for writing in Arabic script. It's also a good idea to take a supply of business cards, and even to have them printed on one side in English and on the other in Arabic.

S: Our timetable here in Spain is a little different from the UK, and business visitors need to bear this in mind. We stop work in the middle of the day, so it's wise not to schedule an/ meetings after 1.30 or before 5 in the afternoon since most people like to go home to eat lunch ... the main meal of the day ... with their families. If you are taken out to lunch, you should expect the meal to go on well into the afternoon. That's why you'll also find the evening meal is eaten much later ... often not until 10 or II ... so don't expect to find many restaurants opening their doors until 9. If you're invited to someone's home for a meal, you can take gifts like chocolates, cakes and pastries or flowers ... but not chrysanthemums, please, we associate them with death. We're very affectionate people. If we've met someone before, we usually give each other a little hug, and women kiss each other on the cheek.

V: Something that sometimes surprises business travellers to Venezuela is that we expect people to arrive on time for meetings. Venezuelan business people are often extremely busy so they expect the meeting to start on time and that not too much time is taken up with preliminaries, so get straight to the point. You probably won't be invited to your host's house for a meal, since most entertaining is done outside the home, but if you are, it's polite to send flowers beforehand - and to send a note to say 'thank you' afterwards. Oh ... and if your hosts don't tell you where to sit, don't sit at the head of the table. That's the place reserved for the mother or the father in the family.

(Sally Burgess.”Gold.Exam maximiser”Longman).

5. Подготовка к выполнению минипроектов.

Teacher: Attention, please ! We are about to answer my friend`s question. I was very attentive while listening to the man from the Middle East. I have got this thing in my bag. Who can answer what it is and why it is a good gift?

Students: It is a fountain pen.( a pen that one fills with ink) It is wonderful for writing in Arabic script.

Teacher: You are right. Discussing our topic we may come to conclusion that it is not easy to define what is normal. Something which you think is normal may seem to be extraordinary for people from another country. Do you agree?

- Let`s review some customs in Russia. Work in pairs and decide what is acceptable and what is not acceptable in our country. Put “Yes” or “No” for each idea. Don`t pay attention to British code of behaviour. We will discuss it later.

P R O J E C T   I D E A S

Teacher: If you compare your answers with the given ones, you will see some differences. Our guests should also know about them. So, let`s create some information sheets with tips for foreign visitors to Russia to inform them about our customs. Please, take the pictures to illustrate this or that situation.

- At home you will make some more pages for our information book.

Thank you for your help. Your marks are …