Abstract:

This paper describes the Multicultural Sensitivity (MCS) project in the Bar-Ilan University English as a Foreign Language (EFL) unit, under the auspices of the Israeli Hope in Academia program. This program seeks to create encounters and discourse between diverse groups in Israeli society out of respect and tolerance, in order to bring about fundamental change in society. Since the Bar-Ilan University population mirrors the diversity in Israeli society across language, culture, ethnicity, nationality, and religion, there is a constant need for teachers to address the challenges created by this reality on campus. The MCS project aims to promote multicultural awareness and sensitivity in the classroom among students participating in EFL courses, using the four modalities of language learning (reading, writing, speaking, and listening). The paper also describes how technology facilitated the implementation of the MCS project and brought hope during the COVID-19 outbreak. For the purposes of the project, instructional resources, including academic texts, video clips, TED talks, and interactive activities were compiled, focusing on the topics of music and food. These topics were chosen for their universal appeal, richness of cultural content, and opportunity for conflict-free interaction in the classroom.

COVID-19 introduced new challenges, but also enabled us to see a glimmer of hope. It altered the traditional classroom environment as the university moved to fully online learning and interaction. Consequently, redesigning the unit became imperative to make it suitable for synchronous online language learning. In addition to the cultural distance among students, COVID-19 added the challenge of physical distance which we feared would compromise the project. Nevertheless, the various technological tools used on Zoom enhanced the project's goals and created connections in the multicultural classroom. Digital tools, such as Padlet, Thinglink, Wakelet, and Sutori, enabled collaborative work using the various language modalities. Through these digital interfaces, students negotiated the meanings of texts and produced written and oral materials reflecting various aspects of their cultural experiences and their understanding of cultural diversity. Despite the physical distance and students' diverse linguistic, ethno-cultural, national, and religious backgrounds, they learned to communicate in English successfully in a safe and non-threatening manner. Notwithstanding the challenges of COVID-19, the technology enabled our hope to continue.

Keywords:

Multicultural Sensitivity, EFL, COVID-19, technology.