“Language space bridge” as a new way to train intercultural competence and improve the foreign language teacher’s skills

Abstract

The shift to distance learning in foreign languages teaching has further emphasized the need for communication and interaction set in a context close to authentic experience. The starting point of the research was the assumption that a new classroom practice developed during the pandemic – the “language space bridge” – contributes to the development of language education and influences the improvement of intercultural competence. This article is based on a study of the “language space bridge”, a non-institutional educational platform running between 2020 and 2022 and set up by an international team of foreign language teachers collaborating under an Erasmus+ project. The article discusses theoretical aspects of intercultural communication and forms of training. A description of the research process is followed by the presentation of the didactic process itself. Having conducted an in-depth analysis of the evaluation questionnaires completed by the students and teachers, the authors conclude that the new educational platform might be a way to improve intercultural competence for both students and teachers.