The 2nd VietCALL International Convention (VietCALL 2026)

When AI Becomes a Cultural Partner: Designing AI Mediated Intercultural Learning for TESOL

Not scheduled

20m

Linguistics & Cultural Studies

Speaker

Robert Steel (DePaul University)

Description

Generative artificial intelligence is increasingly shaping communication across languages and cultures, yet many classroom applications continue to treat AI as a neutral assistant rather than an active participant in meaning making. This interactive workshop explores how AI can both support and complicate intercultural communication in education. Drawing on principles from virtual exchange and intercultural pedagogy, participants will engage in collaborative activities that examine how AI generated responses vary across languages, prompts, and cultural contexts. Working in small groups, they will compare multilingual outputs, identify cultural assumptions and potential biases, evaluate the appropriateness of AI-generated responses for different audiences, and discuss strategies for helping learners critically engage with AI rather than simply accept its recommendations. Participants will then design an AI mediated intercultural learning activity for their own teaching contexts that integrates language learning, cultural reflection, and ethical AI use. The workshop emphasizes learner agency by positioning students as critical interpreters of AI generated content rather than passive users of AI tools. Participants will leave with adaptable classroom activities, discussion prompts, and design principles that promote AI literacy alongside intercultural communicative competence, offering practical approaches for preparing language learners to communicate responsibly in increasingly AI environments.

Keywords: AI literacy, intercultural communication, virtual exchange, multilingualism, TESOL

Workshop Activities

The workshop itself could be highly interactive:

1. Compare AI Across Languages
   Groups prompt AI in English and another language.
   Compare tone, assumptions, omissions, and cultural framing.
2. Spot the Culture
   Participants analyze AI responses for implicit cultural values, stereotypes, or bias.
3. Human vs. AI Mediation
   Decide when AI helps intercultural communication and when human negotiation is essential.
4. Design Challenge
   Each participant develops a classroom activity using AI to foster intercultural competence while encouraging critical evaluation.
5. Reflection and Sharing
   Participants exchange ideas and discuss how to adapt the activity to different TESOL contexts.