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        Communicating successfully in another language means shifting frames of reference, shifting norms, shifting assumptions of what can and cannot be said, what might be considered ambiguous, what should be explicit and what ought to remain tacit, and so on. In other words, using another language effectively involves more than vocabulary and structures; it involves thinking differently about language and communication.

        The question is, how can we begin to understand another way of thinking, how can we be sensitized to different cultural frames, when we are in a classroom in Nebraska, Nairobi, or New South Wales? One answer, I will argue, is by reading, writing, and discussing texts. By examining the particular ways in which language is used to capture and express experiences, we not only learn a great deal about the conventions of the language, but can also begin to glimpse the beliefs and values that underlie the discourse.

        The basic message is a simple one: academic language teaching must foster literacy, not only in terms of basic reading and writing skills, but also in terms of a broader discourse competence that involves the ability to interpret and critically evaluate a wide variety of written and spoken texts. Preparing students to communicate in multiple cultural contexts, both at home and abroad, means sensitizing them to discourse practices in other societies and to the ways those discourse practices both reflect and create cultural norms. I here argue that this kind of literacy is essential to real communicative ability in a language, and is therefore an indispensable goal in our efforts to prepare future generations for the challenges associated with the increased internationalization of many aspects of our society.

(Richard Kern, Literacy and language teaching. Adaptado)