Interpretations. This section analyses the major themes which emerged for the different interpretations interviewees suggested for the concept of internationalisation of

the curriculum. For the most part, this analysis is based on interviewees’ responses to the questions:

How do you understand internationalisation of the curriculum?

What, in your opinion, does internationalisation of the curriculum mean for your academic discipline?

What, in your opinion, does internationalisation of the curriculum mean for your course?

The analysis however, does not exclude responses from other questions, which indirectly expressed interviewees’ understanding and interpretations of curriculum internationalisation.

5.2.3.1 Moving beyond reading comprehension. Asking interviewees about their understanding of curriculum internationalisation seemed to open the door for critical

reflection on existing curricula and consider those areas in need of change. One of the major themes identified was the need to move beyond reading comprehension and integrate more practical language skills. Debora noted how she would rather expose her students to fewer topics but around those, encourage them to practice their oral and written skills. Similarly, Irene noted:

First of all it would mean more conversational English. A situation where they would have to speak. I think the speaking part is critical and necessary, and it’s what the students want!” …And I think they will also have a sense of accomplishment after communicating in English in that kind of exercise. As far as writing, also, because they would have to work on it because they will not want to send something which is

not of high quality in this context maybe they would spend more time getting it right, the grammar (not that it has to be), the vocabulary.

Josh was also in favour of putting an emphasis on practical language skills, claiming that most of the students “are not going to be academics” and therefore need language skills which are more suited to the global work environment. He too, was in favour of cutting back on materials in order to leave more time for practical engagement with language. In general, interviewees seem to share a feeling that ‘less is more’ when it comes to their curriculum.

They believe that cutting back on volume and length of academic texts will enable them to introduce more classroom activities, increase student engagement and develop the kinds of skills their students really need. They seem to be in favour of breaking away from two existing and dominant paradigms: one which equates ‘heavy’ academic texts in English with quality of English language curriculum in Israeli higher education, and the other is the traditional, exclusive focus on reading comprehension in language programmes.

Through sharing their understanding about curriculum internationalisation they seemed comfortable expressing their opinions on what has been established, up until now, as almost a taboo in the context of their discipline. Internationalisation of the curriculum can be depicted in this sense as a tool which liberates and legitimises thinking in less conventional directions, fostering a critical approach to dominant knowledge paradigms (Leask, 2015).

Furthermore, what is apparent in these quotes is teachers’ focus on the needs of their students rather than the traditions of the discipline; fostering a student-centered approach which is in line with recent developments in internationalisation and internationalisation of the

curriculum (Coelen, 2018).

5.2.3.2 Communicative language teaching and intercultural awareness. Language teachers naturally recognise that learning a language entails much more than acquiring the linguistic competence required to use it. Language teaching and learning has much to do

with developing intercultural awareness and intercultural skills. It helps learners acquire knowledge, values and culture that can assist them beyond the classroom (Barany, 2016).

This notion was a major theme which emerged in participants’ interpretations for internationalisation of the curriculum. As Joanna says:

It's about what you do with what you've learned! So, Internationalisation of the Curriculum means – when I leave here can I get a job in Spain if I want? Can I work in Sderot with an employer from Greece? Can I travel to Milan and communicate with that person? And It's not just about language, it's about opening your mind to thinking in different ways. Thinking is not only the way it used to be, it's the way it’s going to be now and in the future. (My emphasis)

Or, as Hannah expressed it: “It’s multiculturalism, how to encourage and respect diversity, and how to FUNCTION in a multicultural world, not just to respect PASSIVELY but how to function. How to navigate in a multicultural world”. Debora, too, claims that an

internationalised curriculum entails that “a student would leave the course and go anywhere in the world abroad and feel like he was prepared for it, with skills he learned half a world away”. Similarly, Josh noted:

[I]t’s part of an internationalised course, how to express yourself, how to go upfront and express your ideas in English including body language, the important aspects of putting a power point on the board – what a foreigner, an American or a European boss or client, might expect from a presentation…Things like communicating with different people, getting to know different cultures.

Participants’ interpretation of curriculum internationalisation in the direction of communication in a cultural-sensitive context was not only focused on the students’

perspective but also on the teaching adaptations and awareness required on the teachers’ part.

As Joanna argued, teachers have to be much more aware and conscious of what they say and how they say it, paying attention not to leave anyone out of the picture, and noted that

“approaching people who are in different spaces, language wise, room wise, culture wise, takes much more energy and concentration and awareness of what goes on in the class”.

Similarly, Hannah noted the complexity of the task:

When I prepare my lesson, when I prepare my syllabus, I would have to keep in