Integrating Culture in the Language Classroom

Trish Pashby

Leslie Opp-Beckman

University of Oregon

Topics, Session 08

• Announcements

• Overview

• Activity 1: Brainstorm

• Part I: What is Culture?

• Part II: Culture in the Class

• Activity 2: Network Tree

• Conclusion, Q & A

Announcements

•Introductions

•Continuing the series, starting November 2005http://thaiuo.uoregon.edu/

•Homework to share?

Activity #1

Brainstorm, Graphic Organizers,

Network Tree

Work in groups. Choose a unit or theme from your text andlist as many matching cultural topics as you can.

What is Culture?

Culture “is the shared beliefs, symbols, and interpretations within a human group...The essence of a culture is not its artifacts, tools, or other tangible cultural elements but how the members of the group interpret, use, and perceive them.” (Banks, 2001)

Characteristics of Culture

It is…

•Learned

•Transmissible

•Dynamic•Selective(Porter and Samovar, 1994)

Characteristics of Culture

Culture “shifts in and outside our reflective awareness.”

(Erikson, 2001)

4 Areas of Culture

1. Aesthetic

2. Sociological

3. Semantic

4. Pragmatic/Sociolinguistic

(Lessard-Clouston, 1997)

Bangkok: Islamic School, iEARN

Bangkok: Islamic School, iEARN

Bangkok: Islamic School, iEARN

International Education and Resource Network (iEARN)

“Teddy Bear” and over 200 Other Cross-Cultural Projects:

http://www.iearn.org/

Culture and Communication

“…are inseparable because culture…helps to determine how people encode messages, the[ir] meaning for messages, and the conditions and circumstances under which messages may or may not be sent, noticed, or interpreted.” (Samovar, Porter, & Jain, 1981)

Intercultural Understanding

“It is insufficient to promote the use of English as a mere linguistic tool. Rather, its function as a means for intercultural understanding and communication should be further expanded…into one that incorporates intercultural awareness & understanding as well.” (Kim, J., 2002)

Benefits to Students

Students “benefit most when our culture lessons and the cultural aspects of our language teaching are well planned and developed.”

(Lessard-Clouston, 1997)

Goals

We must help students:

• Gain knowledge of the target language culture.

• Develop skills in communication and behavior in the target language.

• Become aware of dynamic nature of all cultures.

Teacher Challenges

• Limited preparation time.

• Access to practical activities.(Omaggio in Cullen, 2000)

• Lack of cultural insight.• Lack of sources of

information. (Kim, J., 2002)

Ethnographic Approach

Teachers and students can become ethnographers and explore their own beliefs about the target language and their native language. This experience can be used as the basis for cross-cultural application and analysis.

Cultural Texture

Information Sources

• Video, CDs, TV…

• Readings, internet, stories, songs, newspapers, realia…

• Fieldwork, interviews, photos, anecdotes, guest speakers, souvenirs…

Cultural Texture

Activity Types

• Quizzes

• Action logs

• Reformulation, noticing, prediction…

• Research

Cultural Texture

Selling-points (contrasting views)

• Historical vs. modern, older vs. younger generations

• City vs. country life

• Stated beliefs vs. actual behavior; similarities vs. differences

Activity #2

Cultural Texture (Cullen)

Match Content from Activity 1 to:•Information sources•Activity types•Selling points (contrasting views)

What “Cultural Texture” items did your group choose, and why?

Practical Tips

•Personalize content.

•Vary activities.

•Use suitable level of difficulty.

•Choose high interest topics.

•Use group work.•Don’t try to cover everything. (Cullen, 2000)

Integrating Culture in the Language Classroom

http://thaiuo.uoregon.edu

Trish PashbyLeslie Opp-BeckmanUniversity of Oregon