Pedagogy of folklore in foreign
language teaching
Demonstrated in the case of Vietnamese
folklore
Foreign Language Learning
as Foreign Culture Learning
• much more than grammatical and verbal proficiency
• must understand unspoken communication, such
as gestures, behavior patterns, beliefs, values, etc.
• gain empathy and respect for a new culture
• challenge one’s own perspective while learning new
perspectives
What is folklore?
• “Folklore is the traditional art, literature, knowledge, and practice
that is disseminated largely through oral communication and
behavioral example. Every group with a sense of its own identity
shares, as a central part of that identity, folk traditions–the things that
people traditionally believe (planting practices, family traditions,
and other elements of worldview), do (dance, make music, sew
clothing), know (how to build an irrigation dam, how to nurse an
ailment, how to prepare barbecue), make (architecture, art, craft),
and say (personal experience stories, riddles, song lyrics).”
-The American Folklore Society”
• folksongs, customs, proverbs, dances, etc.
• unofficial, widespread, and without regulations or restrictions
Why folklore?
1. Culture is always changing; folklore is relatively
stable and resilient.
2. Folklore is the foundation of culture.
Understanding folklore can show the why’s,
how’s, and where’s of current cultural changes
3. Folklore transcends recent changes in history,
including political strife and war that may have
divided the nation.
What students can learn from
folklore
•
straightforward lessons such as customs, behavior
patterns, traditions, etc.
More importantly, by comparing folklore, we can learn
nuances between cultures that make give each culture its
distinct identity
Ex: Tấm Cám
1. How relationships start
2. Punishment of antagonists
Ex: Anh-em relationship
•
Gender roles
Heritage Learners
• Heritage Learners are particularly interested in
studying culture in order to investigate and discover
their own identities
• sometimes just participating in a custom is not
enough to understand it; having a teacher can help
students really understand the meaning behind
practices
• “Culture is our social legacy as contrasted with
our organic heredity” (Dimitris Thanasoulas)
Activities
• singing folksongs together
• performing skits of folktales
• eating and learning to cook delicious traditional
foods
• analyzing and using proverbs
• celebrating holidays
• performing dances, wearing traditional garments
• participating in rituals with the community
• discussion about meaning afterwards
Issues/ Points
1. Students may believe folklore is archaic and not
worth learning because times have changed.
•
Folklore is still very much prevalent in modern
society
•
Proverbs play a much more significant role in
Vietnam than in America, they are a indirect
mechanism to communicate which still watching
social etiquette
2. Students may believe tales are all in jest and do
not hold any truth.
Thank you to:
Vietnamese SEASSI teachers
Bac Hoai Tran
Nguyen Thi Thuan