Integrating Culture in the Language Classroom
Trish Pashby, University of Oregon, pashby@uoregon.edu
Leslie Opp-Beckman, University of Oregon, leslieob@uoregon.edu
Topics, Session 08
 Announcements
 Overview
 Activity 1: Brainstorm, Graphic Organizer, Network Tree
 Part I: What is Culture?
 Part II: Culture in the Classroom
 Activity 2:
 Conclusion, Q & A
Announcements
 Introductions
 Continuing the series, starting November 2005
http://thaiuo.uoregon.edu/
 Homework to share?
Activity #1: Brainstorm, Graphic Organizers, Network Tree
Working in groups. Choose a unit or theme from your text and
list as many matching cultural
topics as you can.
Part I. What is culture?
Definition
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; it is transmissible;
it is dynamic; it is selective. (Porter and Samovar, 1994)
Culture “shifts in and outside our reflective awareness.”
(Erikson, 2001)
4 Areas of Culture
1) Aesthetic (film, music, literature, media)
2) Sociological (organization and nature of family, interpersonal relations,
customs)
3) Semantic (whole conceptualization system which conditions perceptions
and thought processes)
4) Pragmatic/Sociolinguistic (background knowledge, social and
paralinguistic skills, and language code necessary for successful
communication)
(Lessard-Clouston, 1997)
Culture and Communication Are…
“…inseparable because culture not only
dictates who talks to whom, about what, and how the communication
proceeds, it also helps to determine how people encode messages, the
meaning they have for messages, and the conditions and circumstances
under which various messages may or may not be sent, noticed, or
interpreted.” (Samovar, Porter, & Jain, 1981)
Intercultural Understanding
“...[I]t 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.
Therefore, the teaching of English as a second or foreign language
should not be limited to teaching English as a linguistic skill, and
thus the scope of language learning should be broadened into one that
incorporates intercultural awareness and understanding as well.”
(Kim, J., 2002)
Examples of the “Teddy Bear Project” at the Islamic School in Bangkok
International Education and Resource Network (iEARN)
http://www.iearn.org/
Started in 1988, iEARN is the world's largest non-profit global network that
enables teachers and young people to use the Internet and other new
technologies to collaborate on projects that both enhance learning and make a
difference in the world.
Featured Projects and Activities:
Teddy Bear Project. A project that aims to foster tolerance and understanding of
cultures. After teachers register, facilitators match partner classes, which then
send each other a Teddy Bear or other soft toy by airmail through the normal
postal system. The bear sends home diary messages by email at least once a
week. The students write the diary messages as if they are the visiting bear
describing its experiences in the new culture. Available for Prep/Kinder to Year 9,
this project provides opportunities for authentic writing by providing the students
with a real audience. Participants can login to the Teddy Bear Project Forum to
register.
Part II. How can we integrate culture into the foreign language classroom?
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
Our goals for must reflect the general, specific, and dynamic
aspects of culture. We must help students:
1) Gain knowledge of the target language culture.
2) Develop skills in communication and behavior in the target language.
3) Become aware of dynamic nature of the target culture as well as their
own.
Challenges for EFL Teachers
Teachers may avoid including culture lessons in their language
classes because their time is limited, they are unsure of what to
teach, and do not have practical activities with which to do it.
(Omaggio in Cullen, 2000)
Obstacles include lack of preparation, lack of cultural insight, lack
of sources of information, which could result in presenting
misconceptions to their students. (Kim, J., 2002)
Ethnographic Approach
Teachers and students need to become ethnographers and explore their
own beliefs about culture, not only of the target language but also
of their native language. This experience can be used as the basis
for cross-cultural application and analysis.
Studies show “students prefer to discuss various cultures in
general, followed by discussions of their native culture, then followed by the
culture of their target language.” (Kim, J., 2002)
Cultural Texture
According to Cullen (2000), in order to create a “cultural
texture” in the classroom, we need to include a variety of information
sources, activity-types, and selling points:
1) information sources: video, CDs, TV, readings, internet, stories, students’
own information, songs, newspapers, realia, fieldwork, interviews, guest
speakers, anecdotes, souvenirs, photographs, surveys, illustrations,
literature, etc.
2) activity-types: quizzes, action logs, reformulation, noticing, prediction,
research, etc.
3) 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.
 Vary activities, don’t use just discussion.
 Choose a suitable level of difficulty.
 Choose high interest topics.
 Use group work.
 Don’t try to cover everything.
(Cullen, 2000)
References
Banks, J. (2001). Multicultural education: Issues and perspectives. (4th ed.). New
York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Cullen, B. & Sato, K. (2000). Practical techniques for teaching culture in the EFL
classroom. The Internet TESL Journal, VI (12). Retrieved July 21, 2005
from http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Cullen-Culture.html
Erikson, F. (2001). Culture in society and in educational practices. In J. Banks
and C. Banks (eds.) Multicultural education: Issues and perspectives (4th
ed. Pp. 31-58). New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Kim, J. (2002). Teaching culture in the English as a foreign language classroom
[electronic version]. The Korea TESOL Journal, 5 (1). 27-39.
Lessard-Clouston, M. (1997). Towards an understanding of culture in L2/FL
education. The Internet TESL Journal, III (5). Retrieved July 21, 2005 from
http://iteslj.org/Articles/Lessard-Clouston-Culture.html
Porter, R. and Samovar, L. (1994). An introduction to intercultural
communication. In L. Samovar & R. Porter (eds.) Intercultural
communication: A reader. (7th ed., pp. 4-26). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth
Publishing Company.