Cultural Awareness in the English Classroom

Cultural Awareness in the English Classroom

1. The self as cultural

   • Our culture affects how we think, interact, communicate and transmit knowledge.
   • Teachers need to define what culture is before they can engage their students in an interactive culture discussion.
   • Only then, they can guide students to think about what people do, think and make in their own culture.
   • And through these discussions, students make connections across cultures while studying English, in a sphere of interculturality.

2. Elements of Culture

   • Customs, values, products, beliefs, and communication styles of a culture or society
   • Standards for Foreign Language speaking provide the tangible (Products) and intangible (Perspectives - Practices) aspects of a society.
   • Perspectives - Thoughts, feelings and values Practices - Ways of communication and interaction Products - creations as music, technology, food, lliterature, etc
   • Cultural iceberg analogy illustrates differences between the visible aspects of a new culture and the embedded aspects of the same.
   • Students can point out the surface and subsurface culture elements of the culture and make differences in a fun way using this analogy.

3. Intercultural Phenomena

   • Include culture shock, cultural adaptation and cultural adjustment.
   • Teachers should prepare students for possible situation when traveling or moving to an English speaking country.
   • Acculturation : Excitement (overlooking negative aspects) - Culture shock (start comparing due to difficulties, frustration or hostility)- Recovery (start building relationships, and feeling comfortable) - Adaption (adapt and accept).

4. Particular cultures

   • I:n High context cultures - Emphasize interpersonal relationships and give more importance to groups harmony
   • In Low context cultures - due to Individualism, people value people being direct and concise.

5. Acquiring strategies for culture learning

   • Teachers must provide opportunities to explore and recognize cultural differences.
   • Raise awareness in students of the target language and their own language.
   • Curiosity and openness to other cultures, understanding social practices,

6. Role Plays

   • These get students involved interactively in a lesson to allow them to emphasize with members from other cultures

7. Cultural Observations

   • Teachers or students can gather books, newspapers, music or other elements to evaluate their cultural practices.

8. Culture Journals

   • They allow students reflect on what they experience and discuss in class
   • Through them, students can privately communicate with their teachers or share some experiences with their classmates if they wish.
   • These allow students to record their thoughts emotions and reactions to the classroom activities, with the aim of becoming interculturally competent.