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Cultural Awareness in the
English Classroom
- 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.
- Our culture affects how we
think, interact, communicate and
transmit knowledge.
- 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.
- Customs, values, products, beliefs, and
communication styles of a culture or society
- 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).
- Include culture shock, cultural adaptation and cultural
adjustment.
- 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.
- I:n High context cultures - Emphasize interpersonal
relationships and give more importance to groups
harmony
- 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,
- Teachers must provide opportunities to
explore and recognize cultural differences.
- Role Plays
- These get students involved interactively in a lesson to allow them
to emphasize with members from other cultures
- These get students involved interactively in a lesson to allow them
to emphasize with members from other cultures
- Cultural Observations
- Teachers or students can gather books, newspapers,
music or other elements to evaluate their cultural
practices.
- Teachers or students can gather books, newspapers,
music or other elements to evaluate their cultural
practices.
- 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.
- They allow students reflect on what they
experience and discuss in class