Culture and EFL instructions at High School level in Vietnam

1. Culture and EFL instructions at High School level in Vietnam Presenters: Nguyen Thi Huong Lan, MA TESOL Thái Thị Cẩm Trang, MA TESOL Hanoi National University of Education

2. Outline • Overview of Vietnam ELT regarding the cross-cultural analysis of the nationally developed English textbooks. • Supplementary activities used to improve the students’ cross-cultural awareness.

3. The set of English textbooks currently used for high school level in VN

4. About the set of textbooks • Theme-based approach with six broad themes • 16 topics as titles for sixteen units in the textbook. • 5 sections: reading, speaking, listening, writing, language focus.

5. Reading and listening sections of the textbooks are under investigation

6. Procedures of the textbook analysis • List the titles of 48 units to investigate the main themes presented in the textbooks. • Read passages of Reading and Listening sections and highlight main topics / subtopics of each passage / section as well as their illustration if any. • Categorize the contents of the passages and illustrations according to the checklists developed for the analysis. • Tabulate total number of each category and calculate the percentage found for each category. • Present the results in tables.

7. Checklist 1Cultural treatment in English textbooks • Reference to the source culture • Reference to Asian countries • Reference to English-speaking countries • Cross-national comparison • General texts related to science, biographies of scientists and world figures • Reference-omitted texts Adopted from Cortazzi and Jin 1999

8. Checklist 2Checklist 2Cultural categories in English textbooksAdopted from Chastain

9. Findings from Checklist 1

10. Other comments: • The textbooks show dominance of British and American cultures in its content rather than other English speaking countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, … • Although 6% of the books refer to Asian countries, these texts are just about SEA Games and Asian Games except for one listening text about China.

11. Findings from Checklist 2

12. Comments • Cultural content in both reading and listening sections are limited and basic. • The textbooks do not prove helpful in developing intercultural competence and cultural understanding.

13. Supplementary activities Factors influencing the choice of activities * The situation in which the foreign language is taught * Learners’ age and their command of a foreign language * The teacher: Teacher’s preferences and preparation

14. Supplementary activities • Activities that focus on creating an authentic classroom environment. • Activities that focus on providing cultural information. • Activities that focus on developing students’ cross-cultural awareness

15. Activities that focus on creating an authentic classroom environment. • May be conducted at the beginning of English learning time • Designed to set a memorable learning • Ss may be asked to collect posters, wall charts, bulletin boards, maps and realia related to the cultural topics in the syllabus

16. Activities that focus on providing cultural information & developing SS’ cross-cultural awereness . - cultural aside: an item of cultural information presented by the teacher when it arises in the text. - cultural capsule: a brief description of one aspect of other cultures followed by a discussion of the contrasts between the source and other cultures. - quiz: useful activity.

17. DEMO ACTIVITES

18. Activity 1: Pre – reading English 12-Unit 3 (Ways of Socialising) • Work in 6 groups • Look at the statements • Choose the correct answer A, B or C

19. 1. In ________ you should clasp your hands together and lower your head and your eyes when you greet someone. A. Japan B. Singapore C. Thailand 2. In ________ you should spend at least five minutes saying hello. A. Britain B. Afghanistan C. Russia

20. 3. In ________ you shouldn’t sit down in a café until you’ve shaken hands with everyone you know. A. France B. America C. Australia 4. In ________ mustn’t wink. It is offensive. A. China B. Brazil C. Pakistan 5. In ________ you should not expect people to shake hands. Bowing the head is a mark of respect. A. Thailand B. Japan C. Malaysia

21. Activity 2: Post - reading English 10-Unit 16 (Historical Places) • Work in 2 teams: A & B • Look at the pictures & pieces of information • Say the names of the places

22. The Great Wall 1. It was listed as a World Heritage by UNESCO in 1987. 2. It was built about 2000 years ago mostly under the Ming Dynasty. 3. It was built in order to help defend the country against the outside invaders. 4. It stretches approximately 8,851.8 kilometers, just like an enormous dragon.

23. The Taj Mahal 1. It is regarded as one of Seven Wonders of the world 3. It was built by a Muslim ShahJahan in the memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. 2. Its name means “ Crown Palace. 4. It was built during 21 years (1632-1653) at Agra, India.

24. The Statue of Liberty 1. It was designed by the French sculptor Bartholdi, in collaboration with the French engineer Eiffel. 2. It is a gift of friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States. 3. It is located in New York Harbor. 4. It is a symbol of freedom and of the US.

25. The Colosseum of Rome 1. Its structure contains four storeys above the ground and some rooms below the ground. 3. It is regarded as the greatest amphitheatre of the ancient time. 2. Its image is depicted on the five-euro coin. 4. It was built in Rome, Italy about 1920 years ago.

26. Conclusion - The analysis of the textbooks may not give the whole picture of how teaching culture is treated in all high schools in Asia. The same work should be done in other Asian countries in the future. - The findings may help teachers adjust their culture teaching content and assist textbook compilers in the future.

27. Thank you for listening!