Teaching Culture in the English Lessons

1. Teaching Culture in the English Lessons Dr. Huszti Ilona II. Rákóczi Ferenc Kárpátaljai Magyar Főiskola Department of Philology (English Language and Literature)

2. What is culture? • Pyramid discussion: work individually, then in pairs, later in small groups, finally the whole class together. Come up with definitions of what culture means in the context of foreign language teaching. Compare and contrast your answers.

3. Question: Do you think teaching culture has its place and role in the English lesson? Give reasons.

4. Traditional view of culture • formal / “high” / big “c” Culture (literature, art, music and philosophy) • popular / “low” / small “c” culture • From this perspective, one main reason for studying a language is to be able to understand and appreciate the high culture of the people who speak that language. The pop culture is regarded as inferior and not worthy of study. • In this view, there is a hierarchy: 1. language learning, 2. culture leaning.

5. Contemporary view of culture • Culture is defined in terms of the knowledge, values, beliefs, and behaviours that a group of people share. • In this understanding of "deep culture," language and culture are integral to one another. Language is the means through which culture is transmitted. The communicative competence model is based on this understanding of the relationship between language and culture. Linguistic, discourse, sociolinguistic, and strategic competence each incorporate facets of culture, and the development of these competences is intertwined with the development of cultural awareness.

6. Question: What problems do you think are involved in teaching culture? ◊ Pyramid discussion: discuss how these problems can be solved.

7. The First problem teachers are facing is: Overcrowded Curriculum • The study of culture involves time that many teachers feel they cannot spare in an already overcrowded curriculum; they content themselves with the thought that students will be exposed to cultural material later, after they have mastered the basic grammar and vocabulary of the language. • Solution: Teachers should be made aware of the fact that this "later" never seems to come for most students. Therefore, instead of teaching language and culture in a serial fashion, they should teach them in an integrative fashion.

8. The Second problem: Fear of Not Knowing Enough Teachers are afraid to teach culture because they fear that they don’t know enough about it, thinking that their role is only to impart facts. Solution: Even if teachers’ own knowledge is quite limited, their proper role is not to impart facts, but to help students attain the skills that are necessary to make sense out of the facts they themselves discover in their study of the target culture. Then, the objectives that are to be achieved in cross-cultural understanding involve Processes rather than Facts. A "facts only" approach to culture for which the only goal is to amass bits of information is ineffective.

9. The Third problem: Dealing with Students’ Negative Attitudes When cultural phenomena differ from what they expect, students often react negatively, characterizing the target culture as "strange". Solution: Just as teachers need to help students revise their "linguistic patterns," they also need to help them revise their "cultural patterns."

10. The Fourth problem: Lack of Adequate Training Teachers may not have been adequately trained in the teaching of culture and, therefore, do not have strategies and clear goals that help them to create a viable framework for organizing instruction around cultural themes. Solution: Teachers should formulate goals for themselves and their pupils, and reexamine themes and strategies.

11. Techniques for teaching culture • Information sources: videos, CDs, TV, readings, Internet, stories, songs, newspapers, students’ own information, realia, interviews, guest speakers, photographs, illustrations, literature • Can you think of other sources?

12. 1) Quizzes Situation: You’re in Cambridge for a summer course, and you’re staying with a British family. Do you know enough about British culture to cope?

13. You’ve just arrived. What do you say and do?a) Say Hello to every one in the family.b) Say Hello and shake hands with everyone.c) Say Hello and shake hands with the mother and father of the family. • Your landlady asks you if you’re hungry and if you like Welsh Rabbit. What is it? a) The animal in the picture, cooked in tomato sauce. b) Grilled cheese on toast. c) A type of cake. 3. The next morning you come down and see your landlady in the kitchen. What do you say? a) Good morning. b) Good morning Mrs. ... c) Good morning madam. 4. You have to catch a bus to the language school. You arrive at the bus stop and wait next to the stop. Suddenly you see that all the other people there are looking at you angrily. Why? • You’re listening to your walkman and walkmans are not allowed in the street in Britain. • British people queue at the bus stop. The first person to arrive stands next to the stop, the second person stands behind the first person, the third behind the second and so on. And they get on the bus in that order. You went straight to the front of the queue. In Britain this is called “pushing in” and is very impolite. c) Your mobile phone is ringing. British people always turn their mobile phones off when they’re in public.

14. 5. Your lessons are from 9.30-1.00 and the school organises sports from 2.30-5.00 every afternoon. You need to get to the shops. When is the best time to go? a) Before lessons – British shops are open from 8-12.30 and 1.30-5.30. b) In the evening – shops in Britain stay open till 8pm. c) At lunchtime. Shops in Britain are usually open from about 9.30-5.30 6. You notice that a lot of people seem to call you “love”. Your landlady said it, a shop assistant said it, and a person you asked for directions in the street said it. Why? a) It’s quite usual in Britain to call people who you don’t know “love”. b) They like you a lot. c) You didn’t understand correctly. They really said something different. 7. After school, some other students invite you to go for a walk. But you don’t want to be late for dinner with your host family. Do you have enough time? a) Yes, for an hour or so. Dinner will probably be at about 7. b) No problem. British people rarely eat before 8.30. c) No. Dinner will probably be at about 6pm. You have to go straight home. 8. It’s Sunday lunchtime – the most important meal of the week. You're having roast lamb, potatoes and carrots, a mixed salad and strawberries. On the table there’s a little pot of mint sauce – vinegar containing chopped mint leaves. What do you do with it? a) Put a small spoonful on the roast lamb. b) Put it on the mixed salad. c) Put it on the strawberries.

15. Quiz Answers: 1 c (or possibly a); 2 b; 3b; 4 b; 5 c (b on some days in large towns); 6 a, 7 c (possibly a); 8 a ◊ Pyramid discussion: Discuss the uses and limitations of a quiz.

16. The aim of the quiz is firstly to make the students aware that there will be cultural differences, secondly to forewarn them about some of the major areas where there is the danger of causing offence, and thirdly to lead into a discussion of how they can avoid misunderstandings and what to do if they arise.

17. 2) Cultural islands • Posters, pictures, maps, signs, and realia • Assigning students foreign names • Short presentations on a topic of interest • “Cultural scavenger hunt”:Many of the things we buy are made in other countries. Read the labels on your clothes, shoes, household appliances, and other objects in the house. List where they come from. Scavenger = 1. dögevő állat 2. guberáló, kukázó

18. 3) Culture capsules • A culture capsule is a brief description of some aspect of the target language culture (e.g., what is customarily eaten for meals and when those meals are eaten, marriage customs, etc.) followed by, or incorporated with contrasting information from the students' native language culture. The contrasting information can be provided by the teacher, but it is usually more effective to have the students themselves point out the contrasts. • Culture capsules are usually done orally with the teacher giving a brief lecture on the chosen cultural point and then leading a discussion about the differences between cultures.

19. 4) Celebrating festivals First teaching about target culture holidays/festivals/celebrations (FACTS), then celebrate them in reality (PROCESSES), e.g. Easter egg hunt in the school

20. 5) Getting to know your classmates Directions: Make a list of questions to ask students you don’t know very well. Interview them using your questions. As a conclusion to this activity each of you will introduce the person you interview to the class. SAMPLE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS: What do you like to do in your spare time? If you could make three wishes what would they be?

21. 6) Reformulation 'Explain what you have just learned to your partner in your own words.' It is a very simple technique, but has proved very successful for learning both culture and language. We often give readings for homework and require students to take notes on the content. These notes can be in the form of pictures, keywords, or mind-maps.

22. 7) Noticing • As students watch a video or are engaged with some other materials, you can ask them to 'notice' particular features. • Asking students to 'notice' gives a focus to the materials by making it into a task, rather than simply passive viewing or listening.

23. Some practical tips for teachers when teaching the target culture • personalization • suitable level of difficulty • make it interesting • group work • do not try to cover everything • know (learn) your students’ culture and understand your own cultural baggage