2012 TESOL Special Course

January 2 – 20

Teaching Culture

Mike Merritt

The importance of teaching cultureWhy is teaching culture

important?

What can learners gain from culture in the classroom?

The importance of teaching culture “A language is part of a culture

and culture is part of a language; the two are intricately interwoven so that one cannot separate the two without losing the significance of either language or culture.”

(Brown, 1994)

The importance of teaching culture

Understanding the cultural context of day-to-day conversational conventions such as greetings, farewells, forms of address, thanking, making requests, and giving or receiving compliments means more than just being able to produce grammatical sentences. It means knowing what is appropriate to say to whom, and in what situations, and it means understanding the beliefs and values represented by the various forms and usages of the language.” (Peterson & Coltrane 2003)

CultureMore than just grammar.

Knowing the right thing to say:◦When◦To whom.

Understanding beliefs and values.◦Within linguistic components.◦Of the interlocutors

Example“Hey, what’s up?”

vs. “Good morning. How are you today?”Both are grammatically acceptable.

Both have identical meaning.

What are the differences between them? - In terms of who they may be directed at.

- In terms of linguistic value.

CultureSo…

◦We’ve established WHY culture is important to language.

◦BUT…

What is culture?

It has different meanings to different people.What is

culture?!

What is culture?

It has different meanings to different people.

To some: it means to an appreciation of good literature, music, art, and food.

“Oh, he’s very cultured.”

What is culture?It has different meanings to different

people.

To a biologist: it means a colony of bacteria or other microorganisms growing in a laboratory.“Please don’t drop that

culture.”

What is culture?It has different meanings to different

people.For anthropologists: culture is the

full range of learned human behavioral patterns.What an interesting

culture you have.

What is culture?

For our purpose:

Culture vs. culture (Brooks, 1975)

◦“big- C culture”

◦“little-c culture”

What is culture?

big-C Culture

The “best” in human life : MLA◦great Music, Literature, and Art of a

country.

What is culturebig-C Culture

This is readily found in the classroom and is often found ACROSS various cultures:

i.e., Mozart’s Requiem Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Davinchi’s Mona Lisa

What is culture?

little-c culture

Everything in human life: BBV◦Beliefs, Behaviors, and Values.

What is culture?

little-c culture

Everything in human life: BBV◦Beliefs, Behaviors, and Values.

◦It is the little-c culture that needs our attention in the foreign language (FL) classroom.

Which brings us back to

Hey, what’s up?” vs.

“Good morning. How are you today?”