intercultural learning through blog exchanges in foreign language classes

INTERCULTURAL LEARNING THROUGH BLOG EXCHANGES

IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSES

Nguyen Thi Hong Nhat

Contents

The Role of Culture in Language Learning and Teaching

1

Teachers’ Difficulties in Teaching Culture2

A case study3

The Role of Culture in Language Teaching and Learning

“The need for cultural literacy in ELT

arises mainly from the fact that, most language learners, not exposed to culture elements of the society in question, seem to encounter significant hardship in communicating meaning to native speaker.”

(Bada, 2000)

“The need for cultural literacy in ELT

arises mainly from the fact that, most language learners, not exposed to culture elements of the society in question, seem to encounter significant hardship in communicating meaning to native speaker.”

(Bada, 2000)

The Role of Culture in Language Teaching and Learning

Dictates who talks to whom, what/ how the

communication proceeds

Determine how people encode messages

Culture -Culture -Communication:Communication:

InseparableInseparable

(Samovar, Porter, & Jain, 1981) 

The Role of Culture in Language Teaching and Learning

Effects of the culture class Item No. Item Responses % Chi-Square

1 Did this course contributeto any of your language skills?

Yes 100 0.000

No 0

Item No. Item Responses Frequency % Chi-Square

2 To which skill did thecourse contribute most?

Reading 10 26.3 0.015

Writing 2 5.3

Listening 10 26.3

Speaking 16 42.6

( Bilal Genc & Erdogan Bada, 2005)

Contents

The Role of Culture in Language Learning and Teaching

1

Teachers’ Difficulties in Teaching Culture2

A Case Study3

Teachers’ Difficulties in Teaching Culture

11 Overcrowded Curriculum

22 Fear of Not Knowing Enough

33 Lack of Adequate Training

44How to Measure Cross-Cultural

Awareness

Definition: Blog is “an online journal that an individual can continuously update with his or her own words, ideas, and thoughts.” (Campbell, 2003. p.1)

Blogs have potentials to be a valuable tool because of: easy-to-use accessibility (Campbell, 2003) space for learners’ voice, awareness of audience

(Leverett, 2006; Ward, 2004) high learners’ autonomy (Hanson-Smith & Egbert, 1999) effective teacher–student communication and peer

interaction (Arslan & Sahin-Kizil, 2010; Dippold, 2009)

2. Blogs as a tool for language learning and teaching

3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Design of the study3.1

Data collection and data analysis3.2 Data collection and data analysis3.2

Research questions

Research design

Participants: 40 intermediate-level EFL students in a cultural class and 10 Fulbright American teaching fellows.

American people American history

Public holiday Custom and tradition

Instruments and data analysis

Writing tasks

(12)

Teacher marking

sheets (6)

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Learning diaries (4)

Writing tasks

(12)

Interviews

Reflection essays

1

Writing tasks

(12)Pre-

Questionnaires Post-

questionnairs

2 3

Results: Vietnamese students’ intercultural competence improvement through blog exchanges

Characteristics of blogging

Elements enable students to establish successful intercultural relationships with their partners via blogging

Teaching Culture: Strategies and Techniques

Posters, pictures, maps, signs, and realia

Posters, pictures, maps, signs, and realia

Assigning students foreign names

Assigning students foreign names

Building and maintainingAuthentic social cultural network

Building and maintainingAuthentic social cultural network

CULTURE ISLAND: MAKE STUDENTS BE

WET IN THE WATER OF CULTURE

CULTURE ISLAND: MAKE STUDENTS BE

WET IN THE WATER OF CULTURE

Teachers’ Difficulties in Teaching Culture: Suggested Solutions

Teachers’ role is not to impart factsbut to help students attain the skills that are necessary to make sense out of the facts

Teach culture, grammar, vocabulary in an integrative fashion, not

serial one.

Curriculum

Fear Of Not Knowing

Enough

Lack Of Adequate

TrainingMeasurement

Create a framework with a list of activities such as writing reflection, writing diary, presentation

Ever - learning

Bibliography

Huges, G. M. (1984). An Argument for Cultural Analysis in the Second Language

Finnocchario M. (1964), English as a second language: From theory to practice. New York: Simon and Schuster

Lafayette, R.C. (1978), Teaching Culture: Strategies and Techniques, Virginia: Arlington.

Bada, E. (2000) Culture in ELT, Chukurova University Journal of Social Sciences (6),100-110.

Henrichsen, L. E. 1998. Understanding Culture and Helping Students Understand Culture. (Web document)