English Language Teaching Methodology 2

Chapter 11 – Teaching Culture

Key terms and concepts

GOALS OF TEACHING CULTURE

The primary aim of teaching culture is to edify students. When students start learning
a language, they also get to know the culture of the people speaking that language, one way
or another. The process of learning a second culture is known as acculturation.

Students’ attitudes towards other cultures may vary. A rather negative tendency is
ethnocentrism, that is, the belief that one's ethnic or cultural group is centrally important,
and that all other groups are measured in relation to one's own. The ethnocentric individual
will judge other groups relative to his or her own particular ethnic group or culture, especially
with concern to language, behaviour, customs, and religion. A certain hint of ethnocentrism
is acceptable, but an extreme portion of it would be critical. Ethnocentrism encourages
intolerance and creates stereotypes. The goal of teaching culture is to develop a sense of
acceptance of differences and to avoid stereotyping and value-judgements based on cultural
differences.

The teacher’s task is to make students aware of cultural differences, but not pass
value-judgements on those differences. They are to acquaint, not indoctrinate.

CULTURE THEMES

Some culture themes might be: family, home, eating, social interaction, education,
politics, religion, travel, pets, holidays, crime, humour, death, geography, courtesy phrases,
non-verbal communication.

Courtesy phrases and non-verbal communication. For those students who

anticipate having contact with speakers of the second language in social situations, special
emphasis should be given to courtesy phrases and non-verbal communication. Students
should be familiar with what to say in certain regularly occurring situations. They should be
prepared to respond, for example when being introduced to someone, meeting a friend,
ordering in a restaurant etc. In addition, they should be acquainted with facial expressions,
gestures and tones of voice that are normally used in specific situations and that carry
important social and psychological implications. Non-verbal communication includes:
a) Paralanguage: features of language like intonation, pitch, stress.
Example: The key to the meaning of a phrase like “I bet you
will” might lie in the intonation of the speaker.
b) Kinesics: or body language; individual movements and actions.
Example: The different meaning of shaking one’s head for
approval and disapproval in Macedonia and Bulgaria.
c) Proxemics: reactions to context and environment, including the use of space
(social distances).
Example: The Swedish hold their distant when making
conversation with friends or acquaintances. Physical contact is
regarded as intimacy. Also, proxemics differs in males vs
females. Females are more likely to salute more emotionally.

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English Language Teaching Methodology 2
Chapter 11 – Teaching Culture
Key terms and concepts

MODES OF PRESENTING CULTURE

1. Culture aside. A culture aside is an unplanned, brief culture comment. During the class,
the teacher commonly takes advantage of relevant topics as they arise to give the students
bits of cultural information. The advantage of this approach is that the information is pertinent
to class content. The disadvantage is that overall the culture information presented to the
class is likely to be disorganised and incomplete.

Example: If the word Christmas emerges, the teacher might explain students how the
people who speak the language they are learning celebrate it and how that differs
from their own culture.

2. Slice-of-life technique. Using this technique, the teacher chooses a small segment of life
from the second culture that is presented to the students at the beginning or end of the
class. That point is made with a minimum of comment and as directly as possible.

Example: The teacher might tell their students of Spanish about the Spanish people’s
siesta or corrida.

3. Culture capsule. It is a brief description of one aspect of the second culture followed by a
discussion of the contrasts between the cultures of the first and second languages.

Example: The teacher might present traditional Mexican meals and then there would
be a c/c discussion.

4. Culture cluster. This refers to a related series of culture capsules dealing with a central
theme. The teacher incorporates a small number of separate, ten minute culture capsules
into the class format. Later, one thirty minute segment of the class is spent acting out the
cultural concepts introduced in the capsules and reviewing the content of the previous
culture capsules.

Example: One capsule would deal with life in the city, another with life in the country.

5. Mini-dramas (or mini-skits). This might help students visualise culture content. In this
approach, students incorporate the culture being learned into their actions as they perform in
selected situations.

Example: Students act out bargaining.

6. Social-psychological contrasts. These contrasts between the two cultures should be at

the students’ focus of attention as a means of making them aware of the differences
between their culture and that of the second language. Students begin by reading materials
that contain information about the contrasts. Later, they prepare and participate in
discussions, role plays, case studies, dramatisations, televised skits, etc.

Example: Students read about contrasts between English and Macedonian culture
(for instance, how they celebrate a given holiday).

7. Critical incident. Some problem occurs in the interactional patterns of people from
different cultures. Students consider the situation and the reactions of the people involved
and comment on the cultural values represented by the actions of each. Their objective is to
reach a consensus on a course of action that would have been more appropriate in that
particular situation.

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English Language Teaching Methodology 2
Chapter 11 – Teaching Culture
Key terms and concepts

Example: When a Macedonian makes a little circle with the hand by joining the tip of
the thumb with the tip of the index finger, it means “Great”, but this is not the case in
Southern France, where it means “Not great”, or in Japan, where it means that you
have to bribe someone. It is also extremely offensive in Brazil.

8. Micrologue. This is a technique that makes culture the focus of attention during language
practice. Its advantages are that the teacher does not have to have any special cultural
expertise and it takes a short time to complete. The teacher’s role is to choose a short text,
either a passage from a book, a poem, an article or an essay, read it out loud to the students
and afterwards tell them to give an oral summary, answer some questions and finally write
the material as a dictation.

Example: A good material for this activity would be the poem “The Wild Rover”.

9. Cultoon. Teachers using this idea present students with a cartoon or cartoon strip in
which some cultural misunderstanding occurs. The cause of the problem is visible in the
cartoons, but they are not readily apparent to those who are unfamiliar with the culture.
Students discuss the potential clues and attempt to arrive at the correct interpretation of the
indicated misconceptions. This activity provides oral language practise with a specific
purpose, while teaching students to look for and interpret social signals in the culture.

Example: A person from a western country is speaking with a person from Bengal. In
order to show that he agrees, he raises his thumb as a signal of acceptance. “Deal!”
The next picture shows the person from Bengal very offended.

POSSIBLE PROBLEMS AND DANGERS

Problems:
1. Teachers don’t know what to teach. They are not well acquainted with the culture of
the people who speak the language they teach.
2. Students might be unable to relate.
3. There is not enough class time.

Dangers:
1. Stereotyping.
2. Not using L2 during discussions.
3. Focusing on unusual differences (which, again, creates stereotypes).