#6 Importance of Culture

In your view, what is culture? Is it important to teach L2 culture? Why? Is it possible to teach L2 culture in the classroom setting? What are the limitations? How should culture be learned or taught? Use examples to support your points of view. 

Culture can be defined as the explicit and implicit characteristics of a group of people.  Intrinsic characteristics: Beliefs, attitudes, motivations—these are difficult to understand as an "outsider," they are beneath the surface; Extrinsic characteristics: Music, religion, cuisine, traditions, language, folklore, history—these can be observed easily, and are usually responsible for stereotypes.  A "group of people" can be a family, a nation, a religious group, people who share the same occupation, those who share a continent, etc.  

As discussed in the chapter "Teaching language in context," culture provides framework for language learning.  It is difficult for language learning to have meaning and importance to speakers who are removed from the culture because they have difficulty imagining how the learning the language will be useful or relatable to them.  Teaching culture provides a setting—a real, imaginable context—in which learners can incorporate themselves as they acquire the skills to communicate, explore and develop in a new language.  

It is possible to teach culture in a classroom setting, though of course there is no substitute for full immersion in a target language community.  Providing "authentic materials" is a start; real menus, books, blog posts, events schedules, movies, youtube videos, music—these provide a cultural context for language learning.  Next, a teacher can ask students to perform "real world tasks;" ordering food, asking for directions, listening to train/plane boarding information, etc.  These help create skills that go beyond "rote knowledge," they are useful, tangible.

These tasks have their limitations, of course, but "something is better than nothing." Teachers tend to provide input that is equivalent to learner's levels. In "the real world" input won't be modified for learners.  This phenomenon can be simulated, though it is important to keep input reasonable and attainable to students so that they will not be discouraged by something they feel is beyond their level.