In order to learn a language you have to learn about the culture associated with it. The most obvious reason being that you need to know how to act when you arrive to a country that uses the language. The more subtle reason is that culture affects the mechanics of the language. So in order to truly understand the language you need to understand the culture. An example of culture affecting the mechanics is seeing the influence of indigenous languages in the Spanish of Mexico. Knowing about the indigenous culture makes it easier to pronounce the native words and be able to hold a conversation with them.
Now that brings up the question of what is culture? Culture is essentially the way in which humans live their lives. It covers every aspect, including beliefs, habits, social interactions, food, and the way that we think. Because of the range of culture it is very difficult to teach in the classroom. In order to get students to truly understand the C2, we need to teach them a new way of thinking.
Trying to get students outside of their own way of thought is a complicated process. You are essentially challenging every thing that they have learned before taking this class. In consequence some students will resist. I know I did at first, but once I learned to embrace the culture I fell in love, so it just takes work.
Within the classroom the most common ways to teach culture are through lessons about traditions, food, and history. These are all very important,but can get stale. So teachers need to cover a variety of topics in order to keep students interested. Movies and music are some of the best ways to insert culture into the classroom and keep things fresh because students can see what the culture is like, but also relate a little since these are mediums that they love. Creating connections between the C1 and C2 are ideal in having students learn about the second culture.
Beyond these tasks obviously the best way to learn about a culture is to live in it and be forced to adopt it. As teachers our job is to prepare our students as much as possible for this immersion. That is the point of the class. To make students prepared to use the language, which in turn means using the culture as well.
I completely agree, Kevin, that when teaching a foreign language, you are essentially teaching your students to think in a different way than they have for their entire life. When a student first starts learning a language, they still think in their native tongue and then translate it into the target language. However, getting students to think in the target language is a goal that all teachers should have. As you said, there is a very important link between language and culture, so they go hand-in-hand, and you need one to understand the nuances of the other. I have found that most students only take language classes because it is a requirement, and in my experience, few high school students continue to the point where they study abroad and live in the target culture. Do you have any ideas as to how we can get and keep students interested in the language and the culture so that they want to continue with it, and eventually study abroad?
ReplyDeleteJess—Kathy gave me some great ideas that could answer your question. She makes sure to have a personal connection with all of her students so that she can understand what topics/hobbies they enjoy. When it comes time to choose a presentation topic or write a research paper, she suggests fields/ideas that are related to their interests. For example, if she learned that someone was interested in Engineering, she finds a way to introduce this topic in its context in the C2.
DeleteThat's a great idea, Chloë. That not only brings connects a student's personal interests to the C2, but it also helps to foster good student teacher relationships. A student is more likely to be engaged in a class where the teacher seems interested in them and their hobbies. An idea I took from one of the German instructors here is to have students make a name tag on an index card that includes a little drawing of one hobby or interest that they have. This helps me to remember peoples names, but also helps me to become introduced to what kind of people my students are and what their interests are.
DeleteI recently talked to my former middle school teacher in order to complete the culture interview. He tries to engage younger students by giving them more freedom when choosing the topic and format of assignments. At that age (6th-8th grade), he notes that students seem to be more interested in and enthusiastic about cultural assignments than high school students, for example, may be, and so he tries to harness this excitement. He likes to give students creative assignments where they put on a skit, create a museum exhibit, or write a picture book, but asks his classes to connect such work to some aspect of the target culture. He may, for example, give the students a given country or region, like Mexico, and then have them pick something cultural that interests them to share with the class. I like his approach as it makes cultural learning fun, and really integrates it with use of the target language. Students remain interested in the language, and in culture, because they have the freedom to be creative and pick topics of interest.
ReplyDelete