In my view, culture is learning the ways of the people who live in the area where the target language is spoken. There are many different aspects which constitute culture such as, food, music, social customs, education, and religion.
I think it is extremely important to teach C2 because it will give students reason behind the language they are learning, especially when it gives students vocabulary related to food, sports, clothing,and daily life. One of the most effective ways to teach culture is to use authentic materials. For example, if a Spanish teacher is teaching a lesson on Machu Picchu he or she may use photos and give background information from their own travels on the cultural significance of the area.
Although I do believe that incorporating culture is effective, there are some limitations to teaching culture in the classroom setting. For example, the school may have policies restricting the distribution of food, thus limiting the teacher's ability to implement lessons surrounding cultural cuisine.
I think it is also critically important to use tangible materials when teaching culture. While the textbook cultural component can provide adequate background knowledge, it is usually easier for students to connect to the culture if they have some representation of it whether this be YouTube videos, music, Cultural presentation by a guest speaker or food.
I am currently experiencing this limitation of not being able to consume food in the classroom =( Exeter High School apparently has a lot of students with severe nut allergies. This means that we have to clear every piece of food through administration, as well as the caloric intake per serving that the students would be eating -- simply put, its much easier to not serve food.
ReplyDeleteI think that photos are a great way for students to get a visual picture of the area or region that you are discussing or introducing, but continuing your studies of that subject would probably require more materials and products that come from that region may be a good idea.
Jess - I cannot believe that EHS has to approve the caloric intake per serving that students consume! That seems absolutely ridiculous to me. I understand that schools are attempting to promote healthy lifestyles and fight child/adolescent obesity, but it seems to me that high school students should be mature enough to decide what they eat.
ReplyDeleteI think that tangible materials, like food, are very helpful in capturing student attention, but youtube videos, film, music, and other less "hands-on" resources can be equally useful. I agree with you, Kevin, that cultural material must be in some ways multi-dimensional. No matter how good of a job the textbook does with covering a given country, region, or city's culture, students need to be able to see through another set of eyes and truly picture themselves in the target culture.