Unit Five-Culture and the Language Teacher

8/17/2019 Unit Five-Culture and the Language Teacher

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Teaching English as a

Second LanguageUnit Five: Culture and the Language Teacher


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Examples Include

Telling time Belief that all people are equal

How we avoid conflict and maintainharmony

Religious beliefs


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Cultural Adjustments

Clip Onehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

36o4fthR4ss

Clip Twohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v

=jI5A5bbTKJ8&feature=fvwrel

Where is she living?

Where is she from?

What kind of persondoes she say it takes

to live/travel abroad?

What are some of thecultural differencesshe has noticed?

How has she dealt

with thesedifferences?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36o4fthR4sshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36o4fthR4sshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36o4fthR4sshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI5A5bbTKJ8&feature=fvwrelhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI5A5bbTKJ8&feature=fvwrelhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI5A5bbTKJ8&feature=fvwrelhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI5A5bbTKJ8&feature=fvwrelhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI5A5bbTKJ8&feature=fvwrelhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36o4fthR4sshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36o4fthR4ss


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Moving to the USAStudent adjustment difficulties


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CultureShock

Negotiationphase

Adjustmentphase

Masteryphase

Honeymoonphase


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Benefits of Adjusting to AnotherCulture

Fuller sense of security Possibility of greater success in the

workplace Possibility of establishing meaningful

relationships with people from the culture The possibility of gaining fluency in the

language A deeper understanding of one’s own

culture A deeper understanding of oneself


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Cultural Concepts ESL

Teachers Should Teach1. Cross-cultural communication includes adapting behaviors

2. Cross-cultural behavior involves problem solving3. To understand a culture, get to know individuals

4. To understand another culture, study your own


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“Cross-cultural

communication includesadapting & understandingbehaviors”


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Cultural ConceptsFor Teachers to Teach

Nonverbal

behaviors

Discoursebehaviors

CommunicativeCompetence


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NonverbalKinestheticBehaviors

•Facial expressions•Gaze & eyemovements•Gestures

•Touch•Posture•Movement

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBnAUYzNgeU

Did anything surprise you

in this clip?What kind of kinesthetic

behaviors did younotice?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBnAUYzNgeUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBnAUYzNgeUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBnAUYzNgeUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBnAUYzNgeUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBnAUYzNgeU


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Shaking HandsAcross Borders

The reasons for shaking handsmay be similar acrossborders, the expression isoften different.

Germans: firm grip, pump thearm and maintain strong eye

contact.

Japanese: weak grip, no armpump, and no eye contact


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Use of Space & Distance

In America Other Cultures

Intimate distance

Personal distance

Social distance

Public distance

Arab: comfortablespacing is equivalentto our intimatedistance

Latin Americans,Greeks, & Turks:stand and sit veryclose


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Space and Distance

Low contact cultures High contact cultures

North Americans

Northern Europeans

Asians

Africans

Latin Americans

Greeks

Turks


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Cultural Influence on EnglishLanguage Learning

English language learning/teachinginvolves:

Cognitive functioning Phonetic development

Cultural influences of both the native and

target cultures


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“The need for cultural literacy in English Language Teaching

arises mainly from the fact that most language learners, not

exposed to cultural elements of the society in question, seem

to encounter significant hardship in communicating meaningto native speakers.”

Erdogan Bada


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Significance of Culture onLanguage Instruction

Expectations for learning are affected byculture

Cultural differences must be addressed inthe classroom

Language production can be affected byculture


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Cultures Differences Influencingthe L2 Classroom

Native languageinfluences

• Grammar

• Syntax

• Languagerules

• Phonetics

GenderedLanguages

• Word orderdifferences

Learning orTeaching Styles

• Differingculturalexpectations

• Differingclassroombehaviorexpectations


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Solution

Cultural education

Diversified instruction responding toneeds of student

Classroom instruction must include

lessons on body language, gestures, eyecontact as well as academic andconversational language


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Socio-cultural Behaviors AcrossCultures

Appropriate ways to interact in social settings How to greet

Make promises Approve Disapprove Complain Show regret Invite Refuse an invitation Offer Giving thanks


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Examples: Speech Acts

Greeting: "Hi, Eric. How are things going?“

Request: "Could you pass me the mashed potatoes, please?“

Complaint: "I’ve already been waiting three weeks for thecomputer, and I was told it would be delivered within a week.“

Invitation: "We’re having some people over Saturday eveningand wanted to know if you’d like to join us.“

Compliment: "Hey, I really like your tie!“

Refusal: "Oh, I’d love to see that movie with you but this Friday just isn’t going to work."


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For example, the following remark as uttered by a nativeEnglish speaker could easily be misinterpreted by a nativeChinese hearer :

Sarah: "I couldn’t agree with you more. "

Cheng: "Hmmm…." (Thinking: "She couldn’t agree with me? I

thought she liked my idea!")


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Giving & Accepting Complements

“Your house is very big!! It must beexpensive!”

Accepting:

Complement: “This food is delicious!”American response: “Thank you! I’m happy you like it!”Japanese response: “That’s really not so.”


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Problem Solving the Cross-CulturalCommunication Breakdown

Develop case scenario’s which outline aproblem

Develop scenarios based upon your

knowledge of the two cultures

Helpful Hints


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Read this scenarioand think abouthow you would

answer thequestions whichfollow the scenario.


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To Understand a Culture…

The individualsHelp Students UnderstandTheir Own Culture

As a whole society Individually

Provide opportunitiesfor students toconsider how peopleinteract in normal

every day situations Requires that teacher

have a minimalknowledge of the

culture as well


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Problems ESL Teachers

HaveRelated to Culture and Language Teaching & Learning


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“I Can’t Seem to Adjust” Problem

Time…time…time. It takes time to adjust.

Identify, accept, and treat the symptoms ofculture shock

Talk with others who have successfully

adjusted Learn as much as possible about the host

culture

Get involved with people in the host culture

Study the language of the host culture

To ease the adjustment problem, tellstudents


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“Learning English will help!”

Don’t give up

Take advantage of the opportunities to

use the language with the local people Enroll in classes

Use the language in every day life

Develop relationships with the localpeople

Develop a plan of study & stick to it!


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Homework

Choose one of the following.

Research the socio-cultural behaviors in a

country where one (or more) of yourstudents may be (or are) from. Write atwo page paper on the culturaldifferences between that country andthe USA.


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References

1. ‘Ask Sister Mary Martha.’ http://asksistermarymartha.blogspot.com/2011/01/culture-shock.html. August 12, 2011.

2. ‘Culture Shock’. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultureshock. June 20, 2011.

3. Gebhard, Jerry G. (2009). Teaching English as a Foreign/Second Language. AnnArbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press.

4. Frey, Laura. (2011). “A Cross Cultural Experience”. ABE Fall Institute 2011.

5. Reid, Joy M. (1987). The Learning Style Preferences of ESL Students. TESOLQUARTERLY, Vol. 21, No. 1, March 1987.

6. Wahlig Hannah. ‘Culture Influences on English Language Learning.’http://www.ehow.com/about_6621903_culture-influence-english-language-learning.html. June 20, 2011.

6. ‘What is a Speech Act?’ Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition.http://www.carla.umn.edu/speechacts/definition.html. June 20, 2011.

Documents

Unit Five-Culture and the Language Teacher