The Importance of Teaching Culture in the Foreign Language Classroom

Since the inception of time, culture has been a very important aspect that has been tried to be preserved by many societies. Culture is the manifestation of human intellect as a whole and is shaped and reflected by many things. But, language shapes and reflects culture to an extent by directly correlating with changes in language influence the culture, but language rarely changes. When it does, it directly affects the culture. Many instances of changes in language that reflect in the culture can be seen as the characters begin breaking their usual cultural values and rules.

The article ‘My Two Lives’ which that highlights the concept of ‘Language and Society’ published by the Newsweek, inspires this task. Language is both a system of communication between individuals and a social phenomenon. The area of language and society, sociolinguistics, is intended to show how such factors as class, gender, race, and more govern our use of language. In short, language constitutes humans and their identities. All people either utilize varieties of a language or use two or more languages to respond to a whole range of affective and interpersonal demands; language by depiction must be defined as multilingualism.

Ken Wiwa presents several ideas pertaining to language and culture within his essay, Get Beyond Babel. Wiwa explains that every language has a chance of dying out over time. For any language to survive through years of societal changes, it must be adapted so it can be used to embrace other cultures, new technology and new perspectives. Wiwa presents the concept that language is the same as culture. I do not agree with this concept because I believe that culture is carried by the people, not by the language.

After reading the book to the children I will engage the students in a classroom discussion that aims to uncover what they might know about their own cultural background. Questions posed could include, “do you know where you were born or where your mum and dad were born”, “do you speak any other languages at home and what is that language, can you say something to us in your home language?”. These questions aim to uncover the diverse cultures within the classroom and by engaging in a group discussion the students learn about each other and learn that they all have different experiences and cultures. According to Fellows and Oakley (2014) reading stories to children provides the ideal context to develop oral language which can be further enhanced with educator led discussion (pg. 90).

Language is related to culture because I believe that a language influences people’s culture and it is also the way that people express themselves in their culture. We use language to demonstrate how we see, participate in, and how we learn from the world.

Culture is transmitted from one generation to another. Language is the main car of culture. Language in different form makes it easy for the present generation to understand the realization of earlier generations.

I learned that many words we use in modern times have been adapted or taken from different cultures (gee and hayes). It was interesting to look at all the words we use, and find out their origin. I consider myself as a culturally aware person, however, working as a teacher’s aide in a very culturally diverse school, I did learn that some of the children from different cultures are seen as lazy or ignorant. In fact, this is because every culture is different and factors such as body language and eye contact mean different things. Non-verbal communication is just as important as written or oral, as it can assist in getting the message across when there is a language barrier. Anstey and Bull refer to ‘semiotic systems’ as the various ways in which meaning is communicated between people. As a teacher, my best approach to teaching will be to be aware of differences in children, and adapt lesson plans accordingly. I was made aware of multiliteracies which includes multimodal ways of learning through incorporating written, oral, visual, audio, gestural, tactile and spatial activities. I have enjoyed learning new ways to communicate, and realise that language empowers us and helps us to identify ourselves in

I love traveling. I love seeing new places and experiencing new ways of life. Unfortunately, my travel list is short, but I like to grow my knowledge of cultures non-the less. I like to join multiple communities in Canberra. Furthermore, I know what it’s like to be a member of a nondominant culture (Rychly and Graves, 2012). I know what it’s like to be an outside and to struggle to communicate in a language other than your own. I remember what it was like to tour east Asia and try basic communication. However, I do admit that I need to learn more about how culture affects my students learning style (Rychly and Graves,

Language is used to communicate and convey meaning from one person to another. It is an arbitrary system of sounds and symbols in which it is contextualised and is used to express cultural identity and social relationships. Language can be seen by the way individuals communicate through gestures and facial and body expressions. Language can be heard through voice and attitude (Gee & Hayes, 2011). Language is diverse in the sense that different languages have different words for the same concept. However language allows communication of values and beliefs. Kilickaya (2009) highlights that, ‘English is the best option for people from different backgrounds’. Within Standard English different registers are used to assist communication,

Cultural acceptance during the earliest years in life influences whether children become open to various racial, cultural backgrounds, religions and abilities. It determines whether children learn to feel proud or ashamed of their heritage. It lays the foundation for children to grow up speaking English as well as the language of their home. Without the proper support and guidance in the most formative educational years, children who are not native to the English language will become lost in their educational journey.

490) Leaning about this specific program answers a side question to our groups topic question, which is: what tools are available to incorporate culturally diverse literacies? This reading and discussion has given me specific examples of what effective things I can do to link diverse literacies to standard english. It has also reaffirmed my position that other languages and cultural literacies need to be treated with equal value and respect to the one in which they are leaning in, because they are not just learning for school, they are learning for life, in which a knowledge of working standard english is important, but so is cultural and personal identity. This article specifically relates to an important concept not only in this course but in the program of building off of what one already knows as opposed to starting with the base assumption that they know nothing or that everything they know is

Language is perhaps the most important key to understanding culture in general and the specific values, beliefs, attitudes, and opinions of a particular individual or group.

Language is the universal connection that brings all humans together. We share this common ground to communicate. The three major points that I would like to focus on are: How does language influence our culture? Does it define us, or does it refine us? And lastly, the impact that language has on our societies.

Language is a system of communication which consists of a set of sounds and written symbols which are used by the people of a particular country or region for talking or writing. It is considered as an art because when used it able to help a person develop or create a certain picture in the mind. Language being an artifact of culture means that it is an interesting thing that is created by the people. It is an aspect of their way of life of the people. It also helps in development of the people as writers and intellects. As a culture it is a people’s way of life and therefore the impact it has to human beings cannot be under looked.

Culture is “the knowledge, values, attitudes, and traditions that guide behavior of a group of people and allow them to solve problems of living in their environment” (Woolfolk 193). It is clear that a students cultural background shapes who they are, therefore this could shape what kind of student they are in the classroom. The visible signs of culture are clothing, language, and traditions. But taking a look deeper into someones culture can reflect who they are and their beliefs. The text suggests that some psychologists believe that cult defines intelligence. I am not sure I totally agree with this. I believe cultural tendencies can definitely impact the way children participate in the classroom. To engage students effectively in the learning process, teachers must know their students and their academic abilities individually, rather than relying on racial or ethnic stereotypes or prior experience with other students of similar backgrounds or culture. “Knowing a student is a member of a particular culture group does not define what that student is like” (Woolfolk 197). People are individuals, and just because they have a certain culture background, does not mean they have the same attributes shared by other members of their culture. I do believe that culture matters. To truly engage students, as teachers we must reach out to them in ways that are culturally responsive and appropriate, and we must examine the cultural assumptions and stereotypes we bring into the