Why is teaching culture important in the ESL classroom Essay

1 ) Introduction The seminar paper will argue that teaching culture should be a essential part of every English category.

It will stage put the various benefits that this teaching gives. By learning culture, students will gain practical communicative competences and knowledge of how to behave in a certain cultural situation. This sort of learning will likely have an enormous impact on their reason and general interest. It is going to make them increase personally and help them be a little more tolerant and open-minded.

This paper may also point out a few of the many different techniques of teaching traditions and present a few physical exercises that can be effectively used by instructors in order to familiarize students with foreign traditions and customs. Finally, the value of teaching pupils global cultural awareness will probably be explored. The paper can argue that teaching culture in an English category is essential if we want to educate tolerant, knowledgeable and culturally informed students. 2 . Why teach culture There are various explanations of what tradition really is.

The Oxford Advanced Learners Book, for example , says that culture is the customs and values, art, way of life and social organization of your particular country or perhaps group(Oxford College or university Press). The definition itself attempts to encompass the many aspects that build the term culture: persuits, art and social events. In classes where English is trained as a second or language, some of these elements could be utilized regularly in the teaching method. Since text and context are partidario, as Kramsch states, lifestyle could be conveniently used as being a context in numerous learning scenarios (Kramsch 11).

That would mean that the students might benefit more since, for example , expanding vocabulary could be completed whilst browsing an authentic text message which could discuss culture. In that way, learning dialect and learning about a foreign culture could be easily connected. Another one with the benefits of learning culture is a acquisition of functional knowledge, says Kramsch (Kramsch 11). Consequently, students will gain vital knowledge about social conventions as well as the rules of oral and written connection in a selected culture.

This really is essential whenever we believe that one of many aims training English is additionally knowing how to communicate with local and nonnative English-speaking people. Students will gain details about, for example , unique appropriate to shake hands or kiss when 1st meeting somebody, or what are the well mannered manners used at a dinner table. All these elements are crucial if we wish to operate effectively in any given social scenario. As an example of such a circumstance, Elzbieta Jaszczurowska provided a case in which a Norwegian and Japanese entrepreneur met in order to negotiate a deal: A Japan businessman is usually negotiating using a Norwegian partner.

The Japanese says that the offer will be very tough. The Norwegian asks how a company will help you to solve the difficulties. The Japanese is usually puzzled by question. ( Elzbieta Jaszczurowska) We can see the Norwegian was hoping to fix the problem to be able to conclude the offer. The Japanese, on the other hand, told the Norwegian that the deal was off however in a very indirect and polite manner which is typical of Japanese people.

This is a good example of how knowing a culture can make connection easier, and just how we can steer clear of awkward conditions. The particularities of a specific culture, when you are performing business, could be taught inside the class which would be useful especially for registrants of English in a vocational school or faculty dealing with organization. Learning about another culture may also have an tremendous impact on students` personal progress.

This point becomes very important if we assume that every school aims to educate a tolerant, fair and educated student. Tolerance is attained by learning about other cultures, and accepting their different traditions and traditions. By doing so, the scholars not only gain insight into an additional culture, nevertheless also figure out how to be open-minded and receiving.

Students learn to broaden their view which usually helps these to become citizens of the world. Today globalization offers reached the peak. Were connected with the people all over the world like hardly ever before. It is important to educate learners about distinct cultures in order to better appreciate their own. Kramsch says that learning tradition is essential if we like to break stereotypes.

She talks about transforming cultural barriers into cultural connections (Kramsch 223). Encouraging students to think vitally about what are considered other nation’s stereotypes, along with their own, helps you to prevent college students from being prejudicial. Since they are regularly staying bombarded by a large number of information regarding a certain region or nation, it is important that that they learn to always be critical, and able to see beyond the normal discriminatory watch of a particular group of people.

Learners are more enthusiastic and show higher interest in classes where tradition is educated. They locate learning about how other people live, and what customs they may have very entertaining. This is another reason why culture should be a regular part of every English category. Motivated learners learn better and their understanding is more long lasting.

Consequently active students, which can be interested in the subject and share all their thoughts and opinions, get involved more which increases the student-talk time. Each of the examples drafted above plainly illustrate exactly what are the benefits of educating culture, and this this should be considered a vital element of every English language class. College students could also be asked to read modern literature simply by diverse writers in order to check out perspectives under no circumstances seen just before. In English classes today, students are usually asked to read books from British or perhaps American writers like The Superb Gatsby and The Catcher in the Rye.

Beyond doubt are these types of books masterpieces and really worth reading, although why not include works from the other authors as well. By no means, will need to students need to read plenty of00 long and complicated books, but they may easily read a few short stories or poems. That they could examine a few short stories by acclaimed Aussie author Tim Winton or maybe some traditional Japanese haiku. Another great method to establish a contact with an additional culture is always to have the possibility of pen pal friends coming from another country.

Students could experience the diverse culture in the most pristine method. There are a number of web pages exactly where teachers can go to in order to find a college which would be willing to take up a pen mate exchange. Learners could be asked to share their traditions and culture (from how they enjoy certain vacations to the standard food enjoyed in their country) with their pencil pal good friends.

Furthermore, most likely an actual exchange could be performed where college students would be able to go the particular university and fulfill theirncorespondents face-to-face. Fantini wrote a few examples of exercises that aim to teach culture. One of these is the Shut off the stereotype exercise. Learners are given handouts on which transactions like Americans/Canadians/Australians/South Africans never/always/love/hate are created, followed by a blank space where students have to provide an response for each group: Canadians under no circumstances __________________. People in america never __________________.

Australians take pleasure in ___________________. Southern region Africans like ________________. Another example that Fantini provides is the Home lovely home physical exercise. Here college students are demonstrated pictures of numerous houses wherever families coming from all around the world are celebrating a birthday party, beginning of the year or some other holiday.

Students are in that case asked to select their favorite 1, and illustrate what the people in the photo are doing (how they are partying and how it really is different from their own celebrations). Then students are accountable to the class the actual have written, and an analysis is held in which the instructor gives thorough information about the different traditions of each and every country (Fantini 131). These listed exercises are great to show culture, break stereotypes and engage students within a classroom activity. In her classes, in which focus was on the culture of Kenya, Levy used two methods of teaching tradition: using precise and implied components.

Simply by explicit parts, she meant talking and learning about specific themes (music, folk reports, etc) and playing traditional Kenyan game titles. The implied components included typical Kenyan songs applied as a background and culture certain posters and decorations (Levy). These elements had been applied within a kindergarten class, but many is also used in general or secondary classes.

As one example, a class room could be adorned with red flags from every one of the countries where English is definitely the native dialect, or perhaps with flags of countries that will be dealt with during the year. Music of a particular country is also played in the background while learners are fixing various physical exercises. 3. The positive effect and teaching culture Mentioned previously previously, the positive effect has reached its maximum. We are connected with the rest of the world as part of your before, and our persuits and customs are little by little blending together.

Students are struggling with foreign impact on on a daily basis, whether it is through movies, television, literature and especially the net. This is why it is so important to educate them regarding different nationalities in relation to their particular. It is extremely important that students realize, for example , that many holidays have been imported from several cultures and they are, therefore , certainly not rooted in their own. Multiculturalism is good if this means getting open and tolerant to other cultures, but which will not happen within the expense of losing your own. Kumaravadivelu says that young students learning english as a second language should be cause global social consciousness (Kumaravadivelu 7).

Learners should be mindful and respectful towards additional cultures simply by trying to figure out their perspective, but also reflecting on their own, which could certainly be a challenging job. It is difficult to become aware of our own culture because it is usually not conscious to us, argue Stephanie Quappe and Giovanna Cantatore. They declare that we see points in a specific way due to our activities, values and cultural qualifications. That is why it is so important to discover how to step away from our ethnical boundaries and pay attention to to see points in a different way. By doing so we turn into culturally conscious (Cantatore and Quappe).

5. Conclusion This seminar daily news showed for what reason it is so important that culture becomes a vital part of every The english language class. This presented some arguments regarding why it is important to teach that. We observed that instructing culture assists students gain practical understanding when conntacting a local or nonnative speaker of English. In addition, it helps learners to become even more tolerant and accepting. Educating culture has a essential part in breaking stereotypes about a certain region and boosts motivation and interest.

Furthermore, the newspaper demonstrated several methods of instructing culture using authentic texts, video tutorials or music. It also shown why teaching culture is very important for students to get globally culturally conscious. Overall, culture should be a vital part of English language classes because it has tremendous benefits pertaining to the students and helps them be a little more fluent and more knowledgeable, not only about the English language, but also about the world in general. List of sources Fantini, Alvino F. 97.

New Ways in Teaching Lifestyle. TESOL Publications. Jaszczurowska, Elzbieta. Building Intercultural Awareness Breaking Stereotypes On-line.

Offered: http://ejaszczurowska.weebly.com/-building-intercultural-awarenessbreaking-stereotypes.html (23 Feb. 2014) Oxford University Press. 2010. The Oxford Advanced Students Dictionary 8th Edition CD-ROM. Kramsch, Expresse.

1993. Context and Traditions in Dialect Teaching. Oxford University Press. Kumaravadivelu, B. 2007. Cultural Globalization and Language Education. Yale School Press. Garnishment, Alison. Culture in the Classroom On-line.

Available: http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=141 (23 February. 2014) Quappe, Stephanie and Giovanna Cantatore. What is Ethnical Awareness On-line. Available: http://www.culturosity.com/articles/whatisculturalawareness.htm#_ftn1 (23 Feb. 2014) Webster, Joan Parker.

2003. Instructing Through Traditions: Strategies for Examining and Addressing Young Adult Literature. Ardid Publico Press.