Language and culture cannot be separated. This presentation will discuss how to implement culture a the language classrooms and prepare students with 21st century skills.
Cultural Awareness: A Springboard to Language Proficiency
1. Cultural Awareness: A Springboard for
Motivation and Language Proficiency
Jorge Vasquez
Brigham Young University
vas11004@byui.edu
SWCOLT, February 24th, 2018
Image: Peggy Marco
2. Free Authentic Texts and Cultural Materials
http://materialesautenticos.wikispaces.com
Image: pixabay.com
7. I can:
• Define and evaluate the role
of cultural awareness in the
classroom.
• Evaluate common practices
and perspectives about
culture in language learning.
• Use effective strategies to
implement culture in the
classroom.
Image: pixabay.com
Session
Objectives
8. What do we mean by culture in
the classroom?
Image: Logga Wiggler
9. What does the research show about
culture learning?
• Exposure to culture is important at
beginning and advanced levels (Shedivy,
S. L., 2004).
• Students need opportunities to
encounter other cultures to compare and
contrast their own (Straffon, D. A., 2003).
• Students need meaningful opportunities
to engage with speakers of the target
language in order to develop cultural
competence (Kirk, R. W., 2014).
Image: pixabay.com
10. What does culture look like in a
typical language class?
•Instructors teach culture.
•Focus on facts and
stereotypes.
•Culture a nice idea, but not a
key element of teaching.
Image: pixabay images
12. Cultural Assimilator
Kevin is visiting El Salvador so that he can experience the gastronomic festival
in Juayua. While Kevin is in El Salvador, he is staying with his friend Gerardo
who has family in Juayua. After a long day of eating, buying souvenirs, and
sightseeing, Kevin and Gerardo return home for dinner. Before dinner is ready,
Gerardo’s grandmother tells them to go wash their hands. Kevin, being new to
the home, asks where the bathroom is. Gerardo’s grandmother purses her lips
as if making a kissing face, in response. Kevin looks around, awkwardly.
13. Cultural Assimilator
What should Kevin do?
A) He should wait for her to respond. She must have had a long day talking with her
friends and just needed to give her lips a bit of a stretch before responding to his
question.
B) Kiss Gerardo’s grandmother, she is obviously lonely and when an elderly woman
cooks you a meal you are supposed to kiss them as a sign of appreciation.
C) Look where her lips were pointing, she was obviously pointing but just using her
lips instead of her hand to point where the bathroom was.
D) Apologize, she is obviously showing her disapproval that he doesn’t already know
the layout of the house seeing as that is the first thing one should do when visiting in
El Salvador.
14. What are some better approaches?
•Use authentic materials.
•Assignments comparing and
contrasting cultures.
•Provide exposure to people
from other cultures through
technology.
Image: pixabay.com
16. Comparing and contrasting cultures
• Activate prior knowledge.
• Include appropriate level
reading materials.
Navidad en España vs.
Estados Unidos
Image: pixabay.com
17. Exposure to people
from other cultures
• Listen to phone
conversations to
familiarize students with
other dialects.
• You can implement this
activities as part of other
topics like family,
clothing, shopping, etc.
• Phone Conversations
Image: Pixabay.com
18. Free Authentic Texts and Cultural Materials
• http://www.mecd.gob.es
• http://languagelinks2006.wikispaces.com
• http://materialesautenticos.wikispaces.com
Image: pixabay.com
19. Are there any questions?
Image: Christ Baker
Are there any questions?
22. Cultural Awareness: A Springboard for
Motivation and Language Proficiency
Jorge Vasquez
Brigham Young University
vas11004@byui.edu
SWCOLT, February 24th, 2018
Image: Peggy Marco
23. Credits
• Freeimages.com
• Pixabay.com
• Kirk, R. W. (2014). Spanish proficiency, cultural knowledge, and identity of
Mormon returned missionaries. Spanish in Context, 11(1), 1-26.
• Shedivy, S. L. (2004). Factors that Lead Some Students to Continue the Study of
Foreign Language Past the Usual 2 Years in High School. System: An International
Journal Of Educational Technology And Applied Linguistics, 32(1), 103-119.
• Straffon, D. A. (2003). Assessing the intercultural sensitivity of high school
students attending an international school. International Journal Of Intercultural
Relations, 27(Special Training Issue), 487-501.
• Montgomery, Cherice. (2015). Template for a conference presentation &
authentic materials list. LanguageLinks2006. Retrieved from
http://languagelinks2006.wikispaces.com/
Editor's Notes
Tips:
Images are more effective than text, so use screenshots instead of just hyperlinks.
Images are more effective than text, so use images of books you recommend rather than just the titles.
Images are more effective than text, so use icons of tech tools rather than just their names.
Montgomery, Cherice. (2015). Template for a conference presentation. LanguageLinks2006. Retrieved from http://languagelinks2006.wikispaces.com/
Graduate student at Brigham Young University.
I have taught all levels of Spanish courses in a high school setting.
I currently teach at Copper Hills High School.
Spanish 3H
AP Spanish
I am a Middle or High School Teacher
I teach the beginning levels of the target language
I teach higher levels of the target language including AP and Concurrent Enrollment
How many of you have children who think reading an authentic text is hard?
I would like to learn some tips and tricks on how to implement culture in the class.
This slide should list what participants CAN DO by the end of your presentation.
Discuss with someone next to you. What are your perspectives and practices regarding culture?
Talk about the 3 P’s
Emphasize Perspectives!
Take some time to discuss in detail and give some examples.
Emphasize the early ages.
Discuss the motivation developed after encountering other cultures.
Interaction is a better predictor than location.
Hand out and example or project it.
Hand out and example or project it.
Hand out and example or project it.
Discuss positives:
Discuss negatives:
Do not teach culture, teach students to become good learners of culture.
Show infographic about titanic or panama canal.
Explain to them how I use those materials to review dates and numbers.
Use reading on Christmas.
Get as a class and discuss as a class similarities and differences.
Canciones: http://www.mecd.gob.es/reinounido/publicaciones-materiales/Canciones.html
Show them examples of a phone conversation.
Montgomery, Cherice. (2015). Template for a conference presentation. LanguageLinks2006. Retrieved from http://languagelinks2006.wikispaces.com/
