Teaching Culture 20

01/09/2020
Teaching Culture
Evi Saluveer
2020
SHHI.02.007 British Studies in Basic School
Questions for discussion

 How would you describe culture? Name some things
culture consists of.
 What do you think people typically consider as
culture?
 How do different beliefs and values influence
people’s behaviour? Are they related to culture?
 Are there cultural differences across geographical
regions, nations, countries? If yes, why?
 What conflicts can possibly occur when you don’t
know another culture?
 Can you think of ways of how one would discover

and gain knowledge of other cultures?
 What would you like to know about a different culture
before you travel to a different culture?
 How is language related to culture? Why would one
need to learn about the culture of the native speakers
of a language studied?
 What do we mean when we say, “When in Rome, do
as the Romans do“? Do you think it’s always good
advice?
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D: Daddy , why do the French wave

their arms about?
F: What do you mean?
D: I mean when they speak. Why do
they flail their arms about everything?
After talking for a while with her father
who never actually offers her any type
of explanation for this French
peculiarity, the daughter finally asks:
Daddy, when they teach us French at
school why don’t they teach us how to
use our hands too?
F: I don’t know. Really I don’t. It’s probably

one of the reasons why people find it so
difficult to learn languages. Anyhow, it’s
absurd. I mean the idea that language
consists of words is completely ridiculous
[….] because there is no such thing as just
words ….
Bateson (1972)
When you want to know the meaning of a word,

don’t look inside yourself – look at the uses of
the word in our way of life: look at how we
behave.
We learn to use words because we belong to a
culture, a form of life, a practical way of doing
things. In the end we speak as we do because
of what we do.
Eagleton (1993)
Task: Encounter
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What is culture?
Culture is behaviour peculiar to Homo

sapiens, together with material objects used
as an integral part of this behaviour;
specifically culture consists of language,
ideas, beliefs, customs, codes, institutions,
tools, techniques, works of art, rituals,
ceremonies, and so on.
(The New Encyclopædia Britannica 1991)
What is culture?
 Culture is “a way of life”. It includes “the

ideas, customs, skills, arts and tools that
characterize a given group of people in a
given period of time” (Brown, 2000).
 Culture is “the man’s medium: there is no
aspect of human life that is not touched and
altered by culture” (Hall, 1976).
 Culture is “the software of the mind”
(Hofstede, 2004).
Products
literature
folklore
art
music
artefacts
Behaviours
Ideas customs
beliefs habits
values dress
institutions foods
leisure
Tomalin and Stempleski (1993)
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01/09/2020
Trompenaars (1997)
Culture with a capital C and

small c
 large/ big/ capital ‘C’ culture or formal,
achievement, high culture
– products of a society and its outstanding
individuals: history, geography,institutions,
literature, art and music, scientific,
economic, sports and other achievements
 small ‘c’ or behaviour culture
– the way people live
Cultural knowledge
Cultural knowledge is
structured and
systematically
presented information
about the target culture
which provide
necessary framework
for understanding it
https://all-free-download.com/free-vector/download/vector-great-
(Byram 1997). britain-design-elements-set_585665.html
Task: Quiz
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Cultural awareness
https://about.uniteforliteracy.com/2019/01/cultural-clash-or-embrace /
Someone's cultural awareness is their understanding

of the differences between themselves and people
from other countries or other backgrounds, especially
differences in attitudes and values (Collins Cobuild)
Language learning and culture

Culture in language learning is not an
expendable fifth skill tacked on so to speak, to
the teaching of speaking, listening, reading, and
writing. It is always in the background, right
from day one, ready to unsettle the good
language learners when they expect it least,
making evident the limitations of their hard-won
communicative competence, challenging their
ability to make sense of the world around them.
Kramsch (1993)
… to teach culture or not to teach is

not a matter of choice but rather one
of degree, and the challenge lies in
teaching language in a more culture-
centred environment, in teaching
more the target culture, and in
teaching more systematically and
more thoroughly.
Allen (1985)
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Põhikooli riiklik õppekava

Ainevaldkond „Võõrkeeled”
Valdkonna pädevus on suutlikkus mõista ja tõlgendada
võõrkeeles esitatut, suhelda eesmärgipäraselt nii kõnes
kui ka kirjas, järgides vastavaid kultuuritavasid; mõista
ja väärtustada erinevaid kultuure, oma ning teiste
kultuuride sarnasusi ja erinevusi.
Suhtluspädevuse kõrval arendatakse õppijas oskust
võrrelda oma ja võõra kultuuri sarnasusi ning
erinevusi, mõista ja väärtustada teiste kultuuride ja
keelte eripära, olla salliv ning vältida eelarvamuslikku
suhtumist võõrapärasesse. Teiste kultuuride tundmine
aitab teadlikumalt tajuda oma keele ja kultuuri
spetsiifikat.
Õppesisu
 II kooliaste
– Riigid ja nende kultuur. Õpitavat keelt kõnelevate
riikide sümboolika, tähtpäevad ja kombed, mõned
tuntumad sündmused, saavutused ning nendega
seotud nimed ajaloo- ja kultuurivaldkonnast;
eakohased aktuaalsed ühiskondlikud teemad,
Eesti naaberriigid.
 III kooliaste
– Õpitava keele kultuuriruumi kuuluvad riigid ja
nende lühiiseloomustus, tuntumate riikide
nimetused, rahvad, keeled.
Some principles I
 Cultures are not monolithic.
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01/09/2020
Some facts and figures

According to the last census in 2011
 13 % of people in the country, i.e. 7.5 million,
were born outside Britain.
 71 % of the overall population growth in the
last decade is accounted for by the non-UK
resident population.
 22% of Londoners, i.e. 1.7 million don’t speak
English as their main language.
ITV
Some principles II
 Factsalone are not enough.
 We have to try to objectify.
 We need to get away from stock
images and stereotypes.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/lovelysunflower2008/5640013313
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01/09/2020
Some principles III
 The relationship between culture and

language is important.
Evaluating adjectives
People are queueing at the bus stop.
Is it a (a) proof of discipline (b) military
Some principles III
 Itis important to compare and

contrast
 Individual insights and experience
are important.
 An element of discovery learning is
essential.
 We need to keep in mind broader
educational principles.
 (After Simon Gill)
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01/09/2020
Hometask:
 Think what problems teachers might

have in teaching culture.
 Find some definitions of culture.
 Do exercise „Who am I“ from AIE (p.5).
Useful websites
All about British Life and Culture
http://www.projectbritain.com/
British Culture and Social Norms
https://www.studying-in-uk.org/british-culture-and-
social-norms/
UK culture
http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/uk-culture
UK student life
http://www.ukstudentlife.com/Britain.htm
References
 Allen, W.W. (1985). Toward Cultural Proficiency.
 Bateson, G. (1972). Steps To An Ecology of Mind.
 Brown, H. D. (2000). Principles of Language Learning and Teaching.
 Byram, M. 1997. Teaching and Assessing Intercultural Communicative
Competence.
 Eagleton, T. (1993) Wittgenstein (screenplay).
 Gill, S. (n.d.). Culture in the classroom: ten modest proposals. Network 2 (2).
 Hall, E.T. (1976) Beyond culture.
 Hofstede, G. (2004). Cultures and organisations.
 Johnson, G. & Rinvolucri, M. (2010). Culture in Our classrooms.
 Kramsch, C.(1993). Content and Culture in Languges Teaching.
 Põhikooli riiklik õppekava. (2011).
https://www.riigiteataja.ee/akt/114012011001
 The New Encyclopædia Britannica. (1991). Volume 16. Macropædia.
 Tomalin, B. & Stempleski, S. (1993). Cultural Awareness.
 Tropenaars, F. (1997). Riding the Waves of Culture.

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01/09/2020

Questions for discussion

 Can you think of ways of how one would discover

D: Daddy , why do the French wave

F: I don’t know. Really I don’t. It’s probably

When you want to know the meaning of a word,

Culture is behaviour peculiar to Homo

 Culture is “a way of life”. It includes “the

Tomalin and Stempleski (1993)

Culture with a capital C and

Someone's cultural awareness is their understanding

Language learning and culture

… to teach culture or not to teach is

Põhikooli riiklik õppekava

 Cultures are not monolithic.

Some facts and figures

Some principles III

 The relationship between culture and

Some principles III

 Itis important to compare and

 Think what problems teachers might

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