M.

Wood
Philosophy on WL Proficiency and Teaching Culture

At a glance, proficiency to me is the learners capacity to use the language in
meaningful ways and appropriate contexts outside of the classroom setting. A lower level
of proficiency is what we consider survival mode often associated with the most basic
communicative tasks, while a higher level of proficiency would find the learner able to
conduct him/herself quite effectively in both casual conversation and more intellectual
debate with native speakers. The teaching of culture fits into this puzzle as one must be
well aware of the social norms and communicative trends in order to clearly and
effectively reach intended goals while avoiding gross miscommunication and
misunderstanding.
In more specific terms, we tend to reference the 3 Ps (products, practices, and
perspectives) as the most important elements needed to foster appropriate knowledge of
culture, which are then applied in various social situations and at varying degrees of
effectiveness according to ones level of proficiency. A learner who is less proficient would
demonstrate a more surface-level understanding centered around the products and
practices, or highly observable aspects of culture, while a more advanced learner is quite
capable of performing in more complex social situations because (s)he understands what
lies beneath the surface and the impact that such perspectives have on human interaction.
The goal in these weeks of study, however, was to determine what I as the teacher need
to do in order to foster higher levels of proficiency and provide opportunities for my
students to discover and apply necessary knowledge of culture both in the learning
environment and beyond. This includes an increased understanding of those elements
which help or hinder communication, in addition to the use of appropriate learning
activities which continuously challenge the learner to take risks, improve performance,
and increase understanding of the target culture and his/her place within it. While I have
encountered a number of interesting and useful strategies throughout the course of my
studies, I still believe that much work remains to be done in moving the concepts of
proficiency and culture from robust theory to effective practice.