Teaching cultural awareness in the English class

I. Teoretical part

1. Introduction

In the school systems, the need of culture is very important and the educational policy of the
European Union gives a particular importance to the necessity for teaching culture. Everyone
should be aware of their cultural matter and it is very important that everyone should be tolerant
and open towards other cultures. This important fact is imposed in modern education as a
necessity to answer to the education demands of the contemporary society, developing students
interests towards cultural issues through the development of cultural and intercultural empathy
attitudes, which leads to understanding of the refusal of discrimination. Different topics and
perspectives have to be taken into consideration because these decisions of choosing are those
that are taught on English language courses. The question is related to what to teach and how to
avoid stereotyping, taking into consideration that English has to be used as an international
language. It is hard to believe or some people do not want to admit it, but the culture they belong
can affect the way of thinking, the way of communication, interaction between them or how they
transmit the knowledge from one generation to another. English teachers play an important role
because they can help students to make active their cultural antennas by making them aware
of how are the elements of their own culture are important and how they can help them to
understand how their culture formed them. (Byram 1997; NSFLEP 1999, 9)

1.1. Defining culture

Different definitions:

1. Culture refers to the cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values,

attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial relations,
concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of
people in the course of generations through individual and group striving.1
2. Culture is the systems of knowledge shared by a relatively large group of people.2

1
https://www.tamu.edu/faculty/choudhury/culture.html accessed on 28.12.2016
2
https://www.tamu.edu/faculty/choudhury/culture.html accessed on 28.12.2016
 3. Culture is the sum of total of the learned behavior of a group of people that are
generally considered to be the tradition of that people and are transmitted from
generation to generation.3

Another definition for culture can be related with the way of life, which values a people
have, their beliefs, behaviours, knowledge, motives and attitudes. It its fundamental core of
culture is formed by ideas and values and these are transmitted from generation to genration. The
culture is the one that defines us as a people, we are what we show to others, our ideas,
traditions, assumptions, beliefs and other distinctive things. All of these came form grandparents,
parents, relatives, teachers or different books, diaries, television programs and newspapers.
Words as culture or cultures in relation with language teaching have found in European
texts, different educational projects and in the Common European Framework of Reference for
Language. European citizens should be aware of their national identity because it is very
important. The European Parliament proclaims the intercultural dimension of education
(Decision No 253/2000/EC of 25 January 2000).

1.2. Cultural awareness and language awareness

Cultural awareness and language awareness can be successfully achieved more easily if
students have the chance of interacting with students from other countries. It is self evident that
this is not always possible by face-to-face conversation, but with all the technology, it is simpler
to interact, to ensure contact with others.

The concept of language awareness was first used in the British schools system and it was
defined by Eric Hawkins, its initiator who called this a bridging subject put in place in schools
in United Kingdom, and the main purpose was to provide a start for foreign language learning,
the aim was to ensure a relevant framework for the diverse language experiences that school
children had dealt with in schools. According to Hawkins (1984: 4) the chief aim of language
awareness in the curriculum of schools is to challenge pupils to ask questions about language,
which so many take for granted.4

3
https://www.tamu.edu/faculty/choudhury/culture.html accessed on 28.12.2016
4
Anne-Brit Fenner, M. Katni-Bakari, Mria Kostelnkov, Hermine Penz (2001): Cultural awareness and
language awareness based on dialogic interaction with texts in foreign language learning, European Centre for
Modern Languages - Council of Europe Publishing, p. 104.
 A language lerner must be aware of how identity is in different cultures and everyone of us
may enact various cultural identities over the course of a lifetime as well as over the course of
a day (Collier, 1994: 40).5

An awakening to languages is said to exist when part of the activities concerns languages
that the school does not intend to teach (which may or may not be the mother tongues of certain
pupils). This does not mean that only that part of the work that focuses on these languages
deserves to be called an awakening to languages. This sort of differentiation would not make
sense as normally it has to be a global enterprise, usually comparative in nature, that concerns
both those languages, the language or languages of the school and any foreign (or other)
language learnt6

When a language learner is implicated in a conversation, awareness has to be revealed in two

ways. The first way is about pluricultural identity of the interlocutor, the language lerner has to
be aware of it and the second way is about cultural conversations, the languages learners use
different languages.

The awareness of language cannot be separated from the awareness of culture, which is
related to it. Every language learner have to be aware of their culture, in connection to the three
notions: intercultural, pluricultural and multicultural.

The term culture is controversial, because culture can be defined from different angles,
depending on oral aspects, written aspects and even everyday life events. Cultural awareness is
about becoming more aware of cultural values, perceptions, beliefs and ideas. Normally, people
interpret and see things in diverse ways, and certain steps of cultural awareness that shows how
some people grow to understand cultural differences. People have to realise that not everyone is
the same, differences and similarities are important, there are many ways to live life and to get
the same aim, and for every situation the solution is different, any problem can be fixed by
searching for the solution. Rising cultural awareness means to see and to make it clear in your
mind, that cultural differences have positive and negative aspects. It is not right or wrong to act
in the same way but that depends on everyone. To reach cultural awareness it is important to be
aware of cultural diversity. It is better to learn something from a person who is from another
country. Diversity creates new abilities and valuable behaviours.

5
Merc Bernaus (project coordinator), Ana Isabel Andrade, Martine Kervran, Anna Murkowska, and Fernando
Trujillo Sez (2007): Plurilingual and pluricultural awareness in language teacher education, European Centre for
Modern Languages - Council of Europe Publishing, p. 14.
6
Ibidem p. 14
 1.3. Teaching cultural content at school

Contemporary learners are motivated to learn English, more and more people question
the purpose of teaching culture on English language courses in Europe. It is not settled how
much time must be assigned for teaching culture, and more than that, whose culture should
be taught and more precisely, what perspectives and subjects can be selected and what can be
avoided. A solution has been found and Komorowska (2006:63) brings reasons why cultural
issues are important to be taught in schools. She stresses that every school has to promote the
evolution of understanding and tolerance between children and teenagers, and that is because
learners are permanently faced with international contradictions. In the same work, it is
mentioned five elements to cultivate intercultural competence: knowledge, skills, attitudes,
learning to learn abilities and critical awareness.7

II. Practical part

If you have the occasion to be asked by someone Do you speak English?, Parlez-vous
franais? or Sprechen Sie Deutsch?, would you like to give the answer in that language?
Would you like to speak in English, French or German? Then, learning a new language makes
you a better person, gives you the possibility to communicate more easily, to understand what
you are asked and to answer to those questions. Language can bring people together, learning
new languages has an impact on our minds and makes our lives more interesting. It is right that
teachers have an important role in this, in schools, teaching new languages is more and more
welcomed by students and parents too. There are many activities that can help students in
learning new languages. But when we learn a language, we have to know some things about that
country, about their tradition, the most important things that defines that country. The closeness
to the language or to that country will brings us only benefits.

1.1. The formation of cultural awareness through8:

a) strategies for identifying the cultural information, the differences, for sharing, comparing
the information and the experiences of Romanian and foreign culture (learning through
discovery, reflection, anticipation, speculation, etc.);

7
Otwinowska-Kasztelanic, A. (2011) Do we need to teach culture and how much culture do we need? In: J. Arabski
and A. Wojtaszek (eds.) Aspects of Culture in Second Language Acquisition and Foreign Language Learning (pp. 35-
48). Berlin: Springer, p. 5.
8
http://colegiulnegruzzi.ro/?page_id=6992 accessed on 29.12.2016
 b) techniques to develop critical thinking about prejudices, cultural stereotypes, cultural
misunderstandings and conflicts;
c) development of tolerance, flexibility, respect for diversity (of opinions) through
documentation and presentation of cultural projects and teamwork;
d) development of empathy through role play and simulations, gestures, stereotypic
movements;
e) cultural and artistic moments: staging of parts of British culture / American, Halloween,
Christmas sketch , Thanksgiving Day, etc.;
f) educational projects involving cultural exchanges between partner schools (exchange of
letters with groups of students from a different culture, visits, excursions, etc.).

1.2. Suggested activities of cultural competence training9:

-My story How am I and where do I come from?;

-The world as I see it we see the world from our perspective;
-Grandpas story the past;
-teaching German, stimulating curiosity and interest in cultural games, etc.;
-collection of cultural objects (magazines, images, packaging, postcards);
-project activities, themed albums;
-preparation of thematic portfolios;
-presentation of cultural symbols, songs, dances;
-group activities: listening, watching, recitation, presentation of festivals, competitions;
-watching movies and PowerPoint presentations;
-using of bibliographic sources.

Teachers have different ways in teaching students but that depends on various materials
that are used in teaching. Learning a foreign language implies a person who knows the language,
more than that, that person has to be competent in this field, to know how to teach others. It is
important to know the language but it is more important to know how to make others to learn
that specific language. A new language implies new culture, new traditions and new behaviours.
Teachers have a specific and important role in teaching cultural and foreign languages. The fact
that you know a language but you are not read about culture can represent an impasse, because
every language has its specific terminology and that specific vocabulary must be leant and that
can happen when different fields are chosen and words from that field are leant. Every culture

9
http://colegiulnegruzzi.ro/?page_id=6992 accessed on 29.12.2016
has its specific words, traditions, beliefs, behaviours and different ways of acting in different
circumstances.

III. Conclusion

In conclusion, cultural learning can be difficult for some students, especially when it is
taught in English language. And for teacher this can be difficult too but teachers have the
opportunity to teach new things, new ideas, to present different activities from other
countries and more important, they can bring together students from different countries.
Using the internet or the classical letters, students can communicate more efficient, in a
productive way. It is not enough to know just a foreign language but if we know just English,
for example, it will be better if we learn about the tradition of England or of America.

Especially in these times of globalization, the knowledge of a foreign language is no

longer a proof of intelligence, a position in society but simply an adaptation to date and, in
some cases, a requirement. Any language can be learned, whether it be German, Chinese or
Russian. Importantly, primarily to like how it sounds, you get to work and, most importantly,
to take the project to the end. The existence of traditions in society is objectively necessary,
since no society can do without them. It is unimaginable a society without rules of behaviour.
It is necessary to note that traditional category indicates not only the relationship between the
past and present, but also specific points of contact between them. Teaching culture in
classrooms can be a opportunity for students, teacher can create divers activities in learning
new and specific things about that culture. And it should be remembered that every idea that
was mentioned in this work can be applied for every culture. And students can learn English
or other languages not only from native speakers but from every person that knows that
language. Travelling to one country is something that can bring language improvements. In
order for students to activate their culture antennas, teacher must help them to understand
what it is more important about their culture as well as other cultures. We all differ from one
another in many aspects of our behaviour and in many ways, for instance, because of our
personality, age, of our way of living, gender or even abilities.

Bibliography
Anne-Brit Fenner, M. Katni-Bakari, Mria Kostelnkov, Hermine Penz (2001):
Cultural awareness and language awareness based on dialogic interaction with texts in foreign
language learning, European Centre for Modern Languages - Council of Europe Publishing
 Merc Bernaus, Ana Isabel Andrade, Martine Kervran, Anna Murkowska and Fernando
Trujillo Sez, (2007): Plurilingual and pluricultural awareness in language teacher education,
European Centre for Modern Languages Council of Europe Publishing

Otwinowska-Kasztelanic, A. (2011): Do we need to teach culture and how much culture

do we need? In: J. Arabski and A. Wojtaszek (eds.) Aspects of Culture in Second Language
Acquisition and Foreign Language Learning (pp. 35-48). Berlin: Springer.

Punya Mishra, Kristen Kereluik, (Paper submitted to the 2011, SITE Conference): What
st
21 Century Learning? A review and a synthesis, Michigan State University

https://www.tamu.edu/faculty/choudhury/culture.html

http://colegiulnegruzzi.ro/?page_id=6992