Conceptualizing Culture

Effectively Integrating Culture into the

Proficiency-Oriented Classroom

Danielle Asay & Bethany Daniel

Brigham Young University

What is culture?

Disclaimer!

“Culture is pervasive, all-encompassing, and inescapable. The images and messages we receive and transmit are profoundly shaped by our culture. It is the framework through which we understand and interpret the world around us, in that it provides the context for a group of people to understand and interpret the world around them.”

Andrea DeCapua & Ann C. Wintergerst, 2004, p. 9

Why is it a challenge to teach culture?

“As important as it is, teaching cultural perspectives represents the most challenging task in cultural learning in foreign language education.”

Tang, 2006, p.97

Defining “culture”: Providing a cultural framework

“In the study of language, nothing has been discussed more and with less effect than the relationship between language and culture.”

Walker and Noda, 2000, p. 187

Common Approaches to Teaching Culture

1. The Frankenstein Approach• A taco from here, a flamenco dancer from there, a gaucho

from here, a bullfight from there.

2. The 4-F Approach:• Folk dances, festivals, fairs, and food.

3. The Tour Guide Approach• The identification of monuments, rivers, and cities.

4. The “By-the-Way” Approach• Sporadic lectures or bits of behavior selected indiscriminately

to emphasize sharp differences.

Galloway, 1985, as cited in Omaggio Hadley, 2001

Common Approaches to Teaching Culture

5. Big C/little c• Culture—great art, literature, music• culture—daily life, popular culture

6. Products, Practices and Perspectives (SFLL, 1996)

A "New" (Old) Possibility • Omaggio Hadley stresses the need for a balanced

approach to teaching culture (p. 353).• Hammerly, 1982:

• Informational culture• Facts that the educated native speaker knows about his

society (geography, history, heros, villains, etc.)

• Achievement culture• The artistic and literary accomplishments of a society

• Behavioral culture• The sum of everyday life

• Revealed• Ignored• Suppressed

Examples

How might you categorize these examples of culture?

1. Napoleon

2. the Great Wall

3. les bises

4. Roma Metropolitana

5. Wienerschnitzel

6. Spanish Civil War

7. Anna Karenina

8. la siesta

Textbook Review• Methodology

• Conclusions• Not all textbooks are created equal, and it is

very likely that you will have to supplement in

order to achieve a balance of cultural teachings

in your class.

Proficiency and Performance

• ACTFL defines proficiency as “the ability to use language to communicate meaningful information in a spontaneous interaction, and in a manner acceptable and appropriate to native speakers of the language” (Swender & Vicars, 2012).• Focuses on the functional speaking ability—what students

are able to DO with the language.• They need to be able to DO these things in culturally

appropriate ways.

Proficiency and Performance

“Knowing how, when, and why to say what to whom”

Standards, 1996

“Vocabulary and grammar will help you learn what words to say and how to put them together, but culture will give you a better understanding of ‘how, when and why to say what to whom.’”

¡Avancemos! Level 1, 2007

Proficiency and Performance

• “You cannot learn a foreign language, you can only learn to do things in a foreign language. The more things we learn to do, the more expert we are in that language.”

Walker and Noda, 2000, p. 25

Proficiency and Performance• Performed culture (Walker and Noda)

• Cultural memories• Situating events:

• Place• Time• Script• Roles• Audience

Strategies for Integration

• Achievement Culture• Avoid the “tour guide” or “by the way” approaches

• Be purposeful with the content and provide activities for the students to do something with the information.

• Don’t be afraid to assess!

• Have students present or perform information• Do virtual fieldtrips, gallery walks, book-in-a-week, etc.

Strategies for Integration

• Informational Culture• Authentic, realistic images• Cultural calendar/timeline

• Important dates and events from target culture

• Culture-oriented writing• Write on a topic from the target culture point of view

• Ethnographic interviews

Strategies for Integration

• Behavioral/Performed Culture• Performances• Role plays• Contextualization• Pragmatics

Examples

le pain

• Pratiquez avec Harry Potter!

• Lisez le paragraphe en bas et choisissez le passé composé ou l’imparfait pour compléter.

• Harry: « Et qu’_____-il (1)__________ à Vol… enfin, je veux dire à Vous-Savez-Qui? »

• Hagrid: « Bonne question, Harry. Il ___ tout simplement (2)____________.

Il (3)____________________________ la nuit même où il (4)____________________ de te tuer. Ce qui ajoute encore à ta réputation. Qu’______-il (5)_____________, lui qui (6)_____________ au sommet de sa puissance? Mystère. Certains qu’il (7)_________________. À mon avis, ce sont des calembredaines. Je ne crois pas qu’il (8)____________ en lui quelque chose de suffisamment humain pour mourir. D’autres pensent qu’il est toujours quelque part à attendre son heure, mais je n’y crois pas non plus. Ceux qui (9)_________________ à lui (10) ____________________ de notre côté. Certains (11) _______________ plongés dans une sorte de transe. Je ne pense pas qu’ils auraient réussi à s’arracher à lui s’il (12)___________________. La plupart d’entre nous croient qu’il est toujours vivant, mais qu’il (13)_______________ ses pouvoirs. Il est trop faible pour continuer. Il y a en toi quelque chose qui l’ (14)_________________, Harry. Cette nuit-là, il (15)_______________________ un phénomène auquel il ne (16) ____________________ pas. Je ne sais pas ce que c’(17)____________, personne ne le sait, mais tu (18)_________________ à le réduire à rien.

•  (1) arriver

• (2) disparaître

• (3) se volatiliser

• (4) essayer

• (5) devenir

• …

• Unit 5 Objectives• I can use the verb faire.• I can describe which sports I do or play.• I can describe my pastimes. • I can identify my classes.• I can identify school-related objects. • I can describe popular sports and pastimes in different

French-speaking countries.

Le “Dating”

La Litote (understatement)

• Oh là là! La crème brulée est délicieuse. (à l’américaine)• C’est vrai. Elle n’est pas dégoutante. (à la française)

Bon ben…des hésitations…quoi

• Vous parlez à la princess Charlene (Monaco):

• Char: Vous aimez votre cours de français?• Vous: _______________, oui un peu.

• Char: Comment est le cours de français?• Vous: _______________, le cours est difficile mais intéressant aussi.

• Char: Et votre professeur? Comment est-elle?• Vous: Elle est sympathique, mais un peu…folle _______________.

Eh bien…

Bon, alors…

vous savez

Questions and Comments?

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