Language learning is a form of cultural learning, and cultural learning embraces language learning. The goal of cultural learning is a continuing search for understanding that bridges cultures. Language can be a bridge, a system that constructs reality as it communicates about reality. Education in the U.S. has tended to define culture as American…

Describes relations between the early colonists in Virginia and the Powhatan Indians. Argues that, in any exploration of intercultural relationships, one must recognize the impact and importance of native initiative. Suggests that the ethnohistorical perspective requires sensitivity to the cultural integrity of natives' decisions and the effects…

Presents a student activity designed to reduce ethnocentrism and promote cross-cultural understanding. Describes two stages of the project: (1) individually attending a church of the student's own religion or denomination but of a different race; and (2) attending an African American fundamentalist Baptist service as a group. (CFR)

This book explores why students from other cultures often find it difficult to learn academic writing and understand its purpose in a U.S. university. The book discusses how these students' writing is influenced by cultures where people communicate indirectly and holistically, value the wisdom of the past, and downplay the individual in favor of…

Teaching a second language and culture means teaching culturally different patterns of perception, communication, and effect. When teachers of English as a second language develop sensitivity to what students bring to the classroom and understand the students' reasons for their actions, their teaching can aid and not hinder students' full…