ERIC Number: ED153492
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1978-Mar
Pages: 16
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Methods for Bringing Culture into the Classroom.
Zimmermann, Jon E.
Foreign language teachers have long recognized that the teaching of culture is an integral part of their teaching objectives. Cultural content can change rapidly within the target society, and the difficulties encountered in gathering and up-dating relevant materials are compounded by the elusiveness of the term "culture." Cultural understanding applies to both "formal" culture, that is, a knowledge of the concepts, skills, arts and institutions of a given people at a given time and "deep" culture in the anthropological sense of the word, that is, the "knowledge of a country and society" and the formation of positive attitudes toward the foreign peoples that help to break down cultural barriers and prejudices. Cultural content should be pervasive throughout language teaching and be presented in the following teaching models: daily cultural asides or slice-of-life techniques, weekly culture capsules or periodic culture clusters. The foreign language classroom should become a "cultural island" approximating the setting of the target culture. Recent research emphasizes the importance of cultural understanding in the learning of a language and in forming tolerant and appreciative attitudes towards people who exhibit different cultural patterns from those of our own. (Author/CFM)
Descriptors: Cross Cultural Studies, Cultural Activities, Cultural Awareness, Cultural Differences, Cultural Education, Cultural Influences, Cultural Traits, Culture, Culture Conflict, Culture Contact, Foreign Culture, Higher Education, Instructional Materials, Language Attitudes, Language Instruction, Secondary Education, Social Characteristics, Teaching Methods, Textbooks
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
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Language: N/A
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
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Note: Paper presented at the spring meeting of the Modern and Classical Language Association of Southern California (Los Angeles, March 1978)