Teaching L2 Culture

In my view, culture is a way of life.  It includes food, holidays, family customs, slang, sports, activities, movies, music, politics, literature, and much more.  Culture is the heartbeat of a nation or a community.  It includes a nation’s history and heritage as well as climate and geography.  Anything that can effect or influence a particular community is part of their culture.  Culture is an identity. 

I believe that it is of the utmost importance to teach L2 culture.  Teaching L2 culture brings the language to life.  Students will not see the relevance of the language if they do not know anything about where it is spoken.  They will not see the importance of being able to communicate with native speakers if they aren’t exposed to thinks that they could talk about or take interest in.  If students are taught culture, they may be more likely to want to visit other countries, interact with other people, and truly learn the language.  For example, in the Spanish I class that I am teaching right now we almost always have “Culture Fridays”.  For an hour we look at pop culture in Spanish speaking countries.  We listen to music, watch movie trailers, talk about politics, and look at the latest trends.  Although not all students care, many become more and more interested in other nations each day.  They compare the other cultures to their own and begin to understand how life can vary across the world.  Not only that, but they have picked favorite songs and topics and will ask about them or request to listen to certain songs.  I think this is great because they are actually asking for more exposure to the target language and are having fun while learning. 

Furthermore, I believe in cross-culture and global communication.  I believe in introducing students to multiple perspectives so that they can develop a greater understanding of the world that they live in.  It is my hope that they will not pass judgment on others just because people from other places have different family values, political thoughts, or even taste in food.  I hope that students will realize that there is not one right way to live life and that much can be learned through cultural interactions.  The world today is becoming increasingly interconnected, and I believe that students need to know the value of cross-cultural interactions as well as the importance of understanding and respecting others.  Increased contact with other cultures might promote misunderstandings if future generations do not understand how different cultures function, what they value, or how to show respect to one another.  I want to present students with these differences so that they can begin to negate this effect.

I absolutely believe that it is possible to teach L2 culture in the classroom, or at least expose students to it.  It is true that the only way to really experience a culture is to immerse yourself in it, but in high school that is not always an option.  Culture can be brought into the classroom through authentic material like magazines, movies, talk shows, pictures, and food.  I would hope that most language teachers have been abroad so that they know about the L2 culture from experience.  The teacher is a great key into other communities.  They have lived it and therefore have personal photos, memories, and experiences.  Stories and visuals can be a great way to showing students what other parts of the world are like.  Not only that, but traditional foods could be made and brought in for students to experience.  Right now we are planning a day in Spain for a future class.  We will research customs and portray them in the classroom with as much accuracy as possible.  Granted, the limitation here is that students will not be able to interact with native speakers in their own cultures, but expose will at least assist in preparing them for what they might experience if they do travel in the future.

Finally, I think that culture should be incorporated in everyday activities (like using authentic material in grammar, writing, and listening lessons), but also that is should be taught explicitly.  Culture can be used as a great break to the grammar aspect of learning a language.  I do not see any harm in taking a day to go over the cultures someone might encounter around the world.  It can only increase student interest and interest in the language.  I do realize that sometimes there is not enough time for this.  If that is the case, then the instructor must make an effort to incorporate culture into regular lessons.  Overall, I think that culture is and integral part of L2 learning and assists in the development of a well rounded individual.