Incorporating English cultural elements into English training at HCC - pdf 14

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The study is carried out at HCC where the students are trained to do various tourism- related careers such as tourist- guides, hotel managers, and housekeepers and others. English is a compulsory subject in the curriculum of teaching and learning at HCC. This subject is graded into two major stages: The first stage aims at providing students with basic general knowledge of English and four main skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. The textbooks that have been used in this stage are Headway Elementary and Pre- intermediate (Liz & John Soars, 1990). The time allocated for this stage is 150 periods, so the teachers often concentrate on teaching grammar and vocabulary instead of speaking and listening. Besides, it is very hard for teachers to implement communicative approach in the classroom because the class time is limited and classes are large (Classes of at least 45 students are common) and too crowded to take part in activities. Moreover, most students do not have obvious communicative need because they never seem to have chances to interact with foreigners. All of them seem to be concerned with passing the exams. The students see employment as the main goal, and most jobs in Vietnam do not require fluency in English, as Bock (2000: 25) shows: ‘They are motivated to pass exams to move up some ladder toward a better job, but that does not often seem to include real fluency’.



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aspects. The essence of culture understanding is to know how your own culture is both similar to and different from the target culture. Therefore, activities and materials should portray different aspects of the culture. In other words, teachers need to “sell” different views of the culture to their students. Introducing deliberate contrasts within a culture can be useful. Some different ‘selling points’ are contrasted below:
+ Attractive vs. Shocking
+ Historical vs. Modern
+ Similarities vs. Differences
+ Old people vs. Young people
+ Dark aspects of culture vs. Bright
+ City life vs. Country life
+ Facts vs. Behaviour
+ Stated belief vs. Actual belief
Briefly, the Comparing- Contrasting approach that has been found to be successful in raising students’ cultural awareness through lessons. Nevertheless, how do the teachers employ Comparing and Contrasting activities in their language classroom with the view of encouraging students to learn and understand about culture in such an easier way ? This matter will be discussed with some activities for incorporating culture into foreign language training.
2.3.2. Activities for incorporating culture into foreign language training
It is the fact that interesting activities will get students more involved in the culture lessons. Some Comparing and Contrasting activities introduced below are cited from the book of Barry Tomalin and Susan Stempleski (1993, 41- 100). These activities are designed to adapt the Tourims students’ learning styles and interests. Each activity offers students the following information: the cultural aim of the activity, the materials needed, the level at which the activity can be used, what preparation is needed, and step- by- step directions for carrying out the activity in class. Where appropriate, variations of the activity have been included.
2.3.2.1. Cartoon categories
* Aim: To increase awareness of the subject matter of British cartoons; to compare British cartoons with cartoons in the students’ own culture.
* Materials: Cartoons from British newspapers and magazines
* Level: Advanced
* Preparation: Select 15- 20 cartoons from British newspapers and magazines.
Make sure you have enough copies of the cartoons to give a complete set to each group of students.
* In class:
1. Divide the class into groups of three or four, and give each group a set of cartoons.
2. Tell the students to look carefully at the cartoons and to group them according to the subject matter of the humor; for example, the desert island situation, relations between men and women, polities, drunkenness, etc. The students’ task is to work together and draw up a list of the different types of subject matter used.
3. The students work in groups, categorizing the cartoons and preparing their lists.
4. A spokesperson for each reads the list to the class.
5. Write the different categories of subject matter mentioned by students on the board. Then write the following questions on the board:
- Are cartoons common in your country?If so, what is the most common subject matter?
- How are British cartoons similar to cartoons in your country? How are they different?
6. Students work in groups, discussion of the following questions:
- What did you learn about British humor from this activity?
- What did you learn about humor in your own culture?
* Variation: Intermediate level and above
Instead of focusing on the subject matter of the humor, students can draw up a list of visible aspects of British life contained in the cartoons, for example:
Houses and homes (rooms, furniture, etc.)
Work environments (offices, factories, etc.)
Leisure (fishing, reading, watching TV, etc.)
Eating and drinking (restaurants, pubs, etc.)
Travel (traffic, road signs, etc)
Shopping (supermarkets, department stores, etc.)
7. Clothes and fashion (uniforms, hairstyles, etc.)
2.3.2.2. Dating customs
* Aim: To compare relationships between men and women in
the UK with those in the students’ culture(s)
* Materials: A task sheet for each student
* Level: Lower- intermediate and above
* Preparation: Photocopy the task sheet overleaf.
* In class:
1. Explain to the class that they are going to compare relationships between men and women in the UK with relationships between men and women in their our culture(s)
2. Divide the class into pairs, distribute the task sheet.
3. The students work in pairs, discussing the customs listed on the task sheet, and indicating whether each practice is the same or different in their culture.
If the custom is different, they make brief notes explaining the difference.
4. Following the pairwork, volunteers take turns to report their answers to the class.
5. Follow up with a whole- class discussion on the following questions:
- What have you learned about relationships between men and women in the UK from this activity?
- Can you make generalizations about relationships between men and women in the UK?
- In what ways are the relationships different from the relationships in your culture?
- In what ways are they similar?
* Variation: As homework, you could ask the students to write a short composition, comparing and contrasting between men and women in the UK with the behaviour between men and women in their country. Task sheet
Dating customs
The statements below give information about relationships between men and women in the UK. Are these customs the same ( S) or different ( D) from ones in your country? Tick the appropriate box. If a custom is different, write brief notes explaining the differences.
In the UK
In your country
1. Young men and women go to the party together.
S £ D £
Note:............................................
2. A men often goes to collect his date at her home.
S £ D £
Note:............................................
3. In their mid- teens, boys and girls go on dates (to parties, dances, the cinema).
S £ D £
Note:............................................
4. Parents very rarely choose dates for their children.
S £ D £
Note:............................................
5. Women may invite men to parties or other social events.
S £ D £
Note:............................................
6. Teenagers usually date people of the own age, but sometimes girls date boys who are two or three years older.
S £ D £
Note:............................................
7. Teenagers meet members of the opposite sex at school, parties, or other social events.
S £ D £
Note:............................................
8. Men and women sometimes share expenses on a date.
S £ D £
Note:............................................
9. Teenagers and young adults meet and choose their own dates.
S £ D £
Note:............................................
10. Men and women date people of different economic, ethnic, social, or religiuos backgrounds
S £ D £
Note:............................................
2.3.2.3. Cross- cultural role plays
* Aim: To increase awareness of the types of misunderstanding that
can occur between people of different cultures
* Materials: No special materials are needed
* Level: Intermediate and above
* Preparation: Prepare a brief description of an incident that happened to
you and that led to a cultural misunderstanding.
* In class:
1. Explain to the students that, at one time or another, most of us have been involved in situations that have led to cultural misunderstandings.
2. Divide the class into groups of three or four. To make sure that the students understand what you mean, and to encourage recall of similar incidents in the students’ own experience, describe a cultural incident in which they were involved.
3. Each group selects one of the incidents described. Together they plan how to dramatize the incident.
4. Groups take turns to perform their role plays in front of the class. The other students try to guess which student was actually involved in the incident.
5. The whole class discusses each incident and its cultural implications.
2.3.2.4. Shopping habits
* Aim: To compare shopping habits in the UK with shopping
habits in the students’ culture
* Materials: A task sheet for each student
* Level: Lower- intermediate and above
* Preparation: Photocopy the task sheet below.
* In class: 1. Explain to the class that they are going to compare shopping habits in the
UK with shopping habits in their own culture (s).
2. Divide the class into pairs and distribute the task sheet.
3. The students work in pairs, discussing the statements on the task sheet, and nothing whether the practice is the same or different in their culture(s).
4. Follow up with a whole- class discussion on the following questions:
- What have you learned about shopping habits in the UK from th...
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