Job Discussion Forums

[CJD]

Hey everyone.

I'm wondering what you all think are the most important reasons for learning the local culture, language, and history of the place you're teaching in.

Any ideas?

[johntpartee]

[Andrew Jordan]

I am a teacher, that is my primary responsibility. I learn enough to help my teaching, (why cant chinese students understang verb tenses? because L1 doesn't have them) and to not offend locals. Other than that I don't put much time into learning the culture, although I also don't stay in a country more than a year usually.

[demitrescou]

[nomad soul]

[SledgeCleaver]

It's important because it leads to world peace and understanding and everyone standing in a circle holding hands and singing Michael Jackson's cover of Kumbayah.

[Sashadroogie]

Apart from the benefits to learners that Nomad Soul has described, it is important for teachers' basic survival.

On a less practical level, it is or should be, interesting learning about the place where you live. If it isn't, we would have to wonder why we were there in the first place... or in the language teaching profession when we ourselves have no interest in learning languages. A high level of control over L2 is not needed, mind. But enough to demonstrate some working knowledge shows we practise what we preach.

[Teacher in Rome]

To expand on Sasha's points, it lessens culture shock and frustrations. It gives you a better appreciation of other people's lives, minor annoyances or cultural pride. All in all, it (generally) makes for a more pleasant, culturally rich, and reduced-stress experience in a foreign country. Plus it should widen your own cultural and linguistic horizons and make you a more interesting person for it.

[JN]

Besides what Nomad Soul, Sasha and Teacher in Rome said, I'd also say being fluent in German increases my job opportunities here in Germany.

[spiral78]

I'm with demitrescou. Make no effort = making an a** of onesself publically on a daily basis.

[sheikh radlinrol]

[vabeckele]

I am pretty much sure it does everyone a lot of good in the classroom. Points of reference outside of mono-cultural societies seem to bring classrooms to a halt.

It is impossible not to be affected by culture, whether you like it or not, it will change you. I am pretty lazy when it comes to learning culture and language, but nonetheless I have picked up a language and can speak it to a B2 level. This is without much real conscious effort.

The question is how much real use of knowledge of local culture is to someone who is only in place for 12 months? Except that of having some nice factoids to bedazzle.

I always feel fake when I over try to impress my hosts. When I know I know something only then will I use it - Picking up culture is long slow process.

To turn it around, I see Christmas decorations all year round in quite a few coffee places to decorate the places. It looks nice and jazzy to the locals as just decoration. I shake my head at the 'idiocy' until I realise my own cultural reference.

Just how far we want to go with it is a question only the individual can answer.

[santi84]

I've never taught TEFL, only TESL. How do you get around in daily life without L2? I have to phone the doctor's office, ask the grocery clerk about prices, and chat with my kid's teachers. I can't imagine being in a place like China and trying to do that without speaking any Chinese. Do you have liasons or something like that?

As for culture and history, very important here in Quebec. You can always tell who is not from Quebec (whether American or from the anglophone provinces). They say "merci, merci, merci, merci" constantly and don't know which cheek to kiss when greeting. The kiss often frightens them. As for history, well, that's a neverending story here

I don't see how that matters in the classroom though.

[spiral78]

Culture matters in the classroom to some degree.

Students may have different expectations for instruction types depending on what they are used to in their other classrooms (and this is impacted by culture). Cultural norms may also impact the approach students take to language learning - eg. how freely will they speak (or not). May also impact how they see teachers - as sages, or as providers of a service.

Culture can also impact word and tone choices. For example, the Dutch language is very blunt and does not lend itself much to subtleties. Dutch speakers of English tend to want to use English in the same ways as they use Dutch, making them sound too blunt in some respects.