Page 13 - BRIDGES - ISSUE 7

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From Miίοtask:

the whole language approach

as a means to cultural understanding

presented by Dorothy Berwicl
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ELT advisor, Green &

rriie theme of the 2001 Balkan a mediating role,which is how culture
A . Symposium was Cultural becomes the concern of the language
Understanding through EFL teacher. Culture islinguistically medi-
teaching. ated membership into a discourse
community. Language plays a crucial
A culture is manifested through insti- role not only in the construction of a
tutions, material artifacts and behav- culture, but in the emergence of cul-
iour, yet this is only the tip of the ice- tural change. Language behaviour
berg. Culture is a shared system of therefore is part of a culture, not just
values,attitudes, beliefs, meanings,as- the manifestation or reflection of it.
sumptions about life, and behaviour. And the learner, in interacting with

and though a language,is interacting
These widelyshared waysof thinking, with another culture, becominga mem-
behaving and remembering become ber of that discourse community and
consciously or subconsciously ac- even participating in the construction,
cepted as right and correct by people perpetuation or subversion of that
who identify themselves with that so- culture. Therefore the ELT teacher
ciety, communityor group. Sowe are is necessarily concerned with culture.
not talking here only of national or
even ethnic cultures. Groups within a What about ELT in state
society can also have their own cul- schools?
ture, such as youth culture, gay cul-
ture, drug culture and school culture. Let’s ask ourselves first - What is the

Aculture can exist across borders,as aim of teaching foreign languages in
European culture,transatlanticculture school? Why are they included in the
and ELTculture. curriculum? I suggest for two possi-

ble reasons:
What isthe relationship between a) to educate the young mind, widen-
cultureand ELT? ing horizons, expanding experience,
promoting understanding.
Claire Kramsche.of the Universityof
California, argues that Language has Thus, the National Curriculum of

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