I want to start by saying that having the discussion with my chat mates in last week's class got me really interested in this topic. I think it's incredibly intriguing, and I think it's unfortunate that it, by nature, resists testing. One of the things that we discussed in our class at UF was whether or not it is possible to teach intercultural competence. I think that we, both as teachers AND as students, have this idea that teaching culture involves mainly being exposed to the PRODUCTS of the target culture (food, music, film, etc.), but one of the most interesting things we talked about last week in our class was how much language is involved in learning intercultural competence.
I made the comment, and I still hold it to be true, that language is inherently linked to culture, since it is intrinsically the primary means of transmitting culture from generation to generation and between natives and non-natives. Because of that fact, I find it hard to believe that we can teach culture without necessarily including language as a main component. I also mentioned that when I think of the times that I have experienced cultural misunderstandings, they have most always been linguistic in nature...but that of course is only my personal experience.
One other thing I want to mention in this relatively short post is the importance of the concept of recul in learning intercultural competence. I have always said that student motivation is one of the most important things in language learning, and recul is a perfect example of that. I believe that in order for a student to, first, reach that "third place" where s/he is able to analyze and compare aspects of the target culture to their own they must first be very motivated and prepared to accept the information.
I have much more I could say, but I'm very tired from a long trip today (I'm in NYC at the CUNY conference, check it out), and I'm posting only what is still swimming around in my head...desculpe.
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6 comments:
Hello Moniqua,
I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on intercultural competence. I agree that language is inherently linked to culture. I think that with lower level Spanish teachers our job is just to give students as much cultural exposure as possible and to scaffold them into a third place where they can begin to form understandings. Then, later as their language skills improve, these cultural understandings can be deepened.
Wow, I didn't really think about the link between language and culture until I read your post. I fully agree with what you have said. I also think that sometimes you have to understand the culture of a society to understand the language. This explains why you may read a book or watch a movie in your L2 and not fully understand everything. This is because while you know the words, you do not understand the cultural refrences that are being made. Good point!!
I agree that language and culture are linked, but at the same time -- you can have a cultural misunderstanding between people who don't speak the language, too, just based on behavior and not on linguistic competence/incompetence. Nonetheless, it's still an interesting topic!
I agree that language is inherently linked to culture and is passed on from person to person. I think that culture changes, however, between some generations and cultures, such as mine. My Cuban culture is not the same as, say, a native born Cuban my age. But intercultural communication even between me and someone my age in Cuba would definitely be beneficial, not only to learn more about culture, but also language. I loved reading your post, and I hope everything is going well at the conference, and I like the fact that you did the Susie Q even when you were small. :)
I think it is intersting how you pointed out that students and teachers usually focus on cultural products in units on culture...such as food, music, and film. Although I think that has a place in the FL class, I also think that personal reflections and interactions are really important for intercultural learning. Maybe we limit ourself to the products because we (teachers) are not connected to native speakers but have easy access to non-personal info. (like products).
I'm jealous that you escaped to that conference! Very cool. Can't wait to hear about it.
I think intercultural competence is an important thing to consider as an objective in the curriculum. I was looking at the state and national standards for FLE and it's interesting how much intercultural competence related stuff is involved.
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