Teaching culture in the 21st century language classroom

Authors

Oxana Dema, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Aleidine Kramer Moeller, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2012

Citation

Published in Touch the World: Selected Papers from the 2012 Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, ed. Tatiana Sildus (Eau Claire, WI: Crown Prints), pp. 75-91.

Comments

Copyright © 2012 Central States Conference on the Teacing of Foreign Languages

Abstract

The paper presents an overview of the research on teaching culture and describes effective pedagogical practices that can be integrated into the second language curriculum. Particularly, this overview tries to advance an approach for teaching culture and language through the theoretical construct of the 3Ps (Products, Practices, Perspectives), combined with an inquiry-based teaching approach utilizing instructional technology. This approach promotes student motivation and engagement that can help overcome past issues of stereotyping and lack of intercultural awareness. The authors summarize the research articles illustrating how teachers successfully integrate digital media together with inquiry learning into instruction to create a rich and meaningful environment in which students interact with authentic data and build their own understanding of a foreign culture’s products, practices, and perspectives. In addition, the authors review the articles that describe more traditional methods of teaching culture and demonstrate how they can be enhanced with technology.