Foreign Films for Language Learning

 

One of our last readings talked about the use of films inside the language classroom. The author sees foreign films as a gateway to language and culture. Through reading the article I realized the usefulness of movies and films for cultural learning, as it represents pattern of another culture (Harrison, 2009), gives an insight into the native language use, body language, behavior, customs, beliefs, etc. Films from a specific culture reflect many important pragmatic aspects. Watching a video seems like entering in the community showed in the movie, which gives a much bigger picture for students than just talking about specific cultures and communities. However, videos should only be a supplement for good instruction – never a replacement (Bull, Tillman, & Bell, 2010). Furthermore, the teacher should plan meaningful pre-viewing, viewing, and post-viewing activities (Harrison, 2009). In the context of our class topic “Speaking. Listening, & culture” the article about video use for the language classroom was very meaningful. Watching a video includes listening, but instead of just listening, a video shows many more pragmatic aspects. Looking at the use of videos also has its place in the context of the whole course about pragmatics in language learning. I believe that every educator teaching English uses videos and movies inside the classroom once in a while. The article helped to be rightly equipped and instructed on how to use videos in the classroom.

Talking about Germany, most people watch movies of English origin, anyways. Furthermore, English as well as German cultures are Western cultures. Therefore, educators of German students should choose useful videos very carefully and watch out for videos that clearly show cultural aspects. Educators can also emphasis on differences between the U.S., Britain, and other English speaking cultures.

I believe that non native learners benefit a lot from watching videos that include cultural aspects. However, even native speakers can benefit from it, watching out for cultural aspects of their own culture that they might not have been aware of before. It is just important that the educator combines watching videos with meaningful surrounding activities.

Bull, G. L., Tillman, D., & Bell, L. (2010). Teaching with digital video. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.

Harrison, L. G. (2009). Foreign films in the classroom: Gateway to language and culture. Journal of College Teaching & Learning, 6(8), 89-93.

Nonverbal Communication

The use of nonverbal communication and body language is an essential part of communication. In fact, the separation of “verbal and nonverbal behavior into two separate and distinct categories is virtually impossible” (Hall & Knapp, 2009, p. 5). When learning a new language, the different use of body language by the native speakers of this new language has to be considered by the teacher and the students. If ever the students are going to spend time in the country of their new language, they will be confronted with a different type of nonverbal behavior and nonverbal communication. De Capua and Wintergerst (2004) mention different aspects that should be considered when teaching about nonverbal behavior including proxemics (use of space), kinesics (body movements), eye contact, gestures, chronemics (usage and importance of time), haptics (touch behavior), facial expressions, dress and silence. Talking about these different aspects in our class was an enrichment, as all colleagues in this TESOL class come from different countries and we learn a lot from each others experiences and backgrounds. In the bigger picture of this course, addressing nonverbal communication is essential, as one of the goals of this course is to make students become familiar with the culture of the target language and help them to understand the cultural differences. Nonverbal communication is closely connected to a culture and always needs to be considered, when communicating with people from other cultures.

When teaching German students the differences of culture in Germany and Native speaking countries of English, non-verbal behavior should be addressed. The differences, however, will not be that severe, as these cultures all belong to the Western cultures. In addition, English teachers to German learners can address the nonverbal communication differences of other cultures that use English as means for communication. The knowledge of certain differences in non verbal behavior benefits all learners of English, as they will be able to prevent misunderstandings and learn to understand behavior, which seems to be quite awkward without knowing the reason for it.

DeCapua, A. & Wintergerst, A. (2004). Crossing cultures in the language classroom. Ann Arbor, MI: Michigan University.

Hall, J. & Knapp, M. (2009). Nonverbal communication in human interaction. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Cultural Content in Textbooks

In general it is not easy to decide, which textbooks to use for a class, as there are so many different ones and all of them seem to have their advantages and disadvantages. With more and more focus on cultural aspects of teaching English, TESOL teachers should watch out for ESL books that include and integrate cultural aspects, as well as focus on some basic guidelines when using textbooks. Many books already include cultural aspects, but few are really offering “an in-depth discussion of the breadth and scope of culture” (Santos, 2007, para. 10).

I like the way Richards (1993, p. 43, as cited in Hinkel, 2009) formulates it: “I see textbooks as sourcebooks rather than coursebooks.” The use of textbooks can be helpful, important and even essential, but they should be just one source out of many. Teaching English should not only be focused on one textbook. Having that in mind can help TESOL teachers to create their instruction in a balanced way. Even if a book does not include that much cultural aspects, the teacher can still integrate culture into his/her instruction.

However, the reading this week provided a guideline for evaluating textbooks for the English classroom. A textbook should be checked for following cultural (Hinkel, 2009, p. 203):

• social identity and social groups
• social interaction, belief and behaviour
• social and political institutions
• socialization and the life cycle
• national history
• national geography
• stereotypes and national identity

In connection with reading about textbooks that include cultural aspects as well as in connection with this whole course about pragmatic implications for TESOL, this check list is very useful. I believe that TESOL teachers in any place should look for these criteria, when choosing a textbook. For teachers in Germany that might be especially easy, as new materials are often promoted and available, which is an advantage for German students learning English. Native and non-native speakers will benefit, when those who are learning English are more aware of cultural issues, starting already with teachers choosing the right textbook.

Hinkel, I. (2009). Culture in second language teaching and learning. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University.

Santos, D. (2007). Reconceptualizing textbooks in culture teaching. Academic Exchange Quarterly: Rapid Intellect Group. Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles /mi_hb3325/is_1_11/ai_n29356470/?tag=content;col1

The Use of Meta-Analysis

“The most conspicuous benefit of a meta-analysis is that it enables a summary of the individual

study results of the domain of interest while systematically reducing bias that is introduced by an

author’s judgment in traditional narrative reviews of literature.” (Jeon & Kaya, 2006, pp. 197-198)

This sentence caught my attention during reading last weeks materials. While visiting this class, we already looked at different research that helps us – as future English teachers – to better understand the meaning and the importance of teaching culture.

The concept of meta-analysis, however, was still new to me. Meta-analysis can be described as “a statistical technique for combining the findings from independent studies” (Crombie & Davis, 2009, p. 1). Learning about this type of research was meaningful, not only for that class, but for the whole course about pragmatics and teaching culture. As including cultural learning into ESL lessons is still relatively new, theories and beliefs about it still need more confirmation through new research. In order to teach culture effectively, educators are challenged to look at different research and learn from it for their own classroom instructions. The importance and opportunity of meta-analysis are grounded in its benefits of getting rid of bias, having results that are more precise and review methodology systematically (Crombie & Davis, 2009). Knowing about Meta-analysis can be very useful for ESL teachers, especially when comparing research about cultural teaching. New research should never be neglected by teachers, as its consideration can affect teaching methods and contents, which awakens among other things cultural awareness. Cultural awareness on both sides, among native and non-native speakers of a language, can lead to a better understanding of people from other cultures.

Furthermore, meta-analysis can be useful to come from specific research results about specific groups of people, to a more general conclusion. For example, the findings of a study conducted in the Philippines, combined with other studies from different places, can be generalized and be applied in Germany as well. Of course, meta-analysis also has its limitations, but the good aspects of meta-analysis are outstanding.

Crombie, L.K. & Davis, H.T. (2009). What is meta-analysis? Hayward Medical Communications. Retrieved from http://www.medicine.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/painres/download/whatis/Meta-An.pdf

Jeon, E. H. & Kaya, T. (2006). Effects of L2 instruction on interlanguage pragmatic development. In J. Norris & L. Ortega (Edrs). Synthesizing research on language learning and teaching (pp. 165-212). Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins.

Dynamic Assessment

In this weeks reading the aspect of assessing culture was discussed, as well as assessing fairly in general. One of the terms mentioned was “dynamic assessment”. Dynamic assessment means that “the co-construction of performance is mediated by an expert who deliberately guides the student towards development” (Swain, Kinnear, & Steinman, 2011, p. 128). The authors mention that dynamic assessment is rooted in Vygotsky’s concept of the zone of proximal development – short ZPD (Swain, Kinnear, Steinman, 2011). In simple words, ZPD is the range of skills a person can perform with somebody’s help, but not yet on his/her own (Cherry, n. d.). The reading about this concept of ZPD was very meaningful for the discussion about assessing culture. Cultural assessment is more complicated than the assessment of other skills. As this course is focused on the cultural aspect of language learning and teaching, learning about the concept of ZPD is a real enrichment. Dynamic assessment is focused on the process, instead on being focused on production (Swain, Kinnear, & Steinman, 2011). For cultural learning the idea of dynamic assessment is much more reasonable than testing the production of a student. Learning about cultures and awakening more understanding and sensitivity for people from other cultures is much more a process than a result. Cultural learning is continuous all the time, which makes dynamic assessment the perfect tool for assessing students’ cultural learning.

Using dynamic assessment for cultural learning in Germany should be welcomed with open arms, as teachers are focused on new and effective ways of learning, teaching and assessing. The last years were shaped by modern and new ways, instead of focusing on traditional ways of teaching and learning.

Native and non-native speakers can benefit from using dynamic assessment. The concept of dynamic assessment is not limited to cultural teaching, but can be used for any skill or performance that students are supposed to master. The horizon of every student can be opened up more, when using dynamic assessment. The teacher has the possibility to catch the student exactly at the point he/she is at and lead him/her to a deeper understanding and development of his/her cultural skills, no matter if the learner is a non-native or native speaker.

Swain, M., Kinnear, P., & Steinman, L. (2011). Sociocultural theory in second language education: An introduction through narratives. Tonawanda, NY: Multilingua Matters.

Cherry, K. (n.d). What is the zone of proximal development? Retrieved from http://psychology .about.com/od/zindex/g/zone-proximal.htm

Evaluation of Cultural Competence

The last reading included a topic which was really interesting for me. During the past weeks of attending this class about culture, I was asking myself, how it is possible to assess students’ cultural learning and their cultural competence. Reading about how to teach culture, also included this specific aspect. In connection with teaching culture to students the matter about assessing their success in cultural competence is really important and I was happy to find it in the reading as well. Thinking about the whole course “Pragmatic Implications of Culture and History for TESOL”, makes the matter of different ways of measuring and assessing students’ outcomes related to learning about other cultures and developing cultural competence an important aspect of this course. This is what future TESOL teachers will have to deal with inside the classroom.

In the past cultural competence was mostly assessed through tests. With more focus on cultural teaching nowadays, changes are occurring, however. Assessment methods used today include: “Portfolios, self-reports of progress; journaling of culture learning; simulations, role-plays and other experiential techniques; critical incidents and case studies; culture immersions; and new, more conceptually sophisticated paper and pencil instruments” (Paige, Jorstad, Siaya, Klein, & Colby, n.d., p. 58). In the reading of the Council of Europe using a portfolio for cultural competence assessment is suggested (Byram, Gribkova & Starkey, 2002). Portfolios are already used by many teachers. In evaluating cultural competence, however, it is of great use and helps assessing the learning process the student went through as well as the knowledge he/she gained and the change of mind that happened. I believe that letting every student create a portfolio for cultural learning is one of the most perfect ways to assess learning that happened. The use of portfolios is not narrowed down to any specific country. Western countries, however, might be used to using portfolios already, as their assessment methods often focus on critical and creative thinking. In Asia many countries use more assessment methods that require memorization. Here the use of portfolios might be quit new to the students and discussing how to create a good portfolio, is necessary. Personally, I believe that using portfolios in the classroom can increase the understanding of another cultures even more and benefit the relationship between native and non-native speakers of a language.

Byram, M., Gribkova, B., & Strakey, H. (2002). Developing the intercultural dimension in language teaching: A practical introduction for teachers. Strasbourg: Council of Europe.

Paige, R.M., Jorstad, H., Siaya, L., Klein, F., & Colby, J. (n.d.). Cultural learning in language education: A review of the literature. Retrieved from http://www.carla.umn.edu/culture

/resources/litreview.pdf

Pragmatic Failures

This week we read and talked about social interactions. One specific aspect we looked at was the difference between the pragmalinguistic and the sociopragmalinguistic failure. Amaya explains that “pragmalinguistic failure takes place when the pragmatic force of a linguistic structure is different from that normally assigned to it by a native speaker” (2008, p. 13). It means, when a person uses words that are grammatically correct, but don’t fit to the situation of the conversation. Sociolinguistic failure, in contrast, indicates that a person has different intercultural perceptions of what behaviour is appropriate or not (Amaya, 2008). Amaya adds that “this type of pragmatic failure is more difficult to correct and overcome” (Amaya, 2008, p. 13). For future English teachers the difference between these two types of pragmatic failures should be clearly understood and also addressed in the classroom. Misunderstandings and insults can appear because of pragmatic failures. In terms of this course the problem of pragmatic failures which lead to unsuccessful conversation should be understood and be taken notice of. Teachers can prepare activities for their students that deal with pragmalinguistic and sociopragmalinguistic failures. Knowing about these failures can be helpful for both, the non-native language learner and the native speaker of the language. For two people from different cultures it is useful to know about pragmalinguistic failures during a conversation, as the receiver of a message can try to find out, what the person really meant to say, instead of feeling insulted. For both socio- and pragmalinguistic failures proper conversation in terms of active listening and sending of I-messages can be very helpful to understand a message better, as well as understanding the other person’s perspective. Teachers should consider that and make effective conversation training and conflict resolution a part of the skills that students should achieve. In the English classroom teachers should think about ways that deal with the relationship that exists between the form and the meaning of a language (Pragmatic Failure, 2006). The context of a conversation defines which language form needs to be used. English teachers should provide different communication situations and practices and include the pragmatic aspect of language learning into tests and grade it as well (Pragmatic Failure, 2006).

Speaking about German language learners of English, the cultural differences between them and native speakers of the English language are not so high. Nevertheless, cultural aspects should be included into teaching and learning English. German students can also be encouraged to develop general communication skills like active listening and sending I-messages, as mentioned earlier. In any way possible, English teachers should help students to prevent pragmatic failures.

Amaya, L.F. (2008). Teaching culture: Is it possible to avoid pragmatic failure? Revista Alicantina de Estudios Inglese 21, 11-24.

Pragmatic failure and some solutions in English teaching. (2006). Retrieved from http://www.jsfls

.com/Article/ShowArticle.asp?ArticleID=895