Teaching Culture Essay

Using teaching materials in teaching culture. It is a fact that, teaching culture is considered very important. But it has remained "insubstantial and sporadic” in most language classrooms. Some professors give several reasons for this which including lack of time, uncertainty about which aspects of culture to teach, and lack of practical techniques. So,I will present a range of practical techniques that have been found to be successful in culture-based courses and some tips that can help to the teaching of culture. Firstly,In order to get a comprehensive picture of the target culture from many angles, teacher need to present their students with different kinds of information. The list below shows some possible sources of information

For example, they could watch a video of a target-culture wedding and note all the differences with their own culture. Asking students to 'notice' gives a focus to the materials by making it into a task, rather than simply passive viewing or listening. Student research is one of the most powerful tools that teachers can use with college students because it combines their interests with the classroom. For example, after the first class, teachers ask students to search the internet or library and find information on any aspect of the target-culture that interests them. In the following class, students explain to their group what they have learned and answer any questions about it. This can lead to poster-sessions or longer projects. For some students, it can even lead to a long-term interest in the target-culture. Some other types of activity that professors have found useful include the following but with a bit of thought, most standard EFL activities can be easily adapted for use in the culture classroom. The most important point is to ensure that the students are actively engaged in the target culture and