Raising Cultural Awareness

This week's readings focused on the importance of incorporating the various cultural contexts in our classrooms. As we have learned, it is important to have the students L1 culture be a part of the learning process. Students shouldn't lose their cultural background when they begin to learn English and the L2 culture. Language learning comes with the learning and adaptation to a new culture which can create anxiety for students. 


Learning the culture of a language brings out the richness in language learning. As future educators, we need to make sure that students are making connections and comparisons to their cultures as they begin to learn the new culture. With the ever changing society that we live in, ESL classrooms can be influential in raising cultural awareness and the importance of diversity. Learning a second language and culture help students to appreciate their backgrounds and where they come from. Culture can be incorporated in the classroom in various ways and can ultimately improve the students oral proficiency. When learning common everyday speech, students should learn what to say and when to say it based on cultural values and norms. Raising cultural awareness in the classroom can be an interactive opportunity for teachers to use technology in bringing culture in the classroom. 

This raises the idea of English and what is the culture of English. It will be important for teachers to present all varieties of English that is spoken and finding a way to incorporate all of the different cultures that come along with the varieties of English. In 343 we talked about standard English and the controversy between which English is the right English/which should be taught. With the continuous change in accent, vocabulary and dialects of the English lanague, the questions still stands as to which we should be teaching in our classrooms. Ultimately, will it be up to us to choose? I believe that it will depend on where we are teaching and the students in our classrooms.