For some years, there has been much discussion about the relevance of socio-cultural training as part of a well-balanced language course. Yet, today, some teachers remain concerned that, alongside the many syllabus strands of grammar, function, skills, pronunciation, etc., socio-cultural training adds further demands on an already overcrowded course design.
I will begin by discussing some of the concerns about socio-cultural training which teachers have expressed, such as:
At present, the English language is going through a period of reculturization, in which the cultural content has been reintroduced. Many years of teaching English together with target cultures (e.g. American Studies, British Life and Institutions) gave way to a period during which native speaking teachers chose not to focus on the cultural origins of the language, as a pre-emptive response to the perceived threat of cultural and linguistic imperialism. More recently, however, the teaching of English as a lingua franca has re-established its focus on the cultural content of a course by including cross-cultural training using sample cultures (e.g. cultures where English is used as a first or second language, or by speakers of other languages).
I will examine what and how to teach, and why teach a socio-cultural syllabus strand in a multi-syllabus course design, and give a practical demonstration of certain activities which address these issues. I will propose a series of social and cultural topics that should be covered in a mainstream language course. Three types of topics will be presented:
I will introduce the concept of the cultureme, which is a single or minimal manifestation of socio-culturally determined behavior, belief, attitude, custom, or tradition. I will also extend the concept of culture beyond describing where one comes from in geo-political and/or ethnic terms to include one's age, gender, socio-economic background, socio-professional status, etc.
The talk will then consider the aspects of the existing syllabus strands, such as grammar, functions, and skills work which can be covered for purposes of socio-cultural training. Apart from skills work, which could be easily integrated into such a course, it will be suggested that while the relevant grammar may be restricted to the present simple, any discussion and presentation of language in functional terms will implicitly include reference to its socio-cultural context. Exponents of particular functions such as making introductions, agreeing, disagreeing, giving opinions, apologising, complaining, thanking, complimenting, and back-channelling will be discussed for their socio-cultural relevance inside and outside the classroom.
I will demonstrate classroom activities to draw a distinction between concepts already referred to in the early parts of the talk:
We will look at some materials and a number of activity types which can be used in the socio-culturally aware classroom:
The talk will consider the nature of cultural generalisation, stereotyping, and prejudice. It will examine the stages through which two individuals from different cultures may, in a C2 context, pass from cultural bump to cultural shock:
The same process from cultural bump to culture shock will be examined in a local, regional, ethnic, national or international context. At this stage, the focus of socio-cultural awareness turns to global issues, and to the possible consequences of not providing suitable training in the classroom. I will summarise the current concerns with a number of key points:
Simon Greenall is a textbook writer and a past President of IATEFL (1997 - 99). He has published many books including exam material, adult and secondary courses, as well as radio and television programmes for the BBC. One of his best-known publications is the Move Up series. His recent work includes secondary courses for Poland, Greece and Turkey, and China, as well as a textbook series exploring cultural values, attitudes, beliefs, customs, and traditions around the world called People Like Us (Macmillan Language House). He has given workshops and conference presentations in over 40 countries around the world.