As second language teachers, we know that the culture associated with a language cannot be learned in a few lessons about celebrations, folk songs, or costumes of the area in which the language is spoken. Culture is a much broader concept that is inherently tied to many of the linguistic concepts taught in second language classes. Through the study of other languages, students gain a knowledge and understanding of the cultures that use that language; in fact, students cannot truly master the language until they have also mastered the cultural contexts in which the language occurs.
In THIS concise article, Peterson and Coltrane discuss how to teach culture in a way that challenges preconceptions. They suggest teaching methods that include role play, the use of authentic documents, film, proverbs, and student resources. This is an article that I read while in graduate school studying Applied Linguistics and the ideas have always guided me in the classroom.
Read the article HERE
