INTERCULTURAL LEARNING THROUGH BLOG EXCHANGES IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSES Nguyen Thi Hong Nhat Contents The Role of Culture in Language Learning and Teaching Teachers’ Difficulties in Teaching Culture A case study The Role of Culture in Language Teaching and Learning “The “Theneed needfor forcultural culturalliteracy literacyin inELT ELT arises arisesmainly mainlyfrom fromthe thefact factthat, that,most most language languagelearners, learners,not notexposed exposedto to culture cultureelements elementsof ofthe thesociety societyin in question, question,seem seemto toencounter encounter significant significanthardship hardshipin incommunicating communicating meaning meaningto tonative nativespeaker.” speaker.” (Bada, (Bada,2000) 2000) The Role of Culture in Language Teaching and Learning Dictates who talks to whom, what/ how the communication proceeds Culture Communication: Inseparable Determine how people encode messages (Samovar, Porter, & Jain, 1981) The Role of Culture in Language Teaching and Learning Item No Item Responses % Chi-Square Effects of the Yes culture 100 class 0.000 Did this course contribute to any of your language skills? Item No Item To which skill did the course contribute most? No Responses Frequency % Reading 10 26.3 Writing Listening 10 26.3 Speaking 16 42.6 ChiSquare 0.015 5.3 ( Bilal Genc & Erdogan Bada, 2005) Contents The Role of Culture in Language Learning and Teaching Teachers’ Difficulties in Teaching Culture A Case Study Teachers’ Difficulties in Teaching Culture 1 Overcrowded Curriculum 2 Fear of Not Knowing Enough 3 Lack of Adequate Training 4 How to Measure Cross-Cultural Awareness Blogs as a tool for language learning and teaching  Definition: Blog is “an online journal that an individual can continuously update with his or her own words, ideas, and thoughts.” (Campbell, 2003 p.1)  Blogs have potentials to be a valuable tool because of:  easy-to-use accessibility (Campbell, 2003)  space for learners’ voice, awareness of audience (Leverett, 2006; Ward, 2004)  high learners’ autonomy (Hanson-Smith & Egbert, 1999)  effective teacher–student communication and peer interaction (Arslan & Sahin-Kizil, 2010; Dippold, 2009) RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 3.2 Design of the study Data collection and data analysis Research questions Research design Participants: 40 intermediate-level EFL students in a cultural class and 10 Fulbright American teaching fellows American people American history Public holiday Custom and tradition Instruments and data analysis n st tio P o es qu ks s a ret- aires g n P i it Wr st(i1o2n)n e Qu ( 4) ng i k ar m eer ws) h aecrvtis (6 e TInt ee sh ir s na ieys isasra nde itniog aflrenc Le R RESEARCH QUESTIONS Results: Vietnamese students’ intercultural competence improvement through blog exchanges Characteristics of blogging Elements enable students to establish successful intercultural relationships with their partners via blogging Teaching Culture: Strategies and Techniques Posters, Posters,pictures, pictures, maps, maps,signs, signs,and and realia realia Assigning Assigningstudents students foreign foreignnames names Building Building and and maintaining maintaining Authentic Authenticsocial socialcultural culturalnetwork network CULTURE CULTURE ISLAND: ISLAND:MAKE MAKE STUDENTS STUDENTSBE BE WET WET IN IN THE THE WATER WATER OF OF CULTURE CULTURE Teachers’ Difficulties in Teaching Culture: Suggested Solutions Curriculum Teach culture, grammar, vocabulary in an integrative fashion, not serial one Fear Of Not Knowing Enough Teachers’ role is not to impart facts but to help students attain the skills that are necessary to make sense out of the facts Lack Of Adequate Training Ever learning Measurement Create a framework with a list of activities such as writing reflection, writing diary, presentation Bibliography  Huges, G M (1984) An Argument for Cultural Analysis in the Second Language  Finnocchario M (1964), English as a second language: From theory to practice New York: Simon and Schuster  Lafayette, R.C (1978), Teaching Culture: Strategies and Techniques, Virginia: Arlington  Bada, E (2000) Culture in ELT, Chukurova University Journal of Social Sciences (6),100110  Henrichsen, L E 1998 Understanding Culture and Helping Students Understand Culture (Web document) [...]... students’ intercultural competence improvement through blog exchanges Characteristics of blogging Elements enable students to establish successful intercultural relationships with their partners via blogging Teaching Culture: Strategies and Techniques Posters, Posters,pictures, pictures, maps, maps,signs, signs,and and realia realia Assigning Assigningstudents students foreign foreignnames names Building... Building Building and and maintaining maintaining Authentic Authenticsocial socialcultural culturalnetwork network CULTURE CULTURE ISLAND: ISLAND:MAKE MAKE STUDENTS STUDENTSBE BE WET WET IN IN THE THE WATER WATER OF OF CULTURE CULTURE Teachers’ Difficulties in Teaching Culture: Suggested Solutions Curriculum Teach culture, grammar, vocabulary in an integrative fashion, not serial one Fear Of Not Knowing Enough... but to help students attain the skills that are necessary to make sense out of the facts Lack Of Adequate Training Ever learning Measurement Create a framework with a list of activities such as writing reflection, writing diary, presentation Bibliography  Huges, G M (1984) An Argument for Cultural Analysis in the Second Language  Finnocchario M (1964), English as a second language: From theory to... second language: From theory to practice New York: Simon and Schuster  Lafayette, R.C (1978), Teaching Culture: Strategies and Techniques, Virginia: Arlington  Bada, E (2000) Culture in ELT, Chukurova University Journal of Social Sciences (6),100110  Henrichsen, L E 1998 Understanding Culture and Helping Students Understand Culture (Web document) ...Research design Participants: 40 intermediate-level EFL students in a cultural class and 10 Fulbright American teaching fellows American people American history Public holiday Custom and tradition Instruments and data analysis n st tio P o es qu ks s a ret- aires g n P i it Wr st(i1o2n)n e Qu ( 4) ng i k ar m eer ws) h aecrvtis (6 e TInt ee sh ir s 1 2 3 na ieys isasra nde itniog aflrenc