Revista simpozionului Eficienta si calitate in educatie 2018 Revista simpozionului | Page 58

Moving from theory to practice, the following are some ways in which culture can be
integrated in the teaching-learning process:
a. Literary readings: they provide a deeper insight into
culture by being more complex and, by appealing to feelings, they offer a more
attractive perspective on historical periods and events that are relevant for the
culture of a country. An example may be an excerpt from F.S. Fitzgerald’s The Great
Gatsby used in order to portray The Roaring ‘20s in America.
b. Newspaper/magazine articles: they are useful in that they
expose students to authentic language and contemporary issues. To illustrate this,
an article on culture to be found in various online sources can be read and analysed
with the students in class.
c. Films/videos: offer students the opportunity to witness
behaviour that is not so obvious in texts. For instance, a video may be used to
present the situation illustrated in an excerpt from George Bernard Shaw’s
Pygamlion.
d. The Internet: in asking students to conduct research on
particular cultural aspect, they refer to the World Wide Web as a starting point.
Furthermore, nowadays, all the sources mentioned previously are to be found on the
Internet, which becomes a valuable resource. During culture-focused English
classes, sources such as http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/, http:
//www.onestopenglish.com,
http://
www.teachingenglish.org.uk
or
http://www.schoolshistory.org.uk can be used.
e. Podcasts: represent audio or video content available on
the Internet, that is also downloadable, which makes its use independent of the
existence of an Internet connection. Podcasts can be used for listening activities.
The above is not a complete list of the sources that can be used in class. They are
only the most important ones. To them dictionaries, anthologies, culture books,
photos or maps can be added. Anyway, whichever the source, the key is to use
authentic sources from the native speech community that help to engage students in
authentic cultural experiences. Teachers must adapt their use of authentic materials
to suit the age and language proficiency level of the students.
In order to illustrate all of the above, here is a lesson plan for a class focusing on
history and culture:
LESSON PLAN
Title of the lesson: What’s in a Movie?
Lesson aims:
-to present the role of movies in understanding history and culture
-to encourage critical thinking and personal understanding of historical events
-to obtain feedback on Ss understanding of important aspects of culture
Objectives of the lesson: by the end of the lesson, Ss will be able to:
-to discriminate between facts and fiction in the given historical context
-to describe the historical moment in broad lines
-to pinpoint essential aspects of Scottish history
Teaching techniques: case study, brainstorming, class discussion.
Class management: group work and pair work, i.e. student-student interaction; teacher-student
interaction; lockstep, i.e. teacher-student interaction
Aids/materials: blackboard; worksheet; textbook
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