Idąc za tezą, że „Język jest dobrem osobistym i społecznym. Wypływa z wewnętrznej potrzeby komunikacji z otoczeniem , a kształtują go zewnętrzne normy społeczne.” K.S. Goodman, oraz mając na uwadze zjawiska społeczne i kulturalne wpływające na określone środowiska - tworzymy sobie obraz życia w danym kraju.

W BIULETYNIE MATURALNYM – EGZAMIN PISEMNY Z JĘZYKA OBCEGO Aleksandry Bartmańskiej i Doroty Obidniak czytamy między innymi: „ Wszystkie teksty wizualne i werbalne dostarczają […] informacji o stylu życia, problemach społecznych, zjawiskach kulturalnych, o tradycjach, w końcu o tym, co w danym kraju uznawane jest za właściwe i wartościowe.” Dlaczego to jest takie ważne? Ponieważ jednym z celów uczenia się języka obcego jest uzyskanie dostępu do międzynarodowego rynku pracy i nasz uczeń powinien umieć tak napisać podanie o pracę, zaprezentować się podczas rozmowy kwalifikacyjnej, a następnie utrzymać się na danym stanowisku, aby poprzez mądre wykorzystanie zdobytej wiedzy przejąć odpowiedzialność za własne życie i rozwój osobowy we współczesnym świecie.

Here are some opinions:

As for the role of culture in teaching a foreign language, I have a story for it. When I began my teaching career I didn't have much experience of the English language. I've learnt it mostly from books and memorizing lists of vocabulary and grammar rules. I hadn't lived the language. I had the chance to travel to Great Britain for one week. When I got into a bakery I saw a great variety of muffins. I had seen muffins only in books! And when I saw them right in front of me I felt like discovering America! Wow, I thought, this is how real muffins look and taste like! After my short trip I told everything about muffins and about the way people in Newcastle speak (I was staying there) to my students!! I will never forget the impact those muffins had on me! So to conclude, in order to feel the language you have to experience the culture of its origin!!

Sotiria Tziouri, School: 9th Lower Secondary School, Ioannina, Greece

My opinion is that the teaching of culture and the teaching of a foreign language are two totally different things. You may be very good teaching a language and not be efficient teaching about. If, and only if, the teacher of the target language is knowledgeable about the culture should he attempt to teach it. Otherwise, limit yourself to teaching the language. That is what I think.

Marco Morales, Honduras

I'm Rosa, have a nice 2008. I jumped back in the past with my mind, when I was a primary teacher and I asked my pupils to pun in two categories the names of some animals (wild and domestic). I remember Renato, a nice Indian boy, who put the elephant in the domestic animals! Isn't a matter of culture?
I think culture can be considered as a way of seeing the world, and our deep immersion in American culture has changed our way of seeing the American 'world'.
Referring to the teaching culture I divide students for the age. I mean, if I teach children I will teach culture trying to build up a sort of 'childhood in the foreign language', using games, nursery rhymes and so on; with adolescent, apart the typical cultural topics, I like working on the slang of young people, to characterize the culture of the young people in the target language, using films, music, newspapers, radio programs, MTV and so on....with adults we shared the same experience so you know about it.

Rosa Iosue, Italy

I believe it is extremely important to teach the culture, or cultures, as it is the case for the Spanish language, when students are learning a foreign language. What is the point of teaching only the language?
Language is meant for communicating and a large amount of the communication that transpires between people is based and driven through customs, moral values, cultural values and mores. The language of a people reflects all of these concepts previously mentioned in the way they express themselves formally, and informally as in idiomatic expressions. Even the sense of humor of a people is based on the culture and it is reflected on the language. To communicate appropriately, a person must be aware of the way the other party will interpret and internalize what is being said. This avoids confusion, misunderstandings and other undesirable outcomes.
In my classes we spend a good amount of the time learning vocabulary based on cultural celebrations, and the customs of different Spanish speaking countries. It also provides the experience of learning the language with depth and meaning. Learning only the mechanics and vocabulary of a language is only teaching the shell of the people or nation without reaching their soul. I teach Spanish as a Foreign Language at Miller Middle School, in San Jose, California, United States of America Thanks for giving me the opportunity to express my opinion.

Mercy Hegland, San Jose, California, The United States of America

Re your request about the importance of linking learning a language with the culture of the country speaking personally why learn a language if you are not interested in the country. I know that my French teacher firmly believes in introducing us to French culture and takes every opportunity to make links in our lessons, whether it be food, traditions, geography, history, politics or everyday life. Secondary schools usually plan trips to France as part of the language course and there used to be a strong tradition of exchange visits where pupils would live with a family for a week. I am sure that that still happens in some schools but at our local high school there is just a week trip to a center which Dave goes on as additional adult support. He is concerned that the present arrangements do not allow sufficient contact with French people and culture. They stay in an English run center, and include a visit to EuroDisney (he is particularly unhappy about that but the children love it) as well as the main sites of Paris. Previously part of the visit was in more rural parts of northern France and included visits to a French market and the battlefields. A modern foreign language is now compulsory in primary schools and I know that our local primary school is studying Spanish and have set up a link and exchange visit with a school in Spain. The children spent time in the Spanish school and I think that they stayed with Spanish families. The Spanish children will visit here next year I think. That this takes place is more to do with the enthusiasm of the head rather than something which happens in all primary schools. Our local 14-19 school has strong links with China, students can learn Mandarin Chinese, a group have visited China and they have a Mandarin assistant at the school for a year. So for your conference perhaps you can pose the question for discussion: Can a foreign language be taught without reference to the culture of the countries where it is spoken? I don't know if my ramblings are of any help! I hope you are all well and not working too hard!

Jean Hall, England

Since we live in a more and more globalized world, we travel a lot, and our pupils will probably travel even more. In addition the economy does no longer have national boundaries, even the smallest factories in Norway often have links, or even owners, in other countries. These countries are often English-spoken, or have English as a second language.To be able to deal with that, our pupils need, not only to be able to speak the language, but also to be able to behave in a way that can be accepted by their business-partners, as well as people they meet under more informal circumstances.To come to terms with people in another country, it's also a very good
idea to know something about the country, historic, cultural andpolitical. When it comes to business, informal meetings are often a "must" for building relations, and then you need knowledge, to show interest as well as to have something to discuss.When we in Norway teach English, we deal with literature, holidays, sports, famous people, landscape, big cities, native people, food traditions and history in English-speaking countries, especially the USA and Great Britain.I work in a lower secondary school, where our pupils are 12-16 years old.
Good luck with your conference,

Lise Bakke, Norway

“Real experience of another culture is the best education.”

Victor Ashe, U.S. Ambassador to Poland

The importance of teaching culture while teaching a language is very important. First, we want the students to know about their own values , the values of their culture, that the ones they have are really important, and that they are not more or less important than others from other countries, and then they have to know other cultures though learning a language. Then they can compare, this is not to see who is better, just to see the differences between one country and the others. In Mexico we teach English in secondary schools and we have to teach culture of the English speaking countries, when we compare with we do not see only positive, we have to see the negative things, as well.

Hugs from Mexico. Raul Villafan

Student participation in class is thought as first priority. Teacher is only guide of the lesson. Main programmes teachers pursue are previously determined by national ministry. Teacher choose the method he/she follow in the class. And the elasticity in planning period gives teacher to distribute changing roles to students. For instance making students prepare a dialogue, tell a story in simple level, organise a competition programme etc. In this context we believe democratic behaviour and tolerance to different behavioural models originating from economic, religious, traditions and social factor are only choice as a life style in class. Students economic, religious and other kind of origin doesn’t interest teacher and other pupils. Teacher has to behave all students equally and other students have to pursue the same method against each other. Culturally previous methods such as storing as much information as possible or memorising are left by today’s teachers. Today teacher gets students to search information from different sources. Appreciating searching students for increasing motivation for other students is an important step in class. As a methods we don’t measure student’s unsuccessfulness but his/ her success. Especially this is a crucial point for disabled students. Moreover the reading materials are chosen for all students comment interest., such as inventions, innovations, problems in eating habits, spare time activities , life of successful individuals etc. We choose both national and other nations films for students watching.

Yakup Yaren,TEVFİK İLERİ İMAM HATİP LİSESİ VE ANADOLU İMAM HATİP LİSESİ, Ankara, Turkey

Hello, how are you? We think teaching culture is very important because the language reflects culture and language is related to culture. It reflects life style, people, etc. For example while teaching language , teaching 'telling times' the students have to know 'am' and 'pm' because in Turkish we say 9 for mornings and 21 for evenings. However in English they say 9 am and 9 pm. This is different and related to culture. Another example; white coffee is different for us. Because we say coffee with milk in Turkish. Tea with milk is also different for us. Because in Turkey the people don't drink tea with milk. I think the students have to know these differences while learning English. In our coursebooks there are culture pages. Some of them are related to UK or USA. We divide our lessons into two parts; main course and .reading & writing. In reading we have texts related to the culture. The students learn cultural information at the same time.

Necati Onbaş,The Assistant of the Headmaster Tuna LISESI, Bayrampasa/ ISTANBUL, Turkey

TEACHING CULTURE IN V LICEUM OGÓLNOKSZTAŁCĄCE IM. ADAMA MICKIEWICZA IN CZĘSTOCHOWA

OUR EXPERIENCE ...

1. We teach, discuss elements of culture of the target language community through the material provided by the coursebooks.

But ... 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 so ...

2. Multilateral Partnership, Comenius School Partnership on “CULTURE - AN EVERLASTING HERITAGE” Our project aims to improve a language competence and build a cultural support to students, teachers and local community in order to help them in crossing the barriers which are forced upon them by concepts such as race and different values.

3. Video conference

4. Student’s exchange (with schools in Holland and Germany)

5. Cooperation with U.S. Embassy to Warsaw and U.S. General Consulate in Kraków:

Program “Kulturoznawstwo USA” SZKOŁA PONADGIMNAZJALNA, klasy I-III, which was approved for use on 1^st September, 2006is a part of a school curriculum.

American diplomats visit us at school to speak to our students, and allow us the chance to hear from an American first-hand on topics of interests. Thanks to it our students have the opportunity to hear presentations, ask questions, and exchange opinions with the American guest on a topic of mutual interests.

Such co-operation helps you to be a credible teacher and teach the artifacts of the culture of the target language community in the way mentioned by Benjamin Franklin in his autobiography: Men should be taught as if you taught them not, And things unknown propos’d as things forgot.