Culture & SLA - Week 7 - Second Culture Acquisition

Introduction: Hello and welcome to Week 7 of the course Culture and Second Language Aquisition. In this class we discuss values in language, linguistic and cultural relativity, and share the ideas you explored in your film analysis paper.  

Today's Goals:

• Explore cultural values in common sayings and parables.
• Collaborate with your peers to generate ideas for your Moxie paper. 
• Discuss the topics of cultural and linguistic relativity and discuss to what degree it is possible (or even necessary) to acquire a second culture. 
• Compare the cultural differences you explored in your film analysis paper. 

Guiding Questions:

• Is it possible to truly acquire a second culture as an adult?
• What cultural practices and perspectives were in conflict in the film The Gods Must Be Crazy?

Task 1: Values in Language

Cultural values are often explicitly stated in sayings and proverbs. Some have similar versions in multiple cultures and languages but others are specific to an individual culture.

• Group 1: CLICK HERE
• Group 2: CLICK HERE
• Group 3: CLICK HERE
• Group 4: CLICK HERE
• Group 5: CLICK HERE

Theory Break: Language and Cultural Perspectives

• "We use language to name and understand the perspectives, values, attitudes, and beliefs that govern our way of life. Through language, we make tacit perspectives explicit. We talk and write about perspectives. We read about them. We hear them in exchanges with members of the culture. Words, phrases, idioms, expressions - when we examine what they mean - reveal values, attitudes, and beliefs intrinsic to the culture (Moran, 2001, p. 37)". 

Task 2: Culture Learning Outcomes

Your reading this week focuses on the topic of culture learning outcomes; the different possible results of the culture learning process. Moran provides us with a useful way of classifying these outcomes which can help us choose a particular way of focusing our teaching efforts depending on our context. Click the group worksheet link below to explore the what, how, and why of the six culture learning outcomes.

• Group Worksheet: CLICK HERE

Theory Break: Culture Learning Outcomes

• “To generalize … across all these culture learning outcomes, I would say that all intend that learners confront, comprehend, accept, and overcome cultural differences. This process involves an interplay of mind, body, heart, and self - or, in technical terms, cognition, behavior, affect, and identity. As part of mastering the language, learners need to change the way they think, act, feel, and perceive themselves and their roles if they are to function effectively and appropriately in the other culture (p. 119).”

• The particular culture learning outcomes you seek for your students will inform the focus you give your lessons and the model of culture teaching you develop. Moran says, “the key distinction among [culture teaching]... models lies with differing notions of ‘overcoming’ cultural differences. These range from simply changing one’s mind or feelings about a given culture (culture-specific understanding) through recognizing how one’s own culture affects acceptance of other cultures (culture-general understanding), learning to communicate appropriately in a second language/culture (competence), integrating oneself into another language and culture (adaptation), developing a distinct sense of self (identity), to taking action to transform a culture based on one’s own beliefs (social change). Ultimately, the individual learner decides how to respond and develops skills as a culture learner (personal competence) (p. 119).

• Which of these outcomes resonate with you and the way you view yourself as a cultural educator?




• What beliefs about culture form part of your learning philosophy that guides your approach to teaching?

Task 3: Moxie Peer Brainstorming 

For homework you completed a brainstorming worksheet based on free-writing tasks and brief internet searches. Through this, you were able to identify 2-3 core ideas that you may want to explore in your Moxie paper. Take a moment to share the ideas you have with your partners. Give each other feedback and make suggestions of related concepts or ideas that your partners may want to consider including in their final paper. Take note of your partners' suggestions for you so that you do not forget.

• Guiding Question: Is your teaching purpose aligned with prevailing social and cultural values of the 21st Century?

Moxie Resource: Webinar

Since your Moxie umbrella topic requires you to explore your teaching purpose and the degree to which it is in alignment with modern cultural values, you will have to reflect on your deeply held beliefs about teaching and learning. This webinar by Dr. Neil J. Anderson from the 2021 National Conference for Teachers of English Costa Rica provides a practical workshop to identify and articulate your learning philosophy statement, another way of saying your teaching purpose. I hope you will find this to be a useful resource.

Task 4: Second Culture Acquisition (SCA)

This article, although highly technical and challenging to read, presents us with some important questions to consider.

• What is the goal(s) of cultural education?

• What is involved in culture learning?

• Is it truly possible to acquire a second culture as an adult?

• “Although it may be possible for people to develop an intellectual understanding and tolerance of other cultures, a more interesting question, perhaps, is if, and to what extent, it is possible for people to become cognitively like members of other cultures; that is, can adults learn to construct and see the world through culturally different eyes (Lantolf, 2000, p. 29)?”

• So what? We read all that to find out that it is only kind of sort of possible to change your conceptual system a little bit under some very specific circumstances and those circumstances do not involve classroom learning?

• Learners need to understand that cultures differ in their concepts. 
• Learning an L2 is not simply learning new words to express universal ideas.
• There may not be a word in the L2 to express a concept from your C1 and vice versa.

• ST: "Profe, how do you say pura vida in English?"
• T: "You don't."
• ST: "Yeah, but how would you say it though?"
• T: "You wouldn't say it."
• ST: "Yeah, I know you don't actually say pura vida. So what do you say instead?"

• It may not be possible or even desirable to change your cultural conceptual system. After all, your C1 is an integral part of your identity. However, as a long-term English learner and educator, have you found that your way of thinking and being has been influenced by your language and culture learning experiences? How?

Task 5: Film Analysis

Take some time to share the ideas you explored in your film analysis paper. Since we were talking about cultural concepts today, begin your conversation with an exploration of culture specific concepts among the culture groups in the film. Then move on to other differences you explored. 

References:

Lantolf, J. (2000). Second Culture Acquisition: Cognitive Considerations. In E. Hinkel (Ed.), Culture in Second Language Teaching and Learning (pp. 28-46). Cambridge University Press. 

Moran, P. (2001). Teaching Culture: Perspectices in Practice. Heinle, Cengage Learning.