Education Commons^™

Teaching Culture In The Argentinian Efl Classroom: Beliefs, Practice And Challenges, María Mercedes Sempé

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The need to address culture in EFL/ESL classrooms has been stressed by scholars in the SLA field for decades (see Kramsch, 1993, 2009, 2011; Byram, 1988; Liddicoat & Scarino, 2013). The original intention of working with culture in the English classes as a means to develop language proficiency –sociocultural competence– was expanded, and nowadays, the focus is on the role culture instruction has in developing empathy and respect for other ways of living and in promoting reflection about learners’ own lifestyle –intercultural competence (Byram, 1988, 2008; Deardoff, 2006). This new focus on cultural instruction is reflected in national curriculums around …

Sheltered Math Curriculum For Middle School English Learners, Jasmine Ercink

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Language barriers have shown a need for differentiation and sheltered instruction in the classroom for English Learners (ELs) to be successful in the United States public school system. This project proposes a mathematics curriculum using SIOP so that both groups of students in the middle school level can increase their proficiency in the mathematics content area as well as experience opportunities for academic and social language development. The purpose of this report is to describe the processes, methods, data, and intent of the mathematics curriculum for these learners. The curriculum acts as an effective intervention to fill gaps in both …

Negotiating Multilingual Writer Identity In The Dissertation: International Perspectives On Language And Writing Practices, A. Brooke Boulton

Education Doctorate Dissertations

Globalization and internationalization of higher education have perpetuated the dominance of English as the language of production and reproduction in doctoral education. English dominance considers the status of English as a lingua franca in academia. Multilingual students for whom English is not the first language must engage in complex language and writing practices to meet university and publication standards, globally. As writing is identity work, students must negotiate thought and writing in two or more languages to achieve meaningful self-expression and to represent authentic, authoritative voices in English. Data representing students from 17 different countries and speaking 14 different languages …

Focus On The Busy Intersections Of Culture And Cultural Change, Laura Elder

Journal of Global Catholicism

The dynamics of religious resurgence reveal the important ways that religious ritual and performance are meaning making spaces which are not self-contained or cut off from the rest of culture, but rather are a key locus of cultural change. A renewed emphasis on the busy intersections of meaning making – as rituals are connected, disconnected, and reconnected to other domains of social life – would improve the utility of the Catholics & Cultures website for understanding global cultural change. And a renewed emphasis on cultural change would also provide a better means for exploring reflexively by seeking to understand both …

“The Lolelaplap (Marshall Islands) In Us: Sailing West To East (Ralik→Ratak) To These Our Atolls (Aelon Kein Ad) Ad Jolet Jen Anij (Our Blessed Inheritance From God)”, Desmond N. Doulatram

Master's Projects and Capstones

This paper discusses the expansion of Oceania through a Marshallese indigenous lens as a focal point. It explains that decolonizing methodologies allows reclaiming of space for mental liberation and reassurement of constitutional rights. It highlights similar occurrences of decolonization practices meeting resistance in the 21st century all while strengthening the human right argument that no human deserves any less than their fellow human brothers and sisters. It argues that an indigenous imagery can only be viewed through an indigenous lens where the researches’ level of purity is retained and unfiltered. It nevertheless argues that Marshallese ethnolinguistics reveal the same cultural …

The Language Of Non-Normative Sexuality And Genders, Emily Bolam, Samantha Jarvis

Scholars Week

This project is about how asexual, intersex and transgender identities challenge normative ideas about what it means to be human. Our research primarily focused on how language used in the medical community influences societal perceptions of non-normative identities. Western culture is pervasively heteronormative, meaning that there is a narrow idea of what constitutes a “normal” human being, which is typically heterosexual and limited to a binary gender system. While society is making strides with accepting non-hetero sexual identities, there persists the notion that humans are inherently sexual beings. Asexuality, an orientation characterized by a lack of sexual attraction, challenges this …

Interpreting, Stephanie Jo Kent

Doctoral Dissertations

What do community interpreting for the Deaf in western societies, conference interpreting for the European Parliament, and language brokering in international management have in common? Academic research and professional training have historically emphasized the linguistic and cognitive challenges of interpreting, neglecting or ignoring the social aspects that structure communication. All forms of interpreting are inherently social; they involve relationships among at least three people and two languages. The contexts explored here, American Sign Language/English interpreting and spoken language interpreting within the European Parliament, show that simultaneous interpreting involves attitudes, norms and values about intercultural communication that overemphasize information and discount …

Korean English Teacher's Disempowerment In English-Only Classes: A Case Study Focusing On Korea-Specific Cultural Aspects, Tae-Young Kim Dr., Sung-Sam Hwang Dr., Hyo-Sun Seo

Dr. Tae-Young Kim (김태영, 金兌英)

No abstract provided.

The Press For Help Project Concept, Program And Working Paper Of Emmanuel Mario B Santos And His Marc Guerrero Communications Inc., Emmanuel Mario B. Santos Aka Marc Guerrero

Emmanuel Mario B Santos aka Marc Guerrero

FORETHOUGHT. DECLARATION OF IDEAOLOGY AND PRINCIPLES. VISION. MISSION. VALUES. GOALS. BASIC HELP project. EDUCATIONAL HELP project. MEDICAL HELP project. LEGAL HELP project. EMERGENCY HELP project. LIVELIHOOD HELP project. SPIRITUAL and CULTURAL HELP project. ENVIRONMENTAL HELP project. REENGINEERING HELP project. INTERNATIONAL HELP project. QUADRO CREDO Matthew 5.1-12, the Jerusalem Bible. The Universal Filipino Beatitudes. SALIN SA FILIPINO. DESIDERATA. AFTERTHOUGHT.

Designing And Teaching A Culture Course In Korea: Developing Cultural Awareness In The Korean University Classroom, Melanie Van Den Hoven

MA TESOL Collection

This Independent Professional Project outlines my process of becoming aware of the interrelationship of language and culture in the Korean University language classroom and the issues surrounding teaching culture in Korea at the turn of the millenium. My decisions, reflections and realizations made as an expatriate EFL teacher based in Seoul, Korea, which helped to address these concerns, are fully presented. This paper reflects on the “culture bumps” inherent in my living and teaching context, and the cultural adjustments made both in the classroom and out. It also explores the major theoretical influences that have been helpful in designing a …

Their Own Best Resources: Students And Real-World Interaction, Observation, And Reflection, Brenda Ferreira

MA TESOL Collection

Students can use their experiences outside the ESL classroom to facilitate their own learning of culture and communicative competency. In a course I continue to design, students prepare for real-world interactions and learning. They practice communication strategies and discuss topics largely of their own choosing in a multi-cultural context. They then go out into the community to make cultural and communicative observations, and interact with native- and non-native speakers of English. This IPP presents various definitions of culture and communicative competency and gives suggestions for in-class and real-world activities, including communication tasks, observations, and reflections through journal writing.

Tenant Partners For Community Education: A Family Literacy Project, Pamela J. Anderson

MA TESOL Collection

The purpose of this paper is to discuss, describe, and evaluate a family literacy program I developed as a pilot project for Southeast Asian immigrant families with elementary school-aged children living in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco.

I will give an overview of this project and review recent research on the different approaches to family literacy. Using a working definition of family literacy based upon current research and implementation in the field, the Indochinese Housing Family Literacy Project-a description of its structure and expected outcomes, lesson plans, and useful findings from current working programs-will be explored and described. Finally, …

A Supplementary Reference Guide For Non-Native English Speakers On The Communicative And Cultural Aspects In The Esl Miscellany, Joanne Ching Chao

MA TESOL Collection

This is a supplementary guide designed especially for non-native ESL users to be used in conjunction with The ESL Miscellany. It covers two parts of the book, the Communicative Aspect and the Cultural Aspect. In the Communicative Aspect this guide includes the definitions of all the idioms under the different categories, such as food, music, colors, and religion which appear in The ESL Miscellany. In the Cultural Aspect, six areas have been explained and defined. These are “Famous Americans”, “heroes”, “Historical Sites”, “Dates and Holidays”, “Famous Quotations”, and “Proverbs”.

Language And Culture In Two Worlds: Teaching English To Hmong Refugees, Sherry Lieberman Preiss, Cammille Smith

MA TESOL Collection

This project is a presentation of two curricula, one for teaching Hmong children and the other for teaching Hmong adults. The curricula provide the necessary guidelines to implement bicultural ESL instruction in a monolingual setting. Included are theoretical discussions that explain the rationale behind the format and content of each of the curricula. The curricula themselves are divided into situational units containing various linguistic and cultural components. The project stemmed from a student teaching internship in Rutland, Vermont, where the authors instructed several families (adults and children) of Hmong refugees. Although the project was primarily aimed towards teaching Hmong refugees, …

Live...From The Language Lab., Ursula H. Raeth

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

A Hodge-Podge Of Written Realia, Suzanne Petrick

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

College Life: U.S.A. A Teaching Resource Packet To Prepare Foreign Students For The Social Side Of Attending A College In The United States., Mark Koncewicz

MA TESOL Collection

This project is a teaching resource packet for ESL/EFL teachers who are interested in showing their students what American college life is like. The project is based on twelve situations which were selected because they seem to be the most typical situations that a foreign student would probably interact in while studying and living at an American college. There are two parts to this project: a set of slides with 5-7 consists of units for each of the situations and a text which consists of units for each of the situations. Each of these units is composed of three sections: …

A Voyage To A Culture: A Special Collection Of Teaching Techniques ( Imaginary Trip Becomes Real In A Classroom), Silvana Hage

MA TESOL Collection

My project uses an imaginary voyage in a classroom as an introduction to second language culture. It consists of a special collection of teaching techniques for post-elementary language teachers of an advanced second language course. The purpose of this project is to help students get a glimpse of a culture in a situational, functional, and performing way. The students plan an imaginary trip to the second language culture of the country where the second language is spoken.

A description of my own experience with the project is given in order to give an overview of how long, when, where, and …

Planning A Vacation In The U.S.: A Multipurpose Theme In The Esl Classroom, Janet Lynne Entersz

MA TESOL Collection

By means of an in-depth presentation of twenty four activities based on the theme of planning a vacation in the U.S., the author attempts to demonstrate the advantages, for both teachers of English as a second language and students, of using a thematic approach in the classroom to achieve not only language proficiency but such goals as healthy student-teacher relationships, communicative competence and cultural awareness as well. Preceding the twenty four activities is a discussion of the author's assumptions about and personal insights into language learning and language teaching, upon which the activities and advocacy of using a thematic approach …

Teaching Culture - A Texas Model: Materials Development For Teaching American Culture, Focusing On Regional Variations, Melanie Anne Dando

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

A Cultural Observation Project For Outbound Students To France, Fiona Stewart Cook

MA TESOL Collection

This project contains guided question sheets and topics for discussions on cultural values which I developed while leading a summer Outbound group to France. They are designed to help students who are in an immersion or homestay siatuation to focus their attention on the various aspects of everyday life in France, to make careful observations, to share and compare their findings with other group members with the goal of gaining greater understanding of and appreciation for the French culture

Space, Time And Movement: The Context For Spoken Language, Nancy Leach

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

Suggested Activities For Using The Newspaper In The Esl Classroom, Carol Gordenstein

MA TESOL Collection

The following project is designed to help teachers introduce the newspaper into the ESL classroom by means of specific activities which have relevance in language teaching. These activities contain both linguistic and cultural content, and can be implemented for various levels. The collection of ideas is grouped according to particular news articles, with a brief description of each type of feature, an example of the feature, and a list of specific and sometimes more general activities related to the feature. This project can be used as a supplement to regular language teaching procedures, and it is hoped that it will …

Tres Cuentos, Beatriz Cespedes De Fantini

MA TESOL Collection

Teachers of Spanish are often concerned primarily with the mechanical aspects of language. A student's knowledge of the language is principally determined by his mastery of vocabulary, correct verb forms, etc. By devoting so much concern to the purely linguistic aspects of communication, other important dimensions have often been ignored; for example, the "appropriateness" of language use in a given social context. Once this dimension is considered, it becomes clear that besides knowledge of the mechanical construct of language, the student must also acquire knowledge of what language choices are appropriate for each social situation.

In this work, three original …

Tooning Into English ( A Rationale For The Use Of Cartoons In The English Language Classroom Plus Cartoons And Lesson Plans ), Timothy James Maciel

MA TESOL Collection

Teachers of English are constantly seeking new and better materials to aid their students in learning the English language. Sometimes these materials are in the form of newspaper or magazine articles and advertisements to show how a grammatical pattern studied in the textbook is actually applied in the culture. Sometimes these materials are in the form of cultural artifacts such as clothing items or eating utensils. And very often these materials are in the form of pictures and photographs to give the student a visual representation of new words or grammatical patterns. Whatever the material, the teacher is constantly looking …

English Language In The Akamba Classroom: Competition And Culture, Nancy E. Horn

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

Teaching English To Japanese, Kayoko Hisano

MA TESOL Collection

This paper aims at offering some information on the background of Japanese students to native teachers of English. Japanese students have a unique background in English education, which it is advisable for teachers of English to know about if they are to be as effective as possible when teaching them.

CHAPTER I touches on why the Japanese learn English, and CHAPTER II examines the kind of English education that is taught at Japanese high schools. CHAPTER II covers linguistic differences between Japanese and English, and CHAPTER IV deals with the psychology of Japanese students.

Teaching Across Cultures: A Review Of The Personal Accounts Of Twelve Teachers, Nicholas Hilmers

MA TESOL Collection

This is a review of the personal accounts of twelve teachers who have worked in cultural settings other than their own. It is intended to be useful to teachers who plan to enter a different culture. The twelve critical reviews are supplemented by a commentary which points out the limitations of the literature and discusses common adjustment problems which appear. It is argued that the success of a teacher in adjusting to a different culture can be attributed to certain qualities of personality. Briefly stated, these qualities are adaptibility, a strong will, creativity and a humanistic attitude.

The Community Issues And Social And Cultural Activities Component Of The Japanese Teachers' Program At Boston University, Summer 1973, Karen M. Zeller

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

Teaching Language In-Country: A Report On The Use Of The Environment While Teaching Spanish At The Language Camp In Oaxtepec, Mexico, Jesus Burgos Marin

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.