Table Of Content

Digging Deeper: Examining Our Role as Teachers of Culture Pablo Muirhead s the field of world language (WL) education In the field of WL education, we have come a long way continuesto improvethe integration of language in understanding culture, hut much is still unclear. With the National Standards (NationalStandards inForeignLanguage and culture, educators mustconstantlyquestion and Education Project, 1999) there has been an added emphasis challenge their assumptions of what culture is and on understandingtheperspectives ofthe cultural groups that howtoweave itinto language instruction. In fact, one speak the languages of study. Prior to this, much discussion was given tothenotion of“Big C” (importantevents, famous ofNNELL’s position statements states thatthere isa people, etc.) versus “little c” (behaviors, practices, sociolin needfora “cogentplanto provideopportunitiesforall guistic competencies) culture (Brooks, 1971). As counterin students to effectively participate as U.S. citizens in tuitive as it may sound, the notion of culture as everything falls short of capturing the oft forgotten notion of power. the global community bygaining proficiencyin world Think about how you have heard others talk about culture. languages and a greater understanding and respect Some of the following statements may come to mind: “Oh for diverse world cultures” (2005). In order to make yeah, she’s cultured,” or perhaps “Over there in France the link between language and culture inextricable, there’s a lot of culture,” or maybe even “I’m gonna go eat ethnic tonight so I can get some culture.” this article challenges us to dig deeperaswe rethink what is meant by “culture.” Additionally, we need to Reading these statements as teachers may stun us, yet they echo sentiments we have heard before. All of these have reflect on the impactofthis conceptualization to ap deeper implications. While we may be baffled by these no propriately change our teaching practices. The first tions, we must recognize that these ideas of culture are still section of this article investigates what is meant by held by people. A missing link in our discussions of culture is the presence ofpower. culture. The second section explores the impact of this reconceptualized understandingofcultureon our During the Victorian Era inEngland, itwas widely accept ed that others had culture, while those in power had civiliza roles as teachers in bridging language and culture. tion. Without verbalizing it injust this way, this scene is often played out similarly in the U.S. today. Broader Implications of Culture — “Others have culture” is an interesting phenomenon. Cultures are often studied Culture is to language learning what water is to a fish. While a fish can be dissected and much as exotic, static and strange things. Addi can be learned about it, it is not alive unless it is tionally, we have a propensity for making in water. The sameholds true between culture and comparisons between U.S. culture and language the link between culture and language thatofthecultural groups whose languag is inextric-a-ble and it is one ofour primary duties es we teach. However, this runs not only to weave them together in our classroom. the risk ofminimizing other cultures, but it also fails to illuminate the rich diversity But what is culture? Multiple definitions ofcultures within our own U.S. contexts. abound. Some consider it to he a tangible object, Often when U.S. culture is uompared to onethatcan be studied and analyzed. Others seeit other societies, we focus on a culture rep as the great works ofa society. Yet others feel that resentative of white niiddle-class values it includes the details of daily behavior. Perspec to the exclusionofU.S. minority cultures. tives are referred to as deeper cultural underpin That segment ofour multicultural society nings. Before teachers can understand the impli then becomes the norm, or the standard, cations for infusing their classes with “culture”, it to which everything else is compared. is important to acquire an integrative understand ing ofwhat culture means. Images©2005Jupiterlmages.com 22 Learning Languages VOLUMEXI,NUMSER2 • SPRING2006 Last year, during a Holocaust commemoration in Europe, tied in with The Oregon livil, a popular game about west U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney spoke about how shock ward expansion. He felt that this particular game was very ing it was that such a tragedy could occur in the heart ofthe Eurocentric and did not convey an authentic picture ofwhat civilized world. However, to those cultures that were victims westward expansion really meant to indigenous cultures. In of the conquest, colonization and oppression carried out by stead of sticking to the script, he sought out stories that talk the “civilized” world, this may not have been such a shock. about the same events, but from a different perspective. We Power is the missing strand from the discussion of the idea can do the same in our classes. ofculture, civilization, orhowever a society defines its idio syncrasies, histories and perspectives. World language educators need to present cultural per spectives and insight from marginalized groups within the A deeper understanding of the complexities of culture is languages being studied. In the case ofFrench, perspectives pivotal to rethinking how we, as WL educators, make the from marginalized groups within France and in the Franco link between culture and language come alive in the class phone World should be presented in contrast and in relation room. By adding the notion ofpower to this conceptualiza to dominant French culture. When teaching Spanish, the tion, we can challenge ourselves to reflect on how this plays idea of what a Latino is, needs to be reflected upon. Con outin relation to “Big C” and “little c” culture, as well as the sidering the rich ethnic, cultural and racial diversity present perspectives which often emerge as a result of struggles of in the Spanish-speaking world, it would be power. more authentic to present this rich diversity. See for example, Lori .Langer de RamIrez’s Implications for WI Educators article jViva ColombialColmbia Viva! to see how three ofthe strongest cultural influences As our understanding of culture evolves, so in Latin America-the African, the Indigenous mustourpractice. Equally importantto guiding and the European-can be woven into a cur our students along the path of language profi riculum unit. Additionally, due to the rich di ciency, is preparing them to gain more authen versity often present in our classrooms, con tic representations of the cultures represented sider how talking about the Day of the Dead by the languages they study. As WL educators, as something done in other countries sounds we are in a position to truly open our students to students whose families carry on these cul to the world. This broader conceptualization tural traditions in the U.S. ofculture beckons the question ofwho defines culture and how it is defined. This section will Inadditiontoculture, istheideaoflanguage consider these questions by challenging us as varieties. Respect for multiple language vari teachers to rethink who has culture and what eties is essential (Reagan & Osborn, 2002). it is. This extends itself beyond the scope of the second language being studied to the language varieties that Many of us are drawn to the profession because of the students bring to the classroom. Legitimizing language vari positive impact that learning a second language has had on eties means that teachers will be able to connect all of their us. Beyond learning to conjugate verbs, we have gained ad students to the study of a second language, regardless ofthe ditional worldviews. These perspectives have enriched our language variety they may speak. In essence, students’ first lives as we begin to see and understand realities different languages are respected. Reagan and Osborn (2002) state than our own. What must we consider in order to pass this that such an approach “calls for us to re-examine not only on to our students? For starters, we need to show that there the purposes offoreign language instruction, but even more, are many ways of understanding the world. By doing so, we the hidden (and often not-so-hidden) biases about language, can become involved in a process that works toward validat social class, power and equity that underlie language use” (p. ing cultures that are often marginalized (Guilherme, 2002, 30). A Spanish teacherwoulddeviatefrom Standard Spanish, p. 122) as well as nonstandard language varieties (Reagan & as prescribed by the Real Academia Española (the govern Osborn, 2002, p. 33). ing body of what constitutes Standard Spanish), and present varieties representative of the vast diversity in the Spanish- In an effort to enrich our students’ experiences, we often speaking world. When we legitimize language varieties, we make efforts toconnect ourlanguage lessons to other content empower all students regardless of what variety they speak. areas. A colleague who teaches Spanish at the elementary level, struggled with the expectation that his curriculum be In fact, through discussions about how rich Spanish is, simi SPRING2006• VOLUMEXI,NUMBER2 • Learning Languages 23 “v ‘I I lar connections can be made to variations within English. References Powerhas often been exerted through culture and language National Standards in Foreign Language Education Project. (1999). (Darder, 1991). By extending instruction beyond the domi Standards for foreign language learning in the 21st century. Yon kers, NY: ACTFL. nant cultural and linguistic systems, the WL educator can validate traditionally oppressed cultures and language variet Brooks, N. (1971). Culture-A new frontier. Foreign Language Annals, 5(1), 54-61. ies (Guilherme, 2002). One of the most powerful aspects of language learning for us as individuals has been the ability Darder, A. (1991). Culture andpowerin the classroom:A criticalfoun to gain an extra lens to view the world. By seeking cultural dation for bicultural education. Westport, Connecticut: Bergin & Garvey. and linguistic legitimacy, we can begin to see the world from multiple realities. We must let our teaching reflect this as Guliherme, M. (2002). Critical citizens foran intercultural world: For eign language education as cultural politics. Clevedon, England: we consider the deeper implications of what we do in the Multilingual Matters. classroom. NNELL. (2005). Position statments ofthe National Network for Early Language Learning. Retrieved January 5, 2006, from http://nnell. Possibilities org/news_3.php Reagan, T. G., & Osborn, T. A. (2002). The foreign language educator Culture is not static. Culture is in a constant state of in society: Toward a criticalpedagogy. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erl change. Culture is alive. Everybody has culture. Yet some baum Associates. forms ofculture are valued more than others. So, whose cul ture is being marginalized? By equipping ourselves with this Pablo MuirheadwasborninArequipa, Peruandraisedin broader understanding of culture, we will paint a more au both Milwaukee andArequipa. In addition to the English and Spanish he learned as a child, Pablo also speaks thentic picture of the world, and equally important, we will Indonesian and German as he has also lived in those better connect with our students’ rich and diverse cultural countries. After teaching Spanish at the middle and backgrounds. high school levels for several years, he is now teaching Spanish atMilwaukeeAreaTechnicalCollege. He isalso With a deeper look at what culture is, we open the doorfor currently finishing his dissertation at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on how world language teachers reflection on our own cultural perspectives and on the kinds integratecultureintotheirteaching. Pablowasamongthe of experiences we offer our students. By understanding the I 28 teachers featured in the Annenberg/WGBH Foreign complexities of culture, as teachers, we will better be able Language Video Library Series He also presents work to present culture in such a way that will ultimately encour shops aroundthecountryon StrengtheningSpanish Language Instruction. age students to develop multiple ways ofviewing the world. Through the adoption of a broader understanding ofwhat is meantby culture, we can de-center dominant perspectives to New Editor for Learning Langauges legitimize marginalized cultures and language varieties, and provide a rich and meaningful experience for our students. The NNELL board appointed Paris Granville as the new editor of Learning Languages. She has taught This article begins to look at a deeper understanding of students aged 2 through 72 on both coasts and in the culture and some of its implication. However, as classroom Midwest. Early in her career she was named the Iowa teachers, we need to figure out what this means in our re FLES Educator of the Year. Ms. Granville has pro spective classrooms. Consider the cultural makeup of your vided professional development sessions for over ten students. Do they belong to a shared cultural group, or are years at national and regional conferences and work there several cultural groups represented? How does this shops for individual school districts. She was one of impact comparisons between U.S. culture and the culture(s) 28 teachers chosen to appear in the Annenberg/WGBH being studied? television series on the National Standards for Foreign The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Lan Language Learning. She currently develops language guages (ACTFL) clearly outlines the importance of linking rich thematic units centered on authentic literature and language and culture in a diverse world, as evidenced by the cultural experiences that are available commercially. following quote: “Language and communication are at the heart of human experience. The United States must educate students who are linguistically and culturally equipped to communicate successfully in a pluralistic American soci ety and abroad” (National Standards in Foreign Language Education Project, 1999). As teachers, we must rise to this challenge so our students can positively function in such a culturally-rich society. 24 Learning Languages . VOLUMEXI,NUMBER2 • SPRING2006