Many individuals view language and culture as separate entities; however there is an interrelationship between language and culture. This paper focuses on the idea of language and culture, and how they complement each other. It explains how to effectively incorporate language and culture into teaching and learning practices and how to use one’s own identity to shape the way he or she teaches in the general or ESL setting. Also, it discusses how to incorporate cultural and linguistic diversity into the classroom in order to support and guide the teaching and learning process. Lastly, how to identify some culturally appropriate ways to engage, communicate with, and involve ELL students’ families and the community.
Language can be defined as written or vocal patterns that lead to an understanding. It is the driving force behind the language production process, writing and speaking. Once language leaves the production process it is transported to the language receptors, reading and listening, in order to form ideas. Without language, meaningful human interactions, conceived by communication, would be limited. Culture is more complex, but yet it compliments language.
Culture determines the similarities and differences that exist among humans. Culture is broken into two sub-categories; visible culture and invisible culture. Visual culture consists of concrete items that are easy to see or visualize It is easy to recognize visible culture because it’s factual information, such as literature, architecture, history, festivals, traditions, clothing, and cuisine. Typically when people are asked to describe their culture they provide detail answers about their visible culture like historical events, geographic regions, or music. Invisible...
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...ng and business. Since American teacher’s identity were molded by invisible culture aspects, they inherently expose these beliefs onto their ESL students.
Overall, language and culture are very similar in array of ways. When ELL students assimilate to a new culture they learn new behaviors and habits which is regulated by language usage. Language and culture are effectively implemented into ESL classrooms through the use of authentic materials and texts, like T.V sitcoms or sample writings. Teacher’s own identity shapes the way he or she teaches in the general or ESL setting by emphasizing what was critical during their educational experience, such as punctuality, independence and collaborative work. Lastly, inviting in parents to participate in read alouds’ and use a variety of multimedia material are just a few ways to instill goals and skill in ELL students.
Lisa Delpit’s book, “The Skin We Speak”, talked about language and culture, and how it relates to the classroom. How we speak gives people hits as to where we are from and what culture we are a part of. Unfortunately there are also negative stereotypes that come with certain language variations. There is an “unfounded belief that the language of low income groups in rural or urban industrial areas is somehow structurally “impoverished” or “simpler” than Standard English” (Delpit 71). The United States is made of people from various cultures and speak many different variations of languages. As teachers we must be aware of some of the prejudices we may have about language and culture.
After viewing the panel discussion about how our local school districts have implemented English Language Learning in their school, I am very intrigued. From what I gathered the field of ELL is a growing industry in education, especially in Colorado Springs. We have ELL’s students coming from all over the world. Here in Colorado Springs alone, school districts have to accommodate for over fifty different languages spoken by ELL’s. I can only imagine the challenge that comes with such a diverse group of non- English speakers in our community schools.
The purpose of this study is to figure out which ways experienced teachers work best with culturally and linguistically diverse students. This study illustrates which strategies experienced teachers have found to work best. The diversity in school in the United States has increased each year. This means that there are an increasing amount of students who are learning English, English language learners (ELLs). This article comes from the perspective that each child should be taught to their specific needs. All students deserve a fair chance to learn. Fair means that every student is treated differently, not equally. Every student learns differently. In order to give every student a fair chance at learning, you must teach them according to their needs. An experienced teacher, Tiffany, describes her experiences working with culturally and linguistically diverse students. This study watches her methods and discusses what works based on data analysis of the success of her students.
Because America is such a diverse country, public schools are faced with the challenge of providing students from all over the world with a quality education. As Chen points out “public schools have embraced the linguistic challenge presented by immigrant students” (¶1). Then, No Child Left Behind law was approved, and it required every public school should have an English Secondary Language (ESL) program that will provide the “academic support” for English Language Learners (ELLs). ELL parents are happy that their children are getting education help from the school, but it has raised the question of how successful are the ESL programs? Do ESL programs provide enough “academic support” to all ELL students? Do ESL programs have enough tools to help students learn English? Some ELL parents complain that ESL programs do not help their child learn English. A successful ESL program is not based solely on the test scores, but also the ability to connect parents, teachers, and students together to strengthen tools that will help ELL students to learn a new language in reading, writing, and speaking.
Ovando, C. J., Combs, M.C., & Collier, V.P. (2006) Bilingual & ESL classrooms: Teaching multicultural contexts. New York, NY. McGraw-Hill
Language is defined as the method of human communication either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words, in a structured or conventional way. Communication is the interaction or exchange of information or news(Webster, 2013).
Language is defined as a "system of words formed from such combinations and patterns, used by the people of a particular country or by a group of people with a shared history or set of traditions (Microsoft Bookshelf. 1996-1997 edition)." Ebonics is a form of communication of feelings, thoughts, opinions and ideas at is being used by ou...
Language refers to the method that humans use to communicate, either through speech or written. It consists of the use of the word in a structured and conventional way. Language has been referred to as ‘our means of classifying and ordering the world; our means of manipulating reality’. In structure and in its use, we bring the world into realisation and if it is inherently inaccurate, then we are misled. Dale Spender, 1980.Language has power that allows us to make sense out of the reality we live in.
Culture is a powerful influence plays a big role in our interactions. Culture may also impact parenting style and a developing child. Having a strong sense of their own cultural history and the traditions associated with it helps children build a positive cultural identity for themselves. This also supports children’s sense of belonging and, by extension, their mental health and wellbeing. This class is crucial in understanding and working well parents, staff, and children. An effective educator understands how students’ cultures affect their perceptions, self-esteem, values, classroom behavior, and learning. As director, I need to use that understanding to help my students and staff feel welcomed, affirmed, respected, and valued. One way that I can do this is by using multicultural literature, especially children’s literature, to honor students’ culture and foster cross-cultural understanding. If cultural differences are not understood by teachers and management, it can lead to miscommunication and misunderstandings on both sides. It will be my job to do all I can to overcome both language and cultural differences to ensure a positive learning environment for
Becoming a Language Teacher is a valuable tool, which provides a practical guide to the skills and knowledge needed by teachers to address the diverse needs of language learners. Today, mainstream classroom teachers work with learners with a diverse range of backgrounds and therefore teachers face multiple challenges; they need to teach content-area curriculum while at the same time supporting students ' language development. Thus, what makes the second edition of the book stands out is that it addresses both the academic and language needs of language learners, and it supports novice language teachers at the beginning of their teaching careers. Its goal is to help teachers become creative, competent, supportive and up-to date language teachers
Language is a medium of communication and a carrier of culture because all that people know about their origin is communicated to them using language. In most cases mother tongues are suitable in expressing ones way of life. The native language is the best in expressing basic societal affairs. Language is the key medium of communication and it should be used in its simplest form because the simpler the language the easier the communication (Diyanni 633-639).
Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate")[1] generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activities significance and importance. Cultures can be "understood as systems of symbols and meanings that even their creators contest, that lack fixed boundaries, that are constantly in flux, and that interact and compete with one another"[2]
Culture consists of the beliefs, behaviors, objects, and other characteristics common to the members of a particular group or society. Through culture, people and groups define themselves, conform to society's shared values, and contribute to society. Thus, culture includes many societal aspects: language, customs, values, norms, mores, rules, tools, technologies, products, organizations, and institutions. Sociologists define society as the people who interact in such a way as to share a common culture. The term society can also have a geographic meaning and refer to people who share a common culture in a particular location. For example, people living in arctic climates developed different cultures from those living in desert cultures.Culture and society are intricately related. A culture consists of the “objects” of a society, whereas a society consists of the people who share a common culture.
To start with, I do not want to narrowly define language as merely verbal communication. Language is far broader than that. In a few seconds a person walking past you on the street could tell you more about themselves with a sincere smile than they could with a few rushed words. Language encompasses all aspects of communication that enhance the level of our interaction. The tone in our voice demonstrating our feelings on a topic or our body language indicating our level of interest are just as important in interaction as verbally communicating content. There for I define language as any act that is involved in the interaction between two or more people.
Culture is the social behavior and norms found in a particular group of people and society, defined by everything from language, religion, food, habits, music, and values. In one line, culture is the people's way of life. Culture is also the distinction between nature and nurture. The term nature means what we get biologically or naturally and the term nurture means how our surroundings shape our identities. People genetically get some ability and similarity just like their family members. But in some case, their culture may be similar or different. If a child born in an Indian society and raised in the European society, that child may follow European culture more effectively. Cultural sociologists study for how different cultural elements