Language and Culture

 The very question; ‘which came first, the chicken or the egg?’ could also apply to language and culture. If language is the main means whereby people conduct their daily business, social lives, and is used as the main communication tool, then the link between culture and language may be evident but quite complex. But before we try to answer the above question, let’s look at some aspects of language and culture which combine these together.

Have you ever thought about, or even been asked by a student in class, how to define what language is? We use it everyday, we know innately what it is, but to put words on it, to try to define and explain is actually quite a difficult thing to do, without being superficial or losing some meaning. Language has been described by some as a system of signs that come together to create meaning. Others have described it as a method of communicating ideas, emotions and desires by means of a system of produced symbols. However, there is one thing which is evident when trying to define language and that is its importance and relevance to those who use it and how it is inextricably linked to culture.

Like language, culture too can be difficult to define. The image of an iceberg can help us have a better understanding of how deeply ingrained culture is. Culture characterises a certain group of people at a given time. On the face value, or the top of the iceberg, we can see aspects of culture such as food, clothing, sport, music, architecture and art, the thing we enjoy when we are on holiday. However, further down the iceberg - under the water mark – it becomes more complicated and we notice that there is so much more to consider: ideas, beliefs, skills, traditions, attitudes and values, as well as social interactions. Culture includes both the tangible and intangible products of a society.

So what is it that links culture and language together? Well to this we can say that both language and culture are learned or acquired. Both have patterns that change and are a universal fact of life, and both are part of our identity. Just as we acquire our first language, we too acquire our first culture. Also, just as we may chose to learn a second language, we can learn a second culture or develop intercultural awareness. However developing ones intercultural awareness can be a difficult thing to do. There are no rules to learn, no structures to apply and the process can vary from one individual to another. This can be a problem in the language classroom. As teachers, we teach a language, and therefore teach the culture of the language, but we also face the culture of the learners in our class, an aspect which cannot be ignored and which we cannot expect our learners to leave at the door for class time. Therefore having an understanding of the different stages a person goes through when developing their intercultural awareness can help us have more of an insight into our learners. It can also help us as teachers settle into the new ways of life we face when we take off around the world teaching English as a foreign language.

The five stages when developing intercultural awareness can be best described in a U-shaped curve (Hoang-Thu, 2010).

1. The honey moon stage – This is where the difference we see in other culture are exciting and attractive.
2. The disintegration stage – The novelties wear off at this stage and frustration or helplessness can take over.
3. The reintegration stage – At this point culture can be problematic. One can become defensive or not respond to the culture.
4. The autonomy stage – This is where we turn back up in the U. We start to develop a little perspective, opinions become balanced, objective, and start becoming more positive.
5. Finally we reach the interdependence stage – We adopt a new identity a bicultural or multicultural person.

Recognising these five stages can help us as teachers find our feet when taking on the responsibilities of travelling and teaching in other cultures. Moreover, it can also help us to understand our students and the uphill struggle they may be having, not only learning English as a foreign language, but also getting their heads around the culture of the language too.

So which does come first, the language or the culture? What are your opinions on this? Leave your comments below!

Reference

Hoang-Thu, T. 2010. 'Teaching culture in the EFL/ESL classroom', [Available online]  http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED511819&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED511819 [Accessed on 29/4/2013]

Developing Critical Thinking Skills in a Second Language with Task Based Learning

This blog gives an account of a course I co-ordinated and taught recently in a high school in Japan which approached the challenges of English language skills and academic skills development. The course, which was taught to a group of 13 students, aimed to give students an opportunity to experience third level academia and help these students adjust to the longer class timetable, an increase in workload, and becoming more autonomous in their studies. With just two weeks to overcome these challenges, we set about co-ordinating and organising a course that merged task-based learning with developing critical thinking skills, and threaded language strategy skills and academic research skills to result in a final presentation project. This blog gives a short description of our approach and how using some basic educational tools helped us overcome some of the issues we were facing.

Language Proficiency

In Japan it is normal for students to learn English in school, yet not many people speak English there. In many schools English is taught by a Japanese teacher who is proficient in English, so no doubt, translation is a key component to learning the English language in school. The method of learning Kanji may also influence on how English linguistics is learnt. Over the last few years working in Japan, I have noticed that the Japanese know a lot of the English language. They know a lot of vocabulary and grammar, but they don't know how to use it. In other words, the grammar and vocabulary of the language are taught, but the basic skills of communication in the language are not developed thoroughly in the school system. However, things are starting to change, and more and more schools are starting to bring in communicative English language teachers (ALTs) to work with and co-teach with the Japanese teachers in the schools.

The lack of communicative skills was one of the first issues we faced when developing this course. One of our aims was to get the students discussing topics, and we faced this by noting down the language strategies necessary for discussions. For example, agreeing and disagreeing, asking critical questions, making suggestions and giving feedback.

To develop these skills in class, we followed a very simple communicative model. In each class the students were presented with the a language strategy through examples and model conversations, we then practiced these strategies through controlled drilling and repetition, and finally we gave the students a fluency activity to carry out and produce the strategies in a more natural way. We organised the language strategies into the curriculum in a way that allowed the students to build up the skills and recycle previous strategies covered in classes in each fluency activity. Many of the language strategies we focused on involved being critical. Therefore,  another challenge we faced was how to develop critical thinking, so students could develop their communication skills effectively without being hindered by lack of critical thinking abilities.

Critical Thinking Skills

The development of critical thinking skills was another issue we faced. Again many high schools in Japan lack in the development of these skills which is very evident when students start third level education. For many students in Japan, there is a very thin line between being critical and being disrespectful when challenging or asking of another, mainly teachers' and professors', opinions. In a society were respect is a key aspect in all areas of life, it is understandable that students do not want to cross this line and come across as being disrespectful. In order to approach this, we used Edward De Bono' Six Thinking Hats process. This allowed us to direct students to think a certain way at certain times, and because it was a set process, students crossed the line comfortably as part of the task they were assigned. Using De Bono's Six Thinking Hats had to be very well scaffolded by the teacher throughout the course. For example, after presenting the Six Thinking Hats on the first day, they were threaded into each language strategy lesson with questions to raise students awareness of how the language strategies reflected the thinking process of the Six Thinking Hats. We asked questions like, "When you make a suggestion, what thinking act are you using?", or "If I wanted to disagree with this opinion, what thinking hat would I have to use, and how could I express my disagreement?" Over time the students became a lot more comfortable using the Six Thinking Hats and less hesitant using the language strategies they were presented with in class. They could now see the relevance and connection of how both worked together. However, we didn't stop there with De Bono's Six Thinking Hats. As part of developing their research skills, students were assigned an article in English to read every night, and they were instructed to take notes on a worksheet. The worksheet was divided up into sections that reflected the thinking of the six hats. These worksheets and other research notes later came together in the form of group posters, and these posters set the foundation for the presentation project.

Academic Research Skills

The course was designed around a problem based topic. By choosing a problem, it allowed us to use the critical thinking skills to develop evaluations on possible solutions to these problems. On this particular course we looked at social problems Japan faced when hosting the Olympics. Each article assigned to the students to read for research was an issue around this topic. The students were encouraged to do their own research also, either in English or Japanese. We developed the students' evaluations skills by using the academic structure Situation - Problem - Response - Evaluation (S.P.R.E.). This was also used as the main structure for their presentation on the social problem they choose. Before choosing their problem, the students came together to share their opinions and responses. This was done in poster form: each group were given 2 problems, and had to create a visual way of showing these problems, and ideas of how respond to these problems. As students worked on the posters, we discussed both positive and negative evaluations of their responses. Students were encouraged to look at the negative evaluations even more, so they could be more critical of their ideas and could highlight this in their presentation work.

Presentations Skills

The course finished up with students doing group presentations. For all the students, it was their first time presenting in English so a lot of time was given to developing presentation skills. We focused on sub-skills, such as using visuals like graphs and charts (we did not allow powerpoint as we wanted the focus to be on the content rather than the visual), structuring the content of the presentation, writing a draft, and using cue cards for fluency. The presentation structure followed the SPRE layout, and the students were encouraged to give a positive and negative evaluation of their ideas. The presentations were a great success, and the students showed great autonomy developing their ideas and finding information to support their ideas. They also showed great confidence in their presenting which evidently came from the knowledge of the work they had done to create the presentation content.

Scaffolding

Overall the course was a great success. I had a great group of students to work with, and I have no doubt that these students will do very well in third level education. As a teacher, I recognised that the balance of scaffolding learning and controlling the work is very important in a task-based learning course. There is a sense of bargaining if something will work or not. Teacher support is essential in a task-based course, but allowing room for mistakes by students when doing these tasks is just as important. While all teachers will strive to achieve a good outcome at the end of a course, it is important to recognise that a bad outcome is just as much part of the learning for the student.

Learning from your mistakes can be just as effective as learning from doing something right. From a pedagogical perspective, task-based learning  can be, and should be, about getting it right and about getting it wrong. To end the course I did a reflection session with the students on what they had done during the course, and how it would help them in the future. It was during this reflection feedback session, that it became clear what students felt they did well, and what they felt they needed to improve. The reflection feedback session also gave students an opportunity to reflect on their peers, and highlight what they learned from each other. 

When I first approached this course with task-based learning in mind, I was told it wouldn't work. I was told the school had tried projects like this in the past, and they were not a success. There is a lot involved in task-based learning, and the simple attitude of "handing if over to the students" doesn't work. It is essential for teachers to monitor constantly, scaffold, and even get down on your hands and knees to stick pictures on a poster. For me, I found that engaging with the project rather than trying to control it is essential. Give your students room to develop, and you will be very surprised how much they can do in such a short amount of time.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post and would be very happy to have your comments below.

The Future

In this blog post we are looking at how we relate to the future in the English language. 

It is very common for TEFL teachers to teach the grammar of the future aspects but not the meaning and use behind the grammar.

As a result, many English learners fall into the habit of using one of the aspects (usually 'will' of 'going to') more than the others. 

This blog looks at how English does not have a future tense, and how we use aspects of the language to create future meaning.

So what are these aspects?

 

So let's have a look at these meanings in a little more detail and learn how to use them!

Finally, a tip for teaching!

We hope you enjoyed this blog post. Please comment, share and like below.Solas English - teaching online in a fun way!

The cats in Japan

 For the next few months I will be in Japan teaching an IELTS course. This is my third visit to Japan, and so to celebrate the beginning of another semester here this blog post is about how I used art in the English language classroom in Japan last year for a lesson of rhyming, culture and autonomous learning.

Many teachers think that having students do artistic projects in the language classroom can be a waste of time. However, I believe that the context, the approach and the task are very important factors to consider when planning to use art in the language classroom. Here's an example of how I used art to encourage autonomous learning, aspects of pronunciation and intercultural awareness.


Last year I was working with a group of students who were training to be elementary school teachers. Part of their curriculum was not only to learn English but how they could teach English to very young learners. The curriculum looked at teaching methods such as games and activities. It also looked at how books can be used with young learners.

For this particular task we were working with the book "My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes" by Lynley Dodd. This book has a lot of rhyming in it. This was a little difficult for the group of low level learners I had, so to help them with the concept of rhyming I set them the task to make a poster based on "The cat from Ireland ...."

The students had to find information about Ireland and Irish culture - promoting autonomous learning and cultural awareness. They then had to make an attempt to complete the poster title - allowing students to play around with rhyming.

The result was great: the students were encouraged to work autonomously on the project with the teacher available to support them. It was a great introduction to my country and culture, Ireland, because they knew very little about it. Therefore it turned into a great cultural awareness project also. Finally, the students got to play around with rhyming. It took them some time but they had a better understanding of how sounds can be similar and how words in English rhyme. It was also challenging for them because they realised that words with similar spellings don't always sound the same.

 .... of course we had a lovely colourful wall of cat posters to brighten our day!

So, how can art help you develop your English language skills?

All cultural things gives us a great insight into how a culture works. The more we understand about a culture and how it works, the more we can understand how and why people talk in that culture the way they do. Art can be a visual window into understanding culture and therefore, understanding communication in that culture. Remember art is not always paintings and sculptor. Modern art incorporates so much more media now like film and contemporary performance, and can be found not only in galleries but online and in magazines.

"The more we understand about a culture and how it works, the more we can understand how and why people talk in that culture the way they do."

Comment below and tell us: Which is your favourite poster? Does your English language teacher use art in the English language classroom? Have you ever done a project like this, and what was it like? Who is your favourite artist and why?

Meet Jerry ...

Xinlong (Jerry) is a MSc Architectural Engineering: Environmental Design student at the University of Bath. 

Jerry has kindly taken some time out of his busy schedule to talk to us today about his experience on the English pre-sessional course which was combined with his degree offer, and gives some advice about academic skills and culture.

So first question Jerry, why did you apply for the University of Bath?

I applied for  Bath because this university has a very good reputation in the architect industry in the UK and the courses in the degree are very well organised - covered most of my interests. Plus, Bath is a very delicate town.

How did the pre-sessional English course help you?

Firstly, as this is my first time to study abroad, the pre-sessional course helped me start to talk to people in English, which made my following study much easier. Secondly, the writing part of the course was extremely helpful. I learned how to structure an academic essay in English properly. Thirdly, I met many friends who were going to take the same degree course as me in the course. Overall, the pre-sessional course was a very good start point of my study in the UK.

"the pre-sessional course helped me start to talk to people in English"

Were you surprised by the differences between the academic culture in your country and in the country where you studied?

Yes, the academic atmosphere in the UK is more active than in my country.

What differences did you not expect?

The relation between tutors and students is more like friends.

Do you think it's a good idea for students applying to an English language university to do an academic course/pre-sessional course to help them prepare?

Yes I think it’s a very good idea to do a pre-sessional course before the degree course for students who plan to study in English for the first time, even if your English level has reached the requirements, because this can help you to get familiar with the academic style beforehand.

"It’s a good idea to make clear what you need to improve in particular."

Do you have any advice for students who are thinking about taking an academic preparation course?

It’s a good idea to make clear what you need to improve in particular. This could make the course more effective. Also, try to engage in the course as much as possible, the more uncomfortable you feel during the pre-sessional course, the more comfortable you will feel during your degree course.

Are you happy with your experience on the course?

Overall I am very satisfied with my experience during the pre-sessional course. I feel very lucky to have met all the people in the course.

Thank you Jerry, and we wish you the best with your studies in the future.

Let's read an English book ....

The idea of reading a book in a second language can be scary. Many people think they don't have the time, or that it will take too much effort. This does not need to be the case. Reading in a second language can be very enjoyable and motivating. It is also great for improving your knowledge of the language. In last week's blog, we looked at some books suitable for English language learners.  

Today we will share with you some tips on how to be a better reader.

Tip no. 1 - You don't have to understand every word you read.

When you read, it is very important to remember that you don't need to understand every word to understand the overall text. A lot of the time, people who are starting to read in a second language make the mistake of using a dictionary for every word that is new to them. This slows down the reading process and makes reading less enjoyable. Think about it ... do you do this in your first language? Guessing the meaning of the word from the context is a much better sub-skill to improve your reading skills.

Tip no. 2 - Understand the overall content

When you begin to read in a second language, it is a good idea to try to summarise in your own words what you have just read. Start with paragraphs of texts, then pages and then chapters. By summarising, you are clarifying to yourself that you have understood the main points of the text.

Tip no. 3 - Take note of some words.

Reading is a great way to learn some new vocabulary. When you read a book, you often find the same word being repeated over and over because of the context of the story. This may apply to nouns and verbs especially. For example a book about a court case will use words related to the court room again and again. If you do find a word being used over and over, then take note of the word, and look it up in a dictionary if the meaning is not very clear. Notice how the word is being used by the writer at different times. Notice if the writer is using different forms of the word, for example making the noun into an adverb or adjective. The sub-skill of 'noticing' is very important to developing your language knowledge.

Tip no. 4 - Read in your first language, read in your second language

This is something I did a lot when I was learning Spanish. A metro newspaper published a short story each week in Spanish and in English. It was a great way to compare the vocabulary and sentence structures in both languages.

Later I used this technique when I was reading my first novel in Spanish. I read a few pages in English first and then the same few pages in Spanish. It was a slow process but I was very motivated when reading the Spanish book and excited at how much I could understand. I very rarely used a dictionary and could guess which part of the story I was reading from my memory of the English text.

Tip no. 5 - Read with a friend

If you need motivation to read a book in English, then read with a friend - just like a book club. Set you and your friend a weekly goal of a chapter or two. Then, each week try to get together to talk about what you have just read, and help each other out with vocabulary and meaning. It can make reading in a second language much more interesting and fun. When I was learning Spanish, my friend and I read books together. She was learning English, so she read the book in English, and I was learning Spanish so I read the book in Spanish. If either of us had a problem, we would help each other. After each chapter we would quickly compare notes before moving onto the next chapter.

Tip no. 6 - Make time in your week for your reading in a second language

If you want to begin reading in a second language, it's important to make time in your day or week for your reading. Maybe your time is on the train to work, or maybe it's during your lunch break. Having a set time is a good way to motivate you to read, even if it's just for 15 minutes a day.

Tip no. 7 - Enjoy the experience

Reading stories and books in our first language is a great hobby. We read because we enjoy the experience. Reading in a second language should be the same - it should be an enjoyable experience. So make sure you enjoy your reading experience. Start with something simple, and allow yourself the time to develop and improve. As you get better, the experience will get better too!

Have you any other tips on how to be a better reader in a second language? Please share you tips with us in a comment!

Literature for English language learners

Books are a great way to improve your English language level. They are a great source for vocabulary and grammar. They also show learners how the language works. Reading a book in a second language might feel like a big task for some people - a task that could be very time consuming and difficult. Therefore it's very important to begin with a book that you can read easily and enjoy, and will motivate you to read more in English.

So in this week's blog, we will look at three of the books that we sometimes use with our learners in Solas English.

Flight of the Doves by Walter Macken. 

This children's book was written in 1971 and is based in Ireland. It is the story of two young children who run away from an abusive uncle to live with their grandmother. Their journey takes them across the country. On this journey they meet many different people and find themselves in many situations, both good and bad.

The English in this book is easy, so it is a good book for pre-intermediate and intermediate level learners. It is also a good starting book for first time readers.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

This is a beautifully written book about a friendship between two young boys during the Holocaust. The language in the book is simple because the naivety of the children is an important theme in the book. However the story is not so simple, and it takes a very sad turn at the end. It is a popular book for English language learning readers, and it was the best seller in Spain in 2007 and 2008.
There is also a film of the book which was released in 2008.

This book is suitable for upper-intermediate level learners or for advanced level learners who are reading an English book for the first time.




The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

This book is a favourite in Solas English and we use it to practice reading skills with our students a lot. The book was written in 2003 and is a mystery story. The story is told from the perspective of a 15 year old boy with learning difficulties who describes himself as "a mathematician with some behavioural difficulties".  Because it is written from a young person's perspective, the language in the book is easy. Not only does this make this book an easy read, but the story is great and very engaging.

This book may be a little challenging for intermediate level learners, but intermediate level learners should be able to manage reading it. Upper-intermediate level English language learning readers should enjoy this book very much.

A Giant's Dream by Alan Fisher

Two folk cultures come together in this magical and mystical story. For a long time now, Ena would regularly enter Fionn's dreams and play his bodhran drum so the Giant couldn't sleep. As Fionn seeks revenge on this mischievous leprechaun, events spiral out of control. This story brings the two beautiful worlds and cultures of Ireland and japan together. Full of loveable characters, tales and twists, this book is an escape like no other. There are some cultural references and names that might confuse at the beginning, but the story is told by Fisher in a very simplistic way making it an easy read for strong intermediate English reading levels. The book is also published in the Japanese language which makes it ideal for dual-language reading for Japanese learners of English and vice-versa.

Are you an English language learner who has read any of these books? What did you think of them? Was the English in the book easy for you to read? Do you know of any other books that you could recommend to English language learning readers? We would love to hear from you - please write a comment below. We would love to hear from you!

Starting up Solas English

Our first blog post is by Deirdre, the owner and founder of Solas English. In this post Deirdre tells us how Solas English started and what she hopes for the future of Solas English.

I have been working in the English language teaching profession for ten years. In that time I worked in many different countries including Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Spain. I also developed and up-skilled by completing my DELTA, and then going on to get a Masters in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Throughout my career I have had great experiences which have given me many ideas of how to make English language learning more dynamic and interesting for the different types of learners. However, applying these ideas in the classroom was not always easy for various reasons, so I decided to build my own school.

"imagine you want to improve your English ... Imagine you had the opportunity to go online and find a language school ... There are no travel and accommodation expenses, no visa issues - all you need is a computer and good internet connection. 

This is what Solas English offers - not just classes but a school."

The word Solas is an Irish language word that means "light". I decided to use this word because, personally, it is nice to have a name of a school with my own native language in it. Not many people know that the Irish language exists. For me, the word Solas has a positive feeling to it. This reflects how I feel about this school - a positive place to learn English. Also, it is important that students can say and spell the word easily, and the vowel sounds in the word allow for that.

The idea for an online school seemed the best and easiest way to get started as a freelance teacher. I looked around at what other teachers and learning platforms were doing and looked for a way to be different to what was out there. The key thing about Solas English is the direct link to your teacher through Skype. While many schools offer a "log in and learn" type of model, I decided to focus on a "log on and learn" model. The difference being: you log "on" to have your own one-to-one live class with your teacher on Skype, rather than logging "in" to watch videos as your main way of learning. However, I did note that logging in to a platform was valuable to learning and decided to develop an online platform for students to access if they wanted to. This platform compliments the Skype classes I do with the students, so overall it feels like an online school.

Another reason for starting the online school was the ability to connect worldwide. The one thing I love about English language teaching is meeting people from different cultures and countries. I learn so much from this. Having an online platform enables me to meet people from so many places in the world. It makes Solas English very diverse and interesting for me.

The online option works very well for my students too. Imagine you want to improve your English language and English language skills, but you are not in a place in the world where there are good opportunities to do so. Imagine you had the opportunity to go online and find a language school at your fingertips with qualified and experienced teachers to work with. There are no travel and accommodation expenses, no visa issues - all you need is a computer and good internet connection. This is what Solas English offers - not just classes but a school.

"Solas English started because I wanted to turn those ideas into reality"

Learning online is a new experience for many people. A lot of people think because you are not in a classroom, it is not as valuable an experience. I find from working on Skype that this is untrue. Technology today can make things very easy, and the one-to-one Skype classes are very intimate and focused. I would recommend giving Skype classes a go. It's not for everyone, but you could be very surprised how much you like them and how well they work for you. There are many people who offer Skype classes now. I think it's very important that you find a teacher with good qualifications and experience. A good teacher to work with is important and well worth investing in.

"... it's not for everyone, but you could be very surprised how much you like them (Skype classes) and how well they work for you"

Solas English is very small at the moment. There is a lot of work to be done, but it will take time and determination. I hope to build the online school platform more as I go, so there will be more activities and options for the students. Hopefully further down the line I can extend and offer more courses and classes. I am currently working on IELTS material, and I hope to start IELTS classes in September. Ideally, it would be great to see a language school grow out of it, but I'm not sure where that location would be yet.