Conference:
ECER 2005
Format:
Paper
Session Information
Session 3, Cultural Contexts of Computer-Aided Language Learning
Papers
Time:
2005-09-08
09:00-10:30
Room:
Arts G108A
Chair:
Anna Chronaki
Contribution
The proposed paper will deal with the use of Information Communication Technologies (ICT) and Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) for the integration of cultural elements in the teaching of second/foreign languages. It will refer to the context of teaching English as a foreign language in a European context and will use the examples of case studies to illustrate the arguments presented. It will refer to the relation of language with culture; the integration of the teaching of culture in the foreign language program; and the use of ICT applications for the learners' exposure to cultural issues. Language and CultureSince the 1990's there has been a revived interest in the teaching and learning of culture in foreign language learning. The target language is not seen in isolation from the context in which it is naturally spoken. It is viewed as the instrument which reflects the speaker's beliefs, attitudes and views but also transmits cultural information about her/his national, social, historical identity and background. In other words, language expresses cultural reality. In this context, foreign language students are expected to learn to understand the otherness of the culture of the target language. They are expected to become able to interpret and create culture as participants in communicative events. The proposed paper will discuss how ICT and the integration of culture as process can enhance learners' cross cultural understanding and language learning. Integrating CultureThe paper will argue that teaching culture as process is the best way to integrate cultural elements in the foreign language program. It will be asserted that the teaching of culture in this context needs to aim at, first, the students' development of a conceptual framework referring to the target culture and second, the development of an awareness of the differences and similarities between the students' cultures and the target culture. The students of a foreign language need to be exposed to some of the historical, geographical, social and political factors which synthesize a native speaker's conceptual framework of what the world around her/ him is like. For the students' exposure to these factors relevant and appropriate contexts need to be providedUsing ICT to integrate Culture The Cognitive and the Sociocognitive perspectives in CALL do provide applications which offer the means and the forms and cater for cultural contexts to be used for foreign language learning. Multimedia resources and simulations can be used to familiarize students with the target cultural context. Furthermore, Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) and Network Based Language Teaching (NBLT) offer language students the chance to communicate with native speakers of the language with the aim of exchanging information, negotiating meanings, understanding the target culture and comparing with the mother culture. Final Remarks Overall, the proposed presentation will attempt to put forward that ICT applications in foreign language learning have the potential to expose students to the target culture, which is viewed as an important principle in second/ foreign language learning. The use of case studies and the context of foreign language learning in European schools will be used to support the argument of the paper.
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